CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

In the oil field, crude coming out of the reservoir from depth of the earth crust (usually

composed of water, oil and or gas), the crude is first channeled into a separator where the

water is stripped off and the oil and gas is separated before moving on, along the unit

operators for further refining and production.

Crude oil–gas–water mixtures that are taken out from wells are usually directed, through pipe

lines and manifold system, to a central processing and treatment facility at the downstream. In

most cases, the first primary process undergone by the produced crude oil is the Separation.

This separation process would separate the crude into three phases which are oil, gas, and

water. (Bratakh et el., 2015)

According to (Manning & Thompson, 1991), the crude exiting the oil well are usually under

high pressure and may be in a liquid and/or gaseous state. The crude in the reservoir are

normally in contact with (salty) water. And each well head have their own unique conditions

and properties. Some of the parameters that have an impact on how the final characteristic of

crude is at a specific point in time and subsequently the nature of separation are:

1. Pressure and Temperature.

2. Flowrates of the fluids.

3. Type and quantity of fluid that it contains.

4. Whether the fluid contains undesired components (e.g., H2S and CO2).

5. Amount of free water in the crude.

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The separation process usually takes place in an unfired mechanical pressure vessel referred

to as separators. Three Phase separators are used to separate produced crude oil containing

water and if the produced crude oil stream contains no water, two-phase separators are used.

These separators are used to relieve the excess pressure due to the gas associated with the

produced crude and, consequently, separating it from the oil. Once all the separation process

is done, each stream undergoes their respective processing procedure for further field

treatment.

According to (Manning & Thompson, 1991) , separation is often carried out in multiple stages

of decreasing pressure: especially, true in production from high-pressure wells. Such staged

separation is desirable as it promotes more efficient separation. Less of the intermediate and

heavier hydrocarbons is carried away by the gas: thus they remain in the liquid phase and a

larger volume is retained. The liquid will also have a higher API gravity, increasing its value.

Furthermore, less effort is required to remove the heavier hydrocarbons from the gas, to

condition it for pipeline transmission and lesser horsepower is required to compress the gas to

pipeline pressure.

This gas–oil-water separation process, carried out by separators is very vital as it is seen as the

core process in oil and gas operations. Because it helps to remove the water in the crude, the

presence of this salt water causes serious corrosion and scaling issues in transportation and in

plant operations. Then again if the separation in the separator train is not properly done, oil

and or gas will flow in the wrong stream (i.e. gas flowing in the oil stream and oil flowing in

the gas stream) thereby causing damage to the downstream units and loss in these gas and or

oil, ultimately causing lost in profit, revenue and asset of the oil company. At the end of the

separation, the crude oil leaving the separator(s) may fulfill the requirement in terms of its

2
volatility (vapor pressure), however, they do not necessarily fulfill the full client’s

requirement

And with respect to the environment and pollution, The gas that is separated must be

compressed and treated for sales, while the free water produced will undergo further

hydrocarbon recovery process as to reduce the oil proportion below 10 mg/L before being

discharged as water effluents to the sea, Malaysia Environmental Quality Act, (1974)

1.2 Problems statement

Oil and gas separation that occurs in the oil industries, are most time efficiently done but are

economically strained, in the sense that too many number of stages used in separation of the

crudes is technically necessary, but economically the cost of running such stabilization is high

and unnecessary.

The higher the number of stages, the higher the separation of the crude, but at optimal

stabilization, any increase in number of stages will not increase separation but will only

increase cost of stabilization, and if the minimum amount of separation stages is not used for

the separation, stabilization is not complete and will cause technical issues to the equipment

down streams. As a result of this estimating, the minimum number of stages required for

optimal cost-effective separation, have been a major problem for the oil & gas industries.

1.3 Justification of study

This project work on crude stabilization is important and necessary because, in oil & gas

industry especially for oil & gas production facilities, managing oil-gas-water separation

effectively while minimizing cost is an important and critical aspect of petroleum product

3
production. To achieve this maximum separation economically, the knowledge of the exact or

minimal number of stages required to stabilize the crude is important and this project work

will help in achieving that.

1.4 Aim and objectives.

1.4.1 Aim

The aim of this project is to effectively and efficiently stabilize crude oil, by getting the

number of stages needed for optimal separation of oil and gas for, maximum efficiency.

1.4.2 Objectives

1. Get data from oil and gas companies within my location within a period of three
weeks or one month.

2. The data will be used as basis for computation and analysis to determine the minimum

amount of separation stages that will be required in order to stabilize the oil well.

3. Construct different scenarios by varying different parameters (temperature, feed flow

rates, and pressure) and compare with the final products.

1.5 Scope of study

The aim of this project is to economically stabilize an oil stream by determining the number

of separator stages needed for optimal separation of the oil-water-gas mixture of a crude, and

as such, this project will focus more on the crude stabilization system, the work/study will

cover the following area as per below:

1. Relationships between crude oil stabilization and operating condition

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 2. Evaluation of acquired crude oil composition and operating condition of wellhead

from oil company.

3. Factors affecting separation efficiency.

1.6 Limitation of study

There are several factors affecting the stabilization of crude oil, which include; pressure,

temperature, gas liquid flow rates, gas compressibility factor, presence of impurities such as

paraffin, sulphur and sands. This work is limited to the study of the effects of pressure as a

result of change in number of separation stages.

5
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

Crude oil composition changes along its journey from the reservoir to surface facilities due to

the change in pressure and temperature. Crude oil at downhole conditions (high pressure and

temperature) usually have dissolved gases that maintains the oil light components in

equilibrium with the heavier components. When the pressure is reduced, the gas flashes from

the oil causing drastic change in oil composition and properties (Bahadori et el., 2008).

At high pressures existing at the bottom of the producing well, crude oil contains great

quantities of dissolved gases, but when brought to the surface, it is at a much lower pressure.

Consequently, the dissolved gases are released from the liquid. Some means must be provided

to separate the gas from oil without losing too much oil. In fact, in carrying out the gas–oil

separation process, according to (Abdel-Aal et al., 2003) stabilization or separation process

main target is to achieve the following objectives:

• Separate the light components (methane and ethane) from oil.

• Maximize the recovery of heavy components of the intermediate components

(propane, butane, and pentane) in crude oil.

• Save the heavy components (which are the bulk of crude oil) in liquid product.

During stabilization process, if the separator pressure is high, large amounts of light

components will remain in the liquid phase at the separator and will be lost along with other

valuable components to the gas phase at the stock tank operating at a much lower pressure

range. And, if the pressure is too low, large amounts of intermediates components will be

6
separated from liquids including some quantities of heavier components which will end up

condensing, when the pressure have been increased to transport the gas. As such the right

number of separator stage and surface separation pressure is required to effectively stabilize

crude oil. (Adewumi, 2017) Stated that optimal separator pressure and number of stages is the

one that produces the maximum liquid yield (at minimum gas/oil ratio and formation volume

factor) of maximum quality (by maximizing stock tank API gravity)

2.1 Overview of crude oil

2.1.1 What is crude oil?

Crude oil or Petroleum (rock oil) is a mix of naturally organic compound containing primarily

hydrogen, carbon and oxygen and in minor quantity nitrogen, sulphur and others which are

treated as impurities. There are two types of petroleum which come straight out of the ground

in form of liquid. The first one is called crude oil and the second one is called condensate.

