THREE PHASE

SEPARATORS

Three Phase Separators

Introduction
Three

phase separators are used to separate gas and two

liquids of different densities typically oil and water.

They

are a combination of Liquid - Liquid and Vapor Liquid

separators.

They are typically employed in oil & gas fields in downstream

of wells.

Three Phase Separators

Zones
Regardless of the internal configuration all liquid / liquid and
gas / liquid / liquid separators consist of three basic zones:
Inlet section
Liquid-liquid settling section
Gas- Liquid Separation zone

Three Phase Separator

General Figure

Oil

Wat
er
Ga
s

Inlet Nozzle(Three
Phase Flow)
Inlet
Zone
LiquidLiquid
Separation
Zone

Oil

Gas
Liquid
Separatio
n
Zone

Water
Water
Outlet
Nozzle

Oil Outlet
Nozzle

Factors Affecting
Separator Efficiency
Flow Pattern at Separator Inlet
Feed Pipe Geometry
Inlet Device
Entrainment
Other Internals

Factors
Flow Pattern at Separator Inlet
The

amount of liquid entrained into

the gas phase as droplets is
generally small for most flow
conditions, but will typically begin to
increase fairly rapidly as the
transition
to
annular
flow
is
approached.

Taking

into
account
both
entrainment/droplet
sizes
and
steadiness of flow, sizing the feed
pipe for stratified/wave flow is
desirable, if possible. While Annular
Flow is highly undesired.

Factors
Feed Pipe Geometry

Factors
Feed Pipe Geometry
Typical guidelines are:
Provide 10 diameters of straight pipe upstream of the inlet
nozzle without valves, expansions/contractions or elbows.
Path changing fittings must be avoided in the immediate
upstream of separator as it can change the flow regime and
can also cause circulation of flow.
If a valve in the feed line near the separator is required, it
should only be a full port gate or ball valve.

Factors
Inlet Devices
Inlet devices are typically selected

and sized based on the inlet

momentum (sometimes referred to
as dynamic pressure) of the
separator feed stream.

The intent is to reduce the

energy/velocity of the feed fluids to

provide conditions favorable for
phase separation

Inlet
Devices
Most Commonly used devices include

Diverter Plates
Half Pipe
Vane Distributor
Inlet Cyclone

Review of Inlet Devices

Diverter Plate
It can be used for flows with little gas
load and little tendency for foaming.
Disadvantages include
Poor Bulk Separation
Liquid Droplets get shattered
Creates fine droplets which is
undesired

Inlet Devices
Half Pipe
Half open pipes are the modified versions
of 90 elbow devices suitable for both
vertical and horizontal separators, with
slightly improved bulk liquid removal and
reasonable gas distribution.

In horizontal vessels, the last section of

the half open pipe should be horizontal;
pointing opposite to the flow direction
in the vessel and with its opening
directed upward.
In vertical vessels, the last section is
closed and its opening is directed
downward

Inlet Devices
Vane Distributor
The inlet vane distributors work by
smoothly dividing the incoming flow
into various segments using an array of
curved vanes.
The benefits of this device compared
with simpler deflectors such as deflector
plates include
Reduced agitation and hence
phase
operational
Improved
performance
More stable level control
Reduced foaming.

Inlet Devices
Inlet Cyclone

The inlet cyclonic device is used in

horizontal
and
some
vertical
separators
where
there
is
a
requirement for

High momentum dissipation

Foam reduction
High capacity
Further
comparison
of
inlet
devices will be discussed later
on

Comparison of
Inlet Devices

Factors
Other Internals

Demisters
Calming Baffles/Perforated Plates
Coalescers

Factors
Entrainment

The
applicable
entrainment
mechanism for a given set of
conditions is strongly dependent
on the liquid phase Reynolds
number.

For many separation applications,

the main liquid entrainment
mechanism is the shearing off of
roll-wave crests .

The onset of entrainment by this

mechanism would be expected to
coincide approximately with the
wavy/annular transition.

Factors
Misc.
Presence of impurities (paraffin, sand, scale, etc.)
Foaming tendencies of the crude oil
Corrosive tendencies of the liquids or gas.
Operating and design pressures and temperatures
Residence Time

Configurations
There are two main configurations of three phase separators
Horizontal

a) Horizontal Three Phase Separator with Boot

b) Horizontal Three Phase Separator with Overflow weir
c) Horizontal Three Phase Separator with Bucket and Overflow weir
d) Horizontal Three Phase Separator with coalescer

Vertical

Configurations
Horizontal Separators
Horizontal separators are almost always used for high GOR
wells, for foaming well streams and for liquid-liquid
separation.

Configurations
Vertical Separators
A vertical separator can handle relatively

large liquid slugs without carryover into the

gas outlet.

It thus provides better surge control and is

often used on low to intermediate gas-oil
ratio (GOR) wells and wherever else large
liquid slugs and more sands are expected

Configurations
Horizontal Three Phase Separators with Boot

horizontal separator with a

boot is commonly used for gasliquid-liquid separation where a
small amount of water is
present in hydrocarbon liquid
Because the surge volume
spans the entire vessel length
this configuration handles slugs
well as long as the settling
region is sufficient for the heavy
phase to settle into the boot as
the slug is separated.
In
the
most
common
configuration the interface is
maintained

Configurations
Horizontal Three Phase Separators with
Overflow Weir

A settler with a single overflow

weir is a common configuration

for gas-liquid-liquid separation,
where
the
liquid-liquid
interface is well defined.

Where

slugs are possible the

submerged weir is preferred. In
this design the overall level will
rise and liquid residence time
will increase when a slug
enters the separator

Configurations
Horizontal Three Phase Separators with
Overflow Weir and Bucket

settler with a bucket,

and an overflow weir, is
commonly
used
for
applications where a small
amount of hydrocarbon is
to be separated from
water.

Configurations
Horizontal Three Phase Separators with
Coalescer

Coalescer internals can be

used with all of the above

horizontal three phase
separator configurations.
The design is best suited
for separation of difficultto-separate
dispersions
and
for
high
outlet
product
quality
specifications

Factors That Determine

Vessel Orientation
Feature

Vertical

Horizontal

Compact separator

Yes

Yes

Small footprint

Yes

Small liquid surge drum

Yes

Solid removal with liquid

Yes

Small capacity flare KO

drum

Yes

Gas dