Gravity separator vessel

The customer

• Size: Large contractor
• Sector: Oil and Gas production
• Country: United Kingdom

The Project

• Size: 80-100 man-hours
• Duration: 2-3 weeks

The Problem

• Separation performance unknow for new production
• Gas entrainment issues on the oil outlet
• Mechanical integrity assessment required for various new elements

Proposed solution

• Model fluid flow for different multi-phase production scenarios (composition and flow rates)
• Assess compliance with ASME VIII Standard

The simulations

• Multi-phase transient CFD simulation for the separation process (CFD analysis)
• Stress calculation for static and fluid induced loading scenarios (FE analysis)

Project overall results

• Optimised slug catcher design and gas entrainment minimised.
• Savings over £24,000 for the customer in prototyping and testing (estimate).
• Savings of more than 10 weeks in development time (estimate).