Crude oil is a dark and viscous liquid and condensate is a clear and volatile liquid. Crude oil

usually in black color but it also comes in other varying colors like green, red or brown but

they are not uncommon. (Othman & Carrillo, 2019).

Crude oils vary widely in composition and physical properties. Some are almost gas-like

materials of 65o API gravity, whereas others are semisolid asphaltic material with API

gravities of less than 10o. Crude oil have a mixture of various component, with the first few

being light crude which are generally more valuable to refineries and are easier to handle than

heavy crudes. Heavy crudes (crudes with more carbon atom) are more difficult to produce and

sell. (piping engineering-knowledge base, 2014)

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Crude oil properties vary in physical properties depending on where the oil is found and under

what conditions it was formed. Each of these properties is important for different reasons. For

example, API gravity which is essentially a measure of density. It determines whether a

specific type of crude oil has a higher or lower boiling range, which is important for their

separation.

2.1.2 Brief history of the crude oil in Nigeria

Oil was discovered in Nigeria in 1956 at Oloibiri in the Niger Delta after half a century of

exploration. The discovery was made by Shell-BP, at the time as the sole concessionaire.

Nigeria joined the ranks of oil producers in 1958 when its first oil field came on stream

producing 5,100 bpd. After 1960, exploration rights in onshore and offshore areas adjoining

the Niger Delta were extended to other foreign companies. In 1965 the EA field was

discovered by Shell in shallow water southeast of Warri. Today Petroleum production and

export play a dominant role in Nigeria's economy and account for about 90% of her gross

earnings. (NNPC).

2.1.3 Types of crude oil/ wellhead fluid

According to (Fekete Associates Inc. , 2015), there are five main types of reservoir fluids:

black oil, volatile oil, condensate (retrograde gas), wet gas, and dry gas. Each of these fluid

types require different approaches when analyzing the reservoir, extracting and processing the

oil (a dry gas will likely not be needing any stabilization while a volatile or black oil well will

be needing a range of three, four or five phase separators for effective stabilization), so it is

important to identify the correct fluid type early on, in the reservoir's life. Information such as

initial production gas-oil ratio (GOR), gravity of the stock-tank liquid, and the color of the

8
stock-tank liquid are also useful indicators, in determining the kind of crude petroleum you

are dealing with.

Black Oils: Black oils also called low shrinkage crude oil or ordinary oil are dark in color

indicating the presence of heavy hydrocarbons. It is characterized as having initial gas-oil

ratios of 2000 scf/stb or less. They are made up of a variety of components including large,

heavy, and non-volatile hydrocarbons. Producing GOR usually increase during production

when reservoir falls below bubble point pressure, as the gas evolves from the solution inside

the reservoir and flows preferentially to the oil.

Volatile Oils: Volatile oils contain fewer heavy molecules and more intermediate components

(ethane through hexane) than black oils. Volatile oils generally have initial gas-oil ratios in

the 2000 to 3300 scf/bbl range, and the stock tank gravity is usually 40° API or higher. The

color is generally lighter than black oil – brown, orange, or green. Gas associated with volatile

oils tends to be very rich and similar to retrograde condensate gas.

Condensate (Retrograde Gas): Condensate gas is very similar to volatile oils in terms of the

colour (green, orange, brown, even clear) and gravity (40° to 60° API) of the produced oil.

However, the reservoir temperature of a condensate gas reservoir is greater than the critical

temperature of the fluid, and so where a volatile oil is a liquid at original reservoir pressure

and temperature, a condensate gas is a gas.

As pressure is reduced in a condensate gas reservoir, the fluid will pass through the dew point

and large volumes of liquid will condense in the reservoir. Since the gas flows preferentially

to oil, much of this oil will be unrecoverable. Consequently, it is important to recognize that a

9
reservoir contains a condensate gas and re-inject dry gas to maintain reservoir pressure above

the dew point to maximize recovery of the liquids.

Wet Gas (Rich Gas): Natural gas that contains significant heavy hydrocarbons such as

propane, butane and other liquid hydrocarbons is known as wet gas or rich gas. It is called a

wet gas if the gas contains less methane (typically less than 85% methane) and more ethane,

and other more complex hydrocarbons. Wet gases usually produce stock tank liquid with the

same range of gravities as the liquids from retrograde gases. However, the gravity of the stock

tank liquid does not change during the life of the reservoir. Also, GOR production are very

high (> 50000 scf/stb) for wet gases and remains constant.

Wet gas exists solely as a gas in the reservoir throughout the reduction in reservoir pressure.

Unlike retrograde condensate, no liquid is formed inside the reservoir. However, during

separation, there is change in thermodynamic properties, causing some liquid to be formed at

the surface. This surface liquid is normally called condensate, and the reservoir gas is

sometimes called condensate-gas.

Dry Gas: Natural gas that occurs in the absence of condensate or liquid hydrocarbons, or gas

that had condensable hydrocarbons removed, is called dry gas. It is primarily methane with

some intermediates. The hydrocarbon mixture is solely gas in the reservoir and there is no

liquid formed either in the reservoir or at surface. The pressure path line does not enter into

the phase envelope in the phase diagram, thus there is only dry gas in the reservoir. Note, the

surface separator conditions also fall outside the phase envelope (in contrast to wet gas);

hence no liquid is formed at the surface separator.

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2.2 Stabilization

The removal of light components from a hydrocarbon liquid to reduce its vapor pressure to a

specified level is known as crude oil or condensate stabilization. Most often, stabilization is

done to fulfill pipeline specifications, sales contracts, or to reduce the amount of evaporation

of the hydrocarbon liquid kept in an atmospheric stock tank. Propane and butane, which are

intermediate hydrocarbons, are less likely to flash to the vapor state as a result of the

stabilization process, increasing the liquid content. As a result, it causes a decrease in the

liquid's vapor pressure as well as an increase in liquid sales.

The primary goal of stage separation is to stabilize the resultant phases (gas and liquid) as

much as possible before they leave the final separator, ensuring that no significant volumes of

gas or liquid develop from the final liquid or gas phases, respectively. Equilibrium flash

calculations employing an appropriate equation of state or correlations are used to calculate

the amounts of gas and liquid recovered at a specific pressure. This aids in optimizing the

pressure setting for each separator. Mokhatab et al. (2015)

According to (SIVALLS, 2009) Crude oil stabilization works by exploiting the difference in

Crude volatility. This is usually affected by:

 Separator operating pressure

 Separator operating temperature

 Fluid stream composition.

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Pressure is the major factor affecting successful separation while the temperature is relatively

negligible. Changes in any one of these factors on a given fluid well stream will cause a

change in the amount of gas and liquid leaving the separator. Generally speaking, a decrease

in operating pressure or increase in operating temperature will increase the liquid recovered in

a separator. However, there are optimum points in both cases beyond which further changes

will not aid in liquid recovery.

