Surface Production Operations, Volume 1:, Second Edition: Design of Oil-Handling Systems and Facilities

462 Pages·1998·12.42 MB·English

by  Ken Arnold

(Surface Production Operations)
DISCLAIMER
This text contains descriptions, statements, equations, procedures,
methodology, interpretations, and other written matter and information,
hereinafter collectively called "contents," that have been carefully consid-
ered and prepared as a matter of general information. The contents are
believed to reliably represent situations and conditions that have occurred or
could occur, but are not represented or guaranteed as to the accuracy or
application to other conditions or situations. There are many variable condi-
tions in production facility design and related situations, and the authors
have no knowledge or control of their interpretation. Therefore, the contents
and all interpretations and recommendations made in connection herewith
are presented solely as a guide for the user's consideration, investigation,
and verification. No warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied,
are made in connection therewith. The user is specifically cautioned,
reminded, and advTised that any use or interpretation of the contents and
resulting use or application thereof are made at the sole risk of the user. In
production facility design there are many proprietary designs and tech-
niques. We have tried to show designs and techniques in a generic nature
where possible. The user must assure himself that in actual situations it is
appropriate to use this generic approach. If the actual situation differs from
the generic situation in design or lies outside the bounds of assumptions
used in the various equations, the user must modify the information con-
tained herein accordingly.
In consideration of these premises, any user of the contents agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless the authors and publisher from all claims and
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I
Surface Production Operations
Design of Oil-Handling
Systems and Facilities
Ken Arnold
Maurice Stewart
SECOND EDITION
Surface Production Operations
VOLUME 1
Design of Oil-Handling
Systems and Facilities
Copyright © 1989, 1999 by Butterworth-Heinemann. All
rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This
book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form
without permission of the publisher.
Originally published by Gulf Publishing Company,
Houston, TX.
For information, please contact:
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Arnold, Ken, 1942-
Design of oil-handling systems and facilities / Ken Arnold, Maurice
Stewart. — 2nd ed.
p. cm. — (Surface production operations; v. 1)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-88415-821-7 (alk. paper)
1. Petroleum engineering—Equipment and supplies. 2. Oil
fields—Equipment and supplies. 3. Oil fields—Production methods.
I. Stewart, Maurice. II. Title. III. Series.
TN871.5.A74 1998
665.5—dc21 97-38110
CIP
Printed in the United States of America.
Printed on acid-free paper (°o).
iv
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
CHAPTER 1
The Production Facility 1
•
Introduction, 1
Making the Equipment Work, 16
Facility Types, 18
CHAPTER 2
Choosing a Process 26
Introduction, 26
Controlling the Process, 26
Operation of a Control Valve 26, Pressure Control 29,
Level Control 30, Temperature Control 30, Flow Control 31
Basic System Configuration, 31
Wellhead and Manifold 31, Separation 31, Oil Treating 38,
Lease Automatic Custody Transfer (LACT) 40, Pumps 42,
Water Treating 43, Compressors 43, Gas Dehydrators 46
Well Testing, 48
Gas Lift, 51
Offshore Platform Considerations, 54
Overview 54, Modular Construction 55,
Equipment Arrangement 55
CHAPTER 3
Fluid Properties 58
Introduction, 58
Basic Principles, 58
Specific Gravity and Density 58, Viscosity 64
v
Flash Calculations, 69
Characterizing the Flow Stream, 87
Molecular Weight of Gas 87, Gas Flow Rate 88,
Liquid Molecular Weight 89, Specific Gravity of
Liquid 90, Liquid Flow Rate 92, The Flow Stream 92
Approximate Flash Calculations, 93
Other Properties, 95
CHAPTER 4
Two-Phase Oil and Gas Separation 101
Introduction, 101
Factors Affecting Separation, 102
Equipment Description, 102
Horizontal Separators 102, Vertical Separators 104,
