Influence of Geometric Parameters of the Hydrocyclone and Sand

Concentration in the Water/Sand/Heavy-Oil Separation Process:

Modeling and Simulation
F.P.M. Farias1,a, J.S. Souza3,b, W.C.P.B. de Lima1,c, A.C. de Macêdo1,d, S.R. de Farias Neto2,e, A.G.B. de Lima1,f
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering 2Department of Chemical Engineering 3Post-Graduation in Process Engineering
Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG) , Centre of Science and Technology
Av. Aprígio Veloso, 882, Bodocongó. P.O. Box: 10069, Postal Code: 58429-900, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
a
fabianapimentel@ufcg.edu.br; beng.josedite@hotmail.com; cgentil_wagner@hotmail.com; dacmtoff@hotmail.com
e
fariasn@deq.ufcg.edu.br; fgilson@dem.ufcg.edu.br
INTRODUCTION
In the oil explotation, produced fluids are composed by oil, gas, water and sand (depending on the reservoir
location). The presence of sand in flow oil leads to several industrial problems for example: erosion and
accumulation in valves and pipeline. These facts have attracted attention of academic and industrial areas,
enabling the appearing of new technologies or improvement of the water/oil/sand separation processes. One
equipment that has been used to promote phase separation is the hydrocyclone due to high performance of
separation and low cost of installation and maintenance. In this sense, the purpose of this work is to study is
numerically the effect of influence of geometric parameters (vortex finder diameter) of the hydrocyclone and
sand concentration in the inlet fluid separation process. A numerical solution of the governing equations was
obtained by the ANSYS CFX-11 commercial code. Results of the streamlines, pressure drop and separation
efficiency in the hydrocyclone are presented and analyzed. It was observed that the particle concentration and
vortex finder diameter influence in the separation efficiency of hydrocyclone.

Figure 3 – Streamline of heavy oil to different sand concentrations and different hydrocyclone overflow diameter.

(b)
(a)

Figura 1. (a) Hydrocyclone and (b) details of mesh

Figure 4 – Streamline of water to different sand concentrations and different hydrocyclone overflow diameter.

MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
  Np
Continuity equation:
t

 f      f U     SMS
 1

Momentum equation:

 f  U      f   U  U   S  M  f p 
t

 
NP
  f  U  U      U     U 
T
   1
Interphase drag force, that acts in the direction 3 CD 
opposing the relative flow between the phases, C D M   f   U   U  U   U  
4 d
was adopted equal 0.44 :
Figure 5 – Sand volume fraction to different feed sand Figure 6 – Oil volume fraction to different feed sand
It was adopted the SSG Stress Reynolds Model as turbelence model. concentrations. concentrations.

BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
• Uniform velocity and volume fraction of water , heavy oil and sand at the inlet surface;
u w = u o = 20 m/s; v w = v o = w w = w o = 0; f s  0.01; 0.05; 0.10; 0.15 and 0.20
f w = 1- f s - f o and f o = 0.2
• Uniform pressure at the overflow and underflow outlet surfaces equal to 101325 Pa;
• No slip at solid/fluid interface.
• Oil drop size was assumed equal to 100µm and 10µm to sand particle size. The physical
proprieties of the phases (water, oil and sand) used in the simulations are illustrated in the
Figure 7– Effects of solid concentration on Figure 8 – Effects of solid concentration on
Table 1. hydrocyclone performance (underflow separation hydrocyclone performance (overflow separation
Table 1- Physical properties of water and heavy oil efficiency). efficiency).

Properties Value Source

 (heavy oil) 963.6 (kg/m3) Paladios (2007)
µ (heavy oil) 2 (Pa.s) Paladios (2007)
 (water) 997.0 (kg/m3) Incropera e DeWitt (2002)
µ (water) 0.0008899 (Pa.s) Incropera e DeWitt (2002)
 (sand) 2,780 (kg/m3) -

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Figure 9– Effect of hydrocyclone overflow diameter on Figure 10 – Effect of hydrocyclone overflow diameter
underflow separation efficiency. on overflow separation efficiency

CONCLUSIONS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Figure 2 – Streamline of sand to different sand concentrations and different hydrocyclone overflow diameter.