High liquid recovery is a desirable feature, because the liquid recovered is worth more than

the gas provided it can be stored at room condition in the available storage system. Effective

and efficient stabilization occur when there is optimal separation of crude oil, with higher

liquid yield at a given operating condition with limited or specified equipment.

Crude stabilization process is a form of partial distillation which sweetens "sour" crude oil

(removes the hydrogen sulfide) and reduces vapor pressure, thereby making the crude oil safe

for shipment in tankers. Crude stabilization is usually done to recover liquid from the gas-

liquid mixture, reduce pressure, and/or remove hydrogen sulfide gas in the crude oil, this is

usually done to meet economic, environmental or storage specification. The two major

specifications set for stabilized crude oil are - the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) and hydrogen

sulfide content (Bratakh el at, 2015)

2.2.1 Types of crude oil stabilization

• Weathering in a stock tank: this type of stabilization or separation occur when the

crude is pump to the stock tank and left to be separated by weather condition, crude oil

stabilization is a factor of pressure and temperature, and crude oil of higher pressure

subjected to a lower pressure of the stock tank will end up evolving light component

12
 hydrocarbon and some intermediaries hydrocarbon, the drawback of this method is

that it operate in atmospheric pressure and some specification might require the crude

to be in pressure higher or lower that atmospheric pressure

• Flash separation: this is a process of flashing the crude in a separator at a specific

pressure, and the resulting liquid is sent to the stock tank, when compared to

multistage separation, it is cheap and simple to install, but it is not economical as the

efficiency level of the separation is low, lighter component will still be entrapped in

the liquid phase which will vapourized at lower pressure.

Equilibrium or flash vaporization differs from differential vaporization in that the

vapor is not removed as it is formed, but is kept in intimate physical contact with the

remaining liquid until heating is completed. The storage tank is usually considered as

one stage of separation and the pressure is kept constant while the temperature is

increases and the light component is boiled out of the crude oil.

• Stabilizer: A crude stabilizer utilizes the same principle as multi-stage separation

except that the flashing take place in a stabilizer column at a constant pressure, but

with varying temperatures. As the hydrocarbon liquid falls from tray to tray in the

tower, it is heated by the hot gases bubbling through the liquid. On each tray some of

the liquids are vaporized and some of the hot gases are condensed. The liquids falling

down the tower become richer in heavy hydrocarbon components and leaner in light

hydrocarbons. And this process of vaporization and condensation is repeated on each

tray in the tower.

• Multi-staged separation: This is based on the principle of stage-wise pressure

reductions and temperature increments, leading to separation of lighter fractions of the

13
 gas condensate from the heavier fractions. Stabilization of crude oil by this method

involves decreasing the solubility of low-boiling hydrocarbons in condensates, by

increasing temperature and lowering pressure. The choice of the number of stages

depends on the content of low boiling hydrocarbons in the condensate. The more they

are, the more stages are needed. This is explained by the fact that, as the number of

stages increases, the share of separation on each of them decreases.

In a multi-stage separation system, the pressure decreases continually from the initial

feed pressure to the atmospheric pressure in the stock tank. Factors considered in

optimizing are petroleum °API, gas oil ratio (GOR), and oil formation volume factor

(Bo). The objective of optimization is minimizing the GOR and Bo, but maximizing

the °API, which are resulted in increasing the amount of stabilized liquid (Kylling Ø.

W., 2009).

Of the above mentioned type of stabilization, the most common is the multi-stage separation,

because it is efficient and economical, (Arnold & Stewart, 2008) stated that the addition of a

stabilizer requires additional space which is normally not a factor for onshore applications,

but may be a major consideration for an offshore installation. Weathering in a stock tank

might cause the loss of intermediaries, reducing the volume of recovered liquid, time is also a

limiting factor in weathering in a stock tank,

The method one selects for stabilization depends primarily on contract specifications and

economics. Factors that favor the installation of a stabilization unit include:

• An oil contract specification that requires a low crude vapor pressure that cannot

easily be obtained by stage separation.

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 • A sour crude with a contract specification that limits the H 2S content to less than

60ppm.

• Condensate production with 50o API or higher and flow rates in excess of 5,000 bpd

(m3/hr).

Differential liberation of gas is the ideal liquid separation system to maximize the liquid

recovery. In this process, the pressure is decreased in infinitesimally small steps and the gas

liberated at each stage is removed. Inasmuch as this would need an infinite number of

separators connected in series, it is obviously uneconomical.

In actual field practice, three stages are usually optimal. Economic study involves

determination of fixed and operating costs for each additional separator and comparing them

to the incremental oil production that results from the addition of this stage to the separation

system. Inasmuch as the production varies with time during the lifetime of a producing field,

the optimum also changes. Thus, a detailed economic analysis is usually not very useful or

justifiable in most cases.

The two-stage separation is most applicable for low-gravity oils, low gas/oil ratios, and low

flowing pressures. On the other hand, the three-stage separation is most applicable for

intermediate-gravity oils, intermediate to high gas/oil ratios, and intermediate wellhead

flowing pressures. Finally, the four-stage, separation is most applicable for high-gravity oils,

high gas/oil ratios, and high flowing pressures. Four-stage separation is also used where high-

pressure gas is needed for market or for pressure maintenance. (CHILINGARIAN,

ROBERTSON, & KUMAR, 1987)

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 2.2.1.1 Component of multistage separation

In multistage separation/stabilization, unit operation equipment are arranged in a way that will

enhance the recovery of liquid, separators is just one of the many equipment in a multistage

separation.

The type, amount and network layout of a multistage separation system depends on the type

of crude oil it is separating (i.e. if it is black oil, condensate oil or wet gas) and its property

( GOR, API, flowrate etc). The composition of the crude oil also have a role to play. Some

equipment in multistage separation system are:

Valve: regulate the flow of liquid in and out of the equipment like separator to provide

enough residence time and control the amount of fluid leaving and entering the system per

time.

Compressor: is used to increase the pressure of the sales gas, during separation, the pressure

is reduced to enable the entrapped gas to vapourized, most time, the pressure is reduced

beyond sales specification and the resulting gas have to be compressed to increase its pressure

before transporting. And some of the gas may be flared if the compression and transportation

is costly.

Air cooler: the separation process occur at high temperature and low pressure, and the

resulting low component gas is first cooled off before it is sent to the high pressure

compressor.

16
Boiler: is used to increase the temperature of crude oil before sending it into the separator, as

stabilization process occur at high temperature and low pressure. It is sometimes used to

reboil the fluid entering the subsequent separators to enhance the separation process

Knockout drum: is also a type of separator, is used to remove any oil or water from the light

component gas, vapour travels upward at a specific velocity which minimizes the entrainment

of any liquid droplets as it exits the top of the knockout drum.

Stock tank: this is the final destination of stabilized crude oil before refining or sales, it

mostly operated at atmospheric pressure, it is sometimes considered a separation stage as

separation also occur at the tank because the pressure of the crude leaving the final separator

is usually higher than the pressure of the tank.