Spherical Separators 104, Other Configurations 105,
Scrubbers 107
Horizontal vs. Vertical Vessel Selection, 108
Vessel Internals, 109
Inlet Diverters 109, Wave Breakers 111, Defoaming Plates 111,
Vortex Breaker 112, Mist Extractor 112
Potential Operating Problems, 115
Foamy Crudes 115, Paraffin 116, Sand 117,
Liquid Carryover and Gas Blowby 117
Theory, 117
Settling 117, Drop Size 121, Retention Time 122,
Re-entrainment 122
Separator Sizing, 122
Horizontal Separators 122, Procedure for Sizing Horizontal
Separators 126, Vertical Separators 126
Examples, 129
Sizing a Vertical Separator 129,
Sizing a Horizontal Separator 133
References, 134
CHAPTER 5
Oil and Water Separation 135
Introduction, 135
Equipment Description, 136
Horizontal Separators 136, Vertical Separators 140,
Horizontal vs. Vertical Selection 142
vi
Vessel Internals, 143
Coalescing Plates 143, Sand Jets and Drains 143
Emulsions, 144
Theory, 144
Gas Separation 144, Oil/Water Settling 144,
Water Droplet Size in Oil 144, Oil Droplet Size in Water 145,
Retention Time 145
Separator Sizing, 145
Horizontal Separators 146, Settling Equation 148,
Vertical Separators 151
Examples, 154
Sizing a Vertical Three-Phase Separator 154,
Sizing a Horizontal Three-Phase Separator 156
CHAPTER 6
Crude Oil Treating Systems 160
Introduction, 160
Emulsion Treating Theory, 161
Forming Emulsions 161, Emulsifying Agent 164,
Demulsifiers 165
Gravity Separation, 167
Coalescence 168, Viscosity 169, Temperature Effects 170,
Heat Input Equations 174, Water Droplet Size and Retention
Time 175, Coalescing Media 175, Electrostatic Coalescers 176
Treating Equipment, 177
Vertical Treaters 177, Horizontal Treaters 180,
Electrostatic Treaters 181
Equipment Sizing and Theory, 182
Settling Equations 182, Retention Time Equations 184,
Water Droplet Size 185
Design Procedure, 188
Examples, 189
Sizing a Horizontal Treater 189, Sizing a Vertical Treater 191
References, 192
CHAPTER 7
Produced-Water Treating Systems 194
Introduction, 194
System Description, 195
vii
Theory, 197
Gravity Separation 197, Dispersion 198, Coalescence 198,
Flotation 199
Treating Equipment, 199
Settling Tanks and Skimmer Vessels 199,
Skimmer Sizing Equations 202, Plate Coalescers 207,
Skimmer/Coalescers 214, Precipitators/Coalescing Filters 215,
Free-Flow Turbulent Coalescers (SP Packs) 215,
Flotation Units 218, Hydrocyclones 223, Disposal Piles 225,
Skim Pile 228
Drain Systems, 230
Information Required for Design, 230
Influent Water Quality, 231
Produced Water 231, Soluble Oil 232, Deck Drainage 233
Equipment Selection Procedure, 233
Equipment Specification, 236
Example: Design the Produced-Water Treating System for the
Data Given, 237
CHAPTER 8
Pressure Drop in Piping 244
Introduction, 244
Basic Principles, 245
Reynolds Number 245, Flow Regimes 247,
Bernoulli's Theorem 247, Darcy's Equation 248,
Moody Friction Factor 249
Fluid Flow Equations, 251
Liquid Flow 251, Gas Flow 254, Two-Phase Flow 263
Head Loss in Valves and Pipe Fittings, 273
Resistance Coefficients 274, Flow Coefficient 274,
Equivalent Length 277, Laminar Flow Coefficient 278
Example Pressure Drop Calculations, 278
Pressure Drop in Liquid Line 278,
Pressure Drop in Gas Line 281,
Pressure Drop in Two-Phase Line 284
CHAPTER 9
Choosing a Line Size and Wall Thickness 285
Introduction, 285
viii
Line Size Criteria, 286
Erosional Flow 286, Liquid Lines 289, Gas Lines 291,
Two-Phase Flow 295
Wall Thickness Criteria, 299
Standards and Requirements 299, General Hoop Stress
Formula for Thin Wall Cylinders 300
Pressure Rating Classes, 313
Industry Standards 313, API 6A 314,
Pipe, Valve, and Fitting Specifications 314
Examples, 324
Liquid Line 324, Gas Line 329, Two-Phase Line 330
References, 332
CHAPTER 1O
Pumps 333
Introduction, 333
Pump Classification, 333
Centrifugal Pumps, 334
Reciprocating Pumps, 339
Diaphragm Pumps, 344
Rotary Pumps, 345
Multiphase Pumps, 347
Basic Principles, 347
Head 347, Horsepower 349,
Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) 350
Basic Selection Criteria, 352
CHAPTER 11
Centrifugal Pumps 355
Introduction, 355
Multiple Pump Installations, 356
Pump Specific Speed, 358
Codes and Standards, 358
Generic Types of Centrifugal Pumps, 359
ANSI Pump 359, Single-Stage API Pump 361,
Vertical In-Line Pump 362, API Multistage Split
Case Pump 364, API Barrel Pumps 364, Sump Pump 365,
ix