Separator: An oil/gas separator is a mechanical pressure vessel used for separating a well

stream into gaseous and liquid components. They are installed either in an onshore processing

station or on an offshore platform. In multistage system the separators are installed successive

pressure reduction to allow the entrapped gas to vapourized from the fluid.

Based on the vessel configurations, the oil/gas separators can be divided into horizontal,

vertical, or spherical separators. In teams of fluids to be separated, the oil/gas separators can

be grouped into gas/liquid two-phase separator or oil/gas/water three-phase separator. Based

on separation function, the oil/gas separators can also classified into primary phase separator,

test separator, high-pressure separator, low-pressure etc. in terms of function it can be

classified into flash chamber, knockout drum, scrubber, etc To meet process requirements,

the oil/gas separators are normally designed in stages, in which the first stage separator is

used for preliminary phase separation, while the second and third stage separator are applied

17
for further treatment of each individual phase (gas, oil and water) (job oil field consultancy ,

n.d.)

2.2.1.2 Separator Performance (stabilization efficiency)

Separation performance can be evaluated by liquid carry over and gas blow-by rates, which

are affected by many factors, such as: flow rates, fluid properties, vessel configuration,

internals control system, etc.

The gas capacity of most gas/liquid separation vessel is sized on the basis of removing a

certain size of liquid droplets. The main unknown is the incoming drop-size distribution.

Without this, the effluent quality cannot realistically be estimated. While liquid capacity of

most separators is sized to provide enough retention time to allow gas bubbles to form and

separate out. More retention time is needed for separators that are designed to separate oil

from water, as well as gas from liquid (three-phase compared to two-phase separators). (job

oil field consultancy , n.d.)

Factors affecting the performance of separator (stabilization efficiency)

Foaming: When pressure is reduced on certain types of crude oil, tiny bubbles of gas are

encased in a thin film of oil when the gas comes out of solution. This may result in foam, or

froth, being dispersed in the oil and creates what is known as “foaming” oil. And in others,

the viscosity and surface tension of the oil may mechanically lock gas in the oil and can cause

an effect similar to foam. Foaming significantly reduces the performance of oil/gas separators

because a much longer retention time is required to efficiently separate a given quantity of

18
foaming crude oil. And also foaming crude oil cannot be measured accurately with positive-

displacement meters or with conventional volumetric metering vessels.

The method of reducing or breaking foaming oil are: settling, agitation (baffling), heating,

chemicals action, centrifugal force etc. These methods of reducing or breaking foaming oil are

also used to remove entrained gas from oil. (job oil field consultancy , n.d.)

Paraffin: Paraffin deposition in oil/gas separators reduces their performance and may render

them inoperable by partially filling the vessel and/or blocking the mist extractor and fluid

passages. Paraffinic oils are not a problem when the operating temperature is above the cloud

point (temperature at which paraffin crystals begin to form). The problems arise, however,

during a shutdown, when the oil has a chance to cool and comes out of solution to plates

surfaces.

Paraffin can be effectively removed from separators by use of steam or solvents. However,

the best solution is to prevent initial deposition in the vessel by heat or chemical treatment of

the fluid upstream of the separator. Another deterrent, successful in most instances, involves

the coating of all internal surfaces of the separator with a plastic for which paraffin has little

or no affinity. The weight of the paraffin causes it to slough off of the coated surface before it

builds up to a harmful thickness. (job oil field consultancy , n.d.)

Solids and salt: If sand and other solids are continuously produced in appreciable quantities

with well fluids, they should be removed before the fluids enter the pipelines. Salt may be

removed by mixing water with the oil, and after the salt is dissolved, the water can be

separated from the oil and drained from the system.

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 Vertical vessels are usually suited for solids removal because of the small collection area. The

vessel bottom can also be cone-shaped, with water jets to assist in the solids removal. In

horizontal vessels, sand jets and suction nozzles are placed along the bottom of the vessel,

typically every 5 to 8 ft. Inverted troughs may be placed on top of the suction nozzles as well

to keep the nozzles from plugging. (job oil field consultancy , n.d.)

Corrosion: Produced well fluids can be very corrosive and cause early failure of equipment

due to the gas present. The two most corrosive elements are hydrogen sulfide and carbon

dioxide. These two gases are usually present in the well fluids in quantities from a trace up to

40 to 50% of the gases present by volume.

Three phase horizontal separator with oil bucket

and water weir

Three phase vertical separator with

interface control

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Three phase horizontal separator with overflow

weir

Three phase vertical separator with

downcomer and spreader

Fig 2.2.1.1: various types of three phase separator

2.2.2 Surface separation conditions

Hydrocarbon fluids are made up of defined components which include N 2, CO2, H2S, C1, C2,

C3, iC4, iC5, and C6 and undefined components known as heavier fractions (C n+) which include

paraffinic, naphthenic and aromatic compounds. The hydrocarbons are separated on the

surface before they are sent to the market. According to (Massinguil et al. 2018), There are

several factors affecting the hydrocarbons surface separation condition which include:

• Pressure,

• Temperature,

• Gas liquid flow rates,

• Surging or slugging tendencies of the feed stream,

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 • Presence of impurities such as paraffin and sands.

The surface separation system is a combination of separator/ separators and the stock tank.

Different numbers of stages are applied for different reservoir fluids. For the same fluid

stream, more liquid yield is usually preferred because of its higher commercial value.

Theoretically, the more stages of consecutive separation exist, the higher the liquid

production. However, in practice, the real number of separations is often limited by available

space and operational cost. The simplest system is two-stage separation consisting of one

separator and one stock tank. It is most applicable for low-API-gravity oils, low gas/oil ratios

(GORs), and low flowing pressures.

(Ling et al, 2013) Stated that more complicated systems contain several separators and stock

tanks operated in series at successively lower pressures to maximize the liquid yield. The

three-stage separation is used for intermediate gravity oils, intermediate to high GOR, and

intermediate wellhead flowing pressures. Although three stage separator are widely used, four

stages and more are sometimes used. The four-stage separation is designed for high-API-

gravity oils, high GOR, and high flowing pressures. Four-stage separation is also applicable

when high pressure gas is needed for market or for pressure maintenance. (Massinguil et al,

2018).

The simplest system is two-stage separation consisting of one separator and one stock tank. It

is most applicable for low-API-gravity oils, low gas/oil ratios (GORs), low flowing pressure

(Ling et al, 2013). But three-stage separation usually represents the economic optimum,

where it allows 2–12% higher liquid recovery in comparison with two-stage separation and, in

some cases, recoveries up to 25% higher (Rojey, et al., 1997). To recover the gas fractions

22
produced in the separators operating at medium pressure and low pressure, it is necessary to

recompress them to the pressure of high-pressure separator. However, for an associated gas,

recompression is sometimes considered too costly; hence the gas produced from the low-

pressure separator may be flared.

2.3 Number of separation stages

Crude oil is made up of many components of hydrocarbons. Due to this multicomponent

property of crude oil, the number of separation stages after the initial separation increases, the

portion of light components that will be stabilized into the liquid phase would also increase

(Manning & Thompson, 1991). In a multistage separation process, the Light hydrocarbons

that flash off are discharged at reasonably high pressure, keeping the partial pressure of the

intermediate hydrocarbons lower at each stage. As the number of stages approach infinity, the

lighter molecules are removed as soon as they are formed and the partial pressure of the

intermediate components is maximized at each stage. The compressor horsepower required

can also be saved by stage separation as some of the gas is captured at a higher pressure

during separation process. According to (Manning & Thompson, 1991) the higher the number

of stages that are added to the process, there will be less in the incremental of liquid recovery

and usually, for each facility there is an optimum number of stages and it may be different

from well to well.

The art of flashing well fluids in successive separation stages to increase liquid yield is not

linear but inversely proportional to the number of stages. Therefore the liquid recovery with

an extra stage to a single stage system can be substantial. In theory, as the number of

separation stages increase, so will the liquid yield increase until the gas and liquid reach

equilibrium.

23
According to (Gunnerud et al, 2012) and (Mokhatab et al, 2015) the optimum number of

separation stages is a function of the oil composition, well head pressure; therefore, it may

differ from field to another. The pressures are often staged so that the ratio of the pressures in

each stage is constant. Therefore, if the pressure in the first separator (which is normally fixed

by specification or economics) and the final separator (which will be near the atmospheric

pressure) are known, the pressure in each stage can be determined.

2.3.1 Effect of number of stages on liquid recovery

Although theoretically three to four stages would increase the liquid recovery over two stage,

the net increase over two stage separation will rarely pay out the cost of the second and/or

third separators. Therefore, it has been generally accepted that two stages of separation, plus

the stock tank, are the optimum for consideration. The actual increase in liquid recovery for

three stage separation over two stage may vary from 3 to 15%, depending on the well stream

composition, operating pressures and temperatures. However, in some cases, as high as 20 to

25% increase in recoveries has been reported. (SIVALLS, 2009)

As more stages are added to the process, there is less and less additional liquid recovery. The

incremental income for adding a stage must more than offset the cost of the additional

separator, piping, controls, and space and compressor complexities. It is clear that there is an

optimum number of stages for each facility. In most cases this number is very difficult to

determine, as it may differ from well to well and may change as a well’s flowing pressure

declines with time. (Stewart & Arnold, 2009)

24
 2.3.2 Key Factors to consider in the determination of the number of stages

As adapted from (Bahadori et al, 2008) some key factors among others to put into

consideration, in order to maximize crude separation are:

1. The key to selecting the optimum number of stages is based on, Minimum GOR,

Maximum API gravity & Minimum Oil FVF

 Minimum GOR: means maximum liquid yield. it is defined as the cumulative

gas flow from all the separators including the stock tank divided by the amount

of oil/condensate exiting the stock tank.

 API gravity implies: the weight of the oil, technically it is the inverse of the

oil density higher API gravity is the commercial value of the oil/condensate.

 Oil FVF: also called oil formation factor, it can be defined as the volume of

reservoir fluid required to produce a barrel of stock tank oil. Therefore lower

Oil FVF implies more stock tank oil for a given volume of reservoir fluids. Oil

FVF values typically range between 1 bbl/STB to 3 bbl/STB.

2. For effective operation, minimizing energy & costs, the primary separator pressure

should be lower than the Wellhead FTP and higher than the gas pipeline export

pressure. Failure to keep the primary separator pressure higher than the pipeline

pressure would require the installation of gas compressors to boost gas pressure to

export requirements.

3. Separation vessels also consist of gas control valve on the gas side which also serve

the purpose of controlling the wellhead back pressure.

25
4. In terms of terminology, a 2-Stage separation system means one separator and an

atmospheric storage tank (stock tank) because the storage tank also acts as a separator.

Similarly, a 3-Stage separator consists of a two separators & a stock tank.

5. For effective separation, 2-Stage separation model is applicable for low GOR, low

API gravity oils & low flowing tubing pressure (FTP) wells. While 3-Stage Separation

model is for intermediate GOR, intermediate API gravity oils & intermediate FTP

wells. And 4-Stage Separation model is for high GOR, high API gravity oils & high

FTP wells.

6. Separator calculations primarily consist of optimum separator pressure and

temperature, Gas-Oil Ratio (GOR), API Gravity of the Stock Tank Oil, Oil formation

factor, (FVF/Bo) and the respective compositions.

7. The number of stages required to provide a gas and liquid at equilibrium conditions,

referred to as flashing can be estimated by empirical correlations or using Equation of

state (EoS)

26
 CHAPTER THREE

MODEL FORMULATION

3.0 Introduction

There is no standard value for the properties or specification of crude oil but rather clients

state the required specification of the crude they are buying. The specification is mainly API,

Reid pressure, Sulphur content, water content and viscosity and sometime the GOR and FVF.

Each of these specifications are majorly a function of pressure drop which occur during

separation or stabilization of the crude as it exit the wellhead. If the specification is known,

the petroleum, petrochemical or chemical engineer in charge of the plant can estimate the

actual number of separation stages needed for the stabilization of said crude oil and the

optimal pressure at each stage, before actual simulation of the process if necessary.

3.1 Terminologies

Solution Gas-Oil Ratio, Rso (GOR)

Most crude oils (possibly excluding some extremely heavy crude oils: °API ≈ 10°) contain

dissolved gas. This dissolved natural gas consists mostly of the low-end molecular weight

hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, propane, and butane) and some inorganic impurities

(nitrogen, carbon-dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, etc.). The amount of this gas dissolved in a unit

volume of oil at a specified temperature and pressure is defined as the solution gas oil ratio.

When the reservoir pressure is above the bubble point, all of the available gases are dissolved

in oil, leading to a maximum and constant solution gas oil ratio. Below the bubble point

pressure, the liberation of gas bubbles from crude oil reduces the solution gas oil ratio, the

27
solution gas oil ratio strongly depends on the reservoir pressure, reservoir temperature, oil

density, and gas density.

Oil Formation Volume Factor, (Bo)

The Oil formation volume factor, B o, relates volume of 1.0 STB of crude oil at stock tank

conditions, Pst and Tst, to its volume at reservoir conditions, Pr and Tr. As the pressure drops

from the initial pressure to the bubble-point pressure, the formation volume factor increases.

This is as a result of the crude oil expanding (recall from above, the formation volume factor

is based on 1.0 STB of oil, when the FVF increases, it is because the volume in reservoir

barrels, bbl, of that STB is getting larger).

Oil Gravity and API

Oil specific gravity is defined as the ratio of oil density at a certain pressure and temperature

to the density of water at the same pressure and temperature. It is usually reported at the

standard condition (60 oF/60 oF), i.e., a temperature of 60 oF and 14.7 psi.

The API gravity scale acts as an inverse relationship to density (and specific gravity), that is,

as density increases, the API gravity decreases. Crude oils are often graded by their API

gravity:

• Light crude oil: °API > 31.5°

• Intermediate crude oil: 22.1° ≤ °API ≤ 31.5°

• Heavy crude oil: °API < 22.1o

Gas gravity

28
 The specific gravity of the solution gas, γg, is described by the weighted average of the

specific gravities of the separated gas from each separator. This weighted average approach is

based on the separator gas/oil ratio.

Start

Pwl Within
FTP and
vessel
specification?

Yes

29
3.2 Equation Modelling.

The model uses standing correlations and few other as an engine to compute the fluid

properties such as Bo and GOR. In the optimization of surface separation, the following

assumptions were made:

 The temperature of separators and the stock tank are constant.

 The stock-tank pressure is atmospheric pressure (14.7 psia).

 The adjustable variables are separator pressures.

 The compositions of fluid stream are constant.

 Separators work efficiently.

 Phase equilibrium is achieved during the separation process.

3.2.1 Calculate the average pressure ratio.

Following the pressure differential model, the number of separators stages required, was

obtain using the below formulas, firstly obtain the average pressure ratio using:

𝑋𝑛 = ( )
P wh
Pstock
.……………………………………………………………………………. (3.1)

Rewriting the expression, we have

𝑛 × 𝑙𝑛𝑋 = 𝑙𝑛 ( )
P wh
Pstock
………………………………...…………………………………….(3.2)

Pwh
ln
𝑛= P stock ……………………………………….………………….…………………... (3.3)
lnX

30
Equation (3.3) determines the maximum number of stages allowed based on the pressure of

the crude oil and the pressure specification in the stock tank, this figure can also be fixed by

the company base on economic, space and oil company foot print and other factors

From above equation, we have average pressure ratio given as

( )
1
P wh n
𝑅= ………………………………………….…....……………………...………(3.4)
Pstock

3.2.2 Calculate the separator pressures using:

The primary separator pressure is usually the pressure of the well stream coming into the

separator, this pressure is usually within the flowing tube pressure (FTP) range and higher

than the gas pipeline pressure for easy transportation of the light stream separated at the first

stage.

The pressure of the highest stage may be fixed by the requirements of a high-pressure sales

line or pressure maintenance. If the pressure of the highest stage is not fixed by such

requirements, it may be treated as another variable in the evaluation. (CHILINGARIAN et al,

1987).

P1=P wh ……………………………….…………..………..………………..……….…(3.5)

For the second separator pressure

P1
𝑃2 = ……………………………….…………………..…...……………..………….…
R

(3.6)

For nth number of stage we have

31
 P (nth−1 )
Pnth = ……………………………………………………..…………………...…(3.7)
R

And the average pressure ratio (R) is

( )
1
P wh n
𝑅= ……………………………………………………..…………………...…(3.8)
Pstock

3.2.3 Calculate the Properties of the stabilizing well stream at each separation stage

For the purpose of this project the properties of the well stream will be limited to density,

GOR, API and FVF, to get the properties of the well stream, we used the following standing

correlations:

Oil Compressibility
The pressure dependency of an oil sample is expressed by the isothermal compressibility

coefficient of the oil or oil compressibility. Oil compressibility plays the most significant role

in oil production as the main mechanism of oil recovery in under-saturated oil reservoirs. Oil

compressibility is defined as the ratio of the change in the oil relative volume per unit pressure

drop. The compressibility factor is given as:

VP
Z= ……………………………………………………………..…………………...…(3.9)
RT

(Muonagor et al, 2016), Improved on Brill and Beggs correlation of (1978) for determining

compressibility factor (Z) of Niger Delta oil and gas, but can be used in any wellhead with

data within the range of the correlation.

(1−A )
Z=A + B
+1.155 C P D ……………………………………………………………(3.10)
e

Where A=1.39 ¿

32
 ( ( ) ( ))
2
0.066 2 0.32 P
B=log ( 0.62+0.23 T ) P+ −0.037 P + 9 (T −1)
( T −0.86 ) 10

C=1.32−0.32 LogT

D=log ( 0.3016−0.49 T +0.1824 T 2 )

Density of crude oil well head:

To calculate the density of the crude oil undergoing stabilization, improved Rackett

correlation as captured in (CALVIN & RONALD, 1972). With average deviations below 1%

(0.5% for hydrocarbons, 0.6% for other organic fluids, and 0.74% for inorganic compounds).

(Jose & Basel, 1989)

1
ρo
=
( )
RTw
Pw
Z ¿] ………………………………………………………(3.11)

API and S.G

S.G (specific gravity of oil) is a ratio of the density of a liquid to that of water, and the API of

crude oil is the inverse of SG measured, both specification measures at temperature of 60 OF

and 15.5555556 OC.

It is computed as:

ρo
γ o= …………………………………..…………………….………………………..(3.12)
ρw

141.5
API= −131.5………………………………………………….………………....(3.13)
Yo

Gas Specific gravity

During stabilization, gas gravity of crude wellhead increases as the crude wellhead pressure

decreases below the bubble-point pressure. Using linear least-squares regression, (Humoud &

33
Al-Marhoun, 2001) developed a correlation connecting pressure and temperature as function

of reservoir gas specific gravity, with the average absolute errors 1.8% and 1.0% in predicting

the temperature and pressure of crude oil.

γ gp+ γ ¿
γ g= …………………….……….……….…………………….………..………(3.14)
2

Pw
γ gp =1.256− ……………………………………………..…………………...…(3.14a)
55.3

Tw
γ ¿ =0.9757− ……………..………………………………………..…………...(3.14b)
213.7

Gas oil ratio (GOR)

As quoted by (Ahmed, 1989), the GOR can be obtained using standing correlation.

GOR=Rs =ϒ g ¿………………………..….……….…………..(3.15)

With x=0.0125 API−0.00091(T −460)

Formation volume factor (FVF)

Oil formation volume factor as proposed by standing can be obtained using:

Bo=0.9759+0.00012 ¿………………………………………(3.16)

Crude oil viscosity

μod =¿……………………………………...…..……………(3.17)

(0.43 + 8.33
API )
A=10

34
Assumptions made during the calculation and estimation.

Most correlations by various scholars used in this work does not cover for extreme cases like

for temperature above 392O F, higher pressure call for more number of stages. Other

assumptions made during the course of this project work are:

1. The temperature of separators and the stock tank are constant.

2. The stock-tank pressure is atmospheric pressure (14.696 psi).

3. The adjustable variable is the number of separator stages.

4. The compositions of fluid stream are constant.

5. The compressibility factor Zc is kept constant

6. Separators work efficiently and phase equilibrium is achieved during the separation

process.

7. Five number of stages is pegged as the maximum number of stages.

35
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The goal of stabilization is to retain as many intermediate component as possible to increase

the oil recovery. And two number of stage is the minimum number of stages required before

differential separation can occur, a stock tank and a separation vessel as a stock tank is also

considered a separation vessel.

Irrespective of the number of stage being utilized, the first separator vessel pressure is usually

fixed to the wellhead pressure or by specification to be within the flowing tube pressure and

the maximum allowable pressure of the separation vessel and the stock tank pressure is set to

be at atmospheric pressure or at a value which is a function of client specification. While

every other pressure varies as the number of stage change. As listed in the table below, the

pressure ratio account for this change, the pressure ratio is a function of the varying number of

stage and decreases as the number of stage increases subsequently decreasing the pressure of

each of the separation vessel, this allows the stabilization process to operate in a sequential

pressure value for the separation vessels

o
P NOS PRESSURE RATIO 2 NOS 3 NOS 4 NOS 5 NOS C

SP1 1 17.774 261.213 261.213 261.213 261.213 37.86

SP2 2 4.216 14.696 61.958 100.091 127.217 37.86

SP3 3 2.609 14.696 38.353 61.958 37.86

SP4 4 2.053 14.696 30.175 37.86

SP5 5 1.778 14.696 37.86

Table 4. 1: separator pressure at various number of stage

36
Number of stage Vs separation vessel pressure

As shown in the chart below irrespective of the number of stage being used, the crude oil will

have to be brought to atmospheric pressure or client specified pressure. Plotting the pressure

of each separation vessels against the number of stages shows that the pressure decreases with

the increase in number of stage and the final pressure equals the pressure of the final

separation vessel (stock tank).

But two number of stage is not economical as there is a sharp pressure drop in the system

which will cause the much desired intermediaries and heavy component will end up flashing

off as gas due to this sudden drop in pressure, three or four stage is the best economical option

as there is gradual sequential drop in pressure giving the crude oil enough room to liberate the

entrapped dissolved gases with minimal loss in intermediaries thereby increasing oil recovery.

Five number of stage although technically viable, is not economical.

Pressure VS NOS
2 NOS 3 NOS 4 NOS 5 NOS
300

250

200
PRESSURE

150

100

50

0
1 2
NOS

Figure 4. 1chart of various number of stage Vs pressures

37
Properties of stabilizing well head

The properties of the well head as calculated using Standing and other notable correlations

and computed in the table below shows that with decrease in pressure at constant pressure and

compressibility factor, the oil API gravity increases, while the gas oil ratio and the oil

formation volume factor decreases. This change occurs across the various number of stages

analyzed.

It is important to note that the relationship between pressure and crude oil properties is not

always straightforward, and other factors such as temperature and the presence of impurities

can also impact this relationship. As such, it is difficult to make generalizations about the

exact relationship between these two variables.

Table 4. 2Properties of stabilizing crude at various stages

PROPERTIES OF STABILIZING CRUDE AT VARIOUS STAGES

NOS P o
C Zc δ ϒo API GOR FVF

2 stage 261.213 37.86 5000 849 0.849 35.1667 922.722 1.98

separation 14.696 37.86 5000 810 0.81 43.1914 39.095 1.00

261.213 37.86 5000 849 0.849 35.1667 922.722 1.97

3 stage 61.958 37.86 5000 836 0.836 37.7584 113.082 1.03
separation 14.696 37.86 5000 810 0.81 43.1914 39.095 1.00

261.213 37.86 5000 849 0.849 35.1667 922.722 1.97

4 stage 100.091 37.86 5000 832 0.832 38.5721 218.972 1.10
separation 38.353 37.86 5000 825 0.825 40.0152 72.449 1.00
14.696 37.86 5000 810 0.81 43.1914 39.095 0.99
261.213 37.86 5000 849 0.849 35.1667 922.722 1.97
5 stage 127.217 37.86 5000 840 0.84 36.9524 295.277 1.17
separation
61.958 37.86 5000 833 0.833 38.3679 115.498 1.03
30.175 37.86 5000 821 0.821 40.8508 59.822 1.00
14.696 37.86 5000 810 0.81 43.1914 39.095 0.99

38
Number of stage (NOS) Vs API
The relationship between number of stage and/or pressure and the API gravity of wellhead is

complex and depends on a variety of factors, including the specific properties of the crude oil

and the conditions under which it is being stored and transported. However, as illustrated in

the chart below, there is a positive correlation between number of stage and API gravity of

wellhead fluid, meaning that as number of stage increases, the API also tends to increase.

One reason for this is that higher pressure can cause the molecules in the crude oil to become

more densely packed, which can increase the overall density of the oil/decrease API gravity.

Additionally, crude oil is often stored and transported at high pressure in order to reduce its

volume and make it easier to handle. This can also contribute to an increase in density.

API VS NOS
2 NOS 3 NOS 4 NOS 5 NOS
45

40

35

30
API

25

20

15

10
1 2

NOS

Figure 4. 2 NOS Vs API

39
Number of stage (NOS) Vs Gas oil ratio (GOR)

Gas oil ratio is in a direct relationship with pressure/number of stage meaning as the number

of stage increase in the stabilization system, the relative pressure of each separation vessel

with respect to the previous stabilization system tend to increase too which in turn causes the

gas oil ratio to increase (from table 4.2 as illustrated in chart below the second separation

vessel operating at a pressure of 14.696 psi in a two number of stage stabilization system,

when increase to 61.958 psi in stabilization system of three number of stage, the gas oil ratio

also increase from 39.095 in the two number of stage to 113.082 in the three number of stage.

But overall the gas oil ratio reduces as the pressure of the stabilization system reduces.

Increasing the number of stage will give more room for the light component to easily flash off

to the gas phase with minimal intermediaries, choosing two number of stage for example with

cause a rapid release of these entrapped light and some intermediaries components and this

will cause change in both composition and properties of the wellhead fluid. Three or three

number of stage is economically as it gives room for the entrapped gas to liberated without

causing a surge in the properties of the oil and the fourth separation vessel reduced the gas oil

ratio from 1.00 to 0.98 a significant change that occur as the number of stage increase but not

economical in the long run.

40
 GOR vs NOS
2 NOS 3 NOS 4 NOS 5 NOS
1000
900
800
700
600
500
GOR

400
300
200
100
0
1 2
NOS

Figure 4. 3 NOS Vs GOR

Number of stage (NOS) vs oil formation volume factor (FVF)

The oil formation volume factor FVF have similar relationship like the gas oil ratio GOR,

with a decrease in the oil formation volume factor as the pressure decrease as a result of

increase in the number of stage increase.

The formation volume factor usually begins to decrease at pressure lower or equal to the

bubble-point pressure, this implies that as confining pressure is reduced the volume of the

crude oil gets smaller. The reason for this behavior is that the crude oil is composed of the

liquid hydrocarbon and the gas dissolved in it. As the gas comes out of solution, the crude oil

loses the volume occupied by the solution gas.

From the chart below, three or four number of stage is the optimum stage as two number of

stage have its own line overlapped by three number of stage meaning its effect is minimal

41
while five number of stage trail off, creating an almost horizontal line after hitting 1.0 mark

meaning further input of number of stage will not result in any significant change in the oil

formation volume factor but will only increase the cost

FVF VS NOS
2 NOS 3 NOS 4 NOS 5 NOS
2.50

2.00

1.50
FVF

1.00

0.50

0.00
1 2

NOS

Figure 4. 4Number of stage (NOS) vs oil formation volume factor (FVF)

Economic effect of the number of stages of a stabilization system

The decision on the selection of the number of the separation stages is related to economic

analysis. CAPEX meaning capital expenditure includes any investment costs which should be

paid at the beginning of the project. These costs consist of the cost of purchasing unit

operations like separation vessels, valves, pipeline, transportation of equipment, foundation,

and any additional stages of compressor units which may be added to the investment costs due

to the additional separation units.

42
On the other hand, OPEX meaning operation cost, increases when the number of the facilities

and equipment rises. One of the main factors increasing OPEX in stabilization system is the

operation and maintenance of the separator, while any other equipment has its own

considerable operating and maintenance costs. According to (Ali, et al, 2019) adding one

more stage of separation to a three stage stabilization system will be economic if the stock

tank liquid is increased by more than 0.4%. Based on the calculations and the resulting table

showed that four number of separation stages for the wellhead with high pressure is optimum

and the optimum number of stage varies from wellhead to wellhead depending on various

factors like composition, wellhead type, properties, location of the wellhead etc.

In deciding the number of separator stages and other surface production parameters, there are

some constraints and factors to consider: The first constraint includes the maximum

acceptable pressure of the first separator, which is equal to or less than the inlet pressure. The

second limitation is the minimum pressure of the last separator before the stock tank, which

must be greater than 33.0 psi. This limitation is because of the pressure drop in control valve

and pipelines after the separators and should be considered as a pressure constraint to reach

the atmospheric conditions in the stock tank. The last constraint is the constant pressure of the

stock tank which must be 15.7 psi or around the value range, as further decrease in pressure

will cause the loss of intermediate component in the dead crude (Ali, et al, 2019).

From the table and chart below, four separation stages is the optimum number of stage for the

crude oil data that was used as sample and it has justified that constant pressure deferential

model can effectively be used to determine the number of separation stage for a given well

head operation at a certain pressure and other properties. Adding a new separator with

pressure way below atmospheric pressure in any of the analyzed stage will incur more loss

43
both in operation and profit. Under high pressure, adding a fourth separator might be

favorable but the pressure of the separators have to be optimized to avoid crude oil component

loss. And two separation stage is under performing and will cause loss of entrapped light

components, when the crude settles down in a lower pressure vessel. In practice, the number

of stages normally ranges between two and five, which depends on the GOR and the well

stream pressure. Two-stage separation is usually used for low GOR and low well stream

pressure, three-stage separation is used for medium to high GOR and intermediate inlet

pressure, and five-stage separation is used for high GOR and high-pressure well stream.

(Mokhatab et al, 2015)

The primary pressure is always known and unless specified by client or equipment

specifications the primary pressure is usually same as the well head pressure and lower than

flowing tube pressure, it is usually higher than sale gas pipeline pressures to avoid

recompressing of gas after separation thereby incurring more cost and the stock tank pressure

is usually set at atmospheric pressure as it is favorable unless otherwise stated in the crude

requirement specification of the client along with other specifications like API, Viscosity and

rarely GOR.

Maximum number of stages of a stabilization system

The maximum number of stage (X) that can be in a stabilization site or oil gathering site

either offshore or onshore is usually fixed after considering various factors like

1. Site location

2. Nature of the wellhead

3. Size of site

44
 4. Economic cost of siting

5. Piping layout

Although the maximum number of stage varies from site to site base on the factors above, it is

not economical to exceed a range of two to five number of stages depending on the pressure

of the wellhead and before simulation can commence and then actual building of the

stabilization system from empirical correlations and equations. Though wellhead properties

can be estimated from empirical correlations, the accuracy of each correlating equation

depends on the region from which the crude comes from. The PVT behavior of crude oil is a

strong function of composition; therefore, the direct application of correlations that do not

take compositional effects into account should be undertaken with caution.

(IKIENSIKIMAMA & OGBOJA, 2007)

45
 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion
Stabilization can be enhanced by several factors which are the separator operating pressure,

and also optimum number of stage separation. In addition, fine tuning of operating condition

of individual equipment should lead to high quality and maximum production of crude oil.

This project aims to estimate the optimal number of stages for efficient separation using an

industrial case study which is based on crude oil composition data obtained from AGBAMI

by Equinor

A four phase separator provides the benefit of a larger liquid yield, according to the

calculations. Decreases in the Gas-Oil Ratio (GOR) enable for the recovery of more liquids,

which has a greater economic value. Although a three stage system may be utilized instead of

a four stage system since wellhead pressures are not very high, it is also observed that as the

number of stages increases, the power needs for the LP compressor drop as well.

The calculation terminates at atmospheric pressure as the pressure of the stock tank providing

maximum stabilization for the crude oil in question, although on specification request, the

stock tank pressure can be set at any pressure higher or lower than atmospheric pressure but

lower than 12 psi with corresponding pressure value at other separation stage and number of

separation stage

5.2 Recommendations

The simplicity of the constant pressure model covered in this project work is a good reason

for the implementation of the stabilization optimization, there are a few other aspects of this

46
project work that can be touched or improved on, in order to improve on the findings of this

projects work. Some of these recommendations are as below;

 Conduct simulations with a simulation software in order to compare its results with the

current results and investigate what causes the differences.

 Conduct a design of experiments (DOE) study that could investigate the effects of

more than one parameter at once towards the product properties so as to find the

optimum parameter the optimum parameters where the product of highest quality can

be obtained.

 Further work should include the effect of water and sulphur/other impurities as it was

not analyzed in this work

 For further works, other parameters could be analyzed for the optimization of

separators. In addition, new optimization techniques such as multi-objective and

artificial intelligence algorithms could be utilized for a wider range of samples.

 Optimum number of stages should be determined considering oil recovery and

equipment design constraints.

Refrences

47
(n.d.). Retrieved from job oil field consultancy : https://www.joboilfield.com/oil-gas-separators/20-
performance-impediments

Abdel-Aal, H., Aggour, M., & Fahim, M. (2003). Petroleumand Gas Field Processing. New York: Marcel
Dekker Inc.

Adewumi, M. (2017, march 30). Phase Behavior of natural gas and Condensates fluids. Retrieved
from https://www.eeducation.psu.edu/png520/m20 p3.html.

Ahmed, T. (1989). Equations of State and PVT Analysis: Applications for Improved Reservoir
Modeling. Gulf Publishing Company Houston, Texas.

Ali, H., Ali, M. G., & Arman, D. S. (2019). A Novel Approach to Obtaining the Optimum Pressure and
Stages of Separators . Iranian Journal of Oil & Gas Science and Technology.

Arnold, K., & Stewart, M. (2008). Surface Production Operations Design of Oil Handling Systems and
Facilities. Gulf Professional Publishing .

Atkin, P., & Paola, J. D. (n.d.). Physical Chemistry, Eighth Edition.

Bahadori, A., Vuthaluru, B., & Mokhatab, S. (2008). Optimizing separator pressures in the multistage
crude oil production unit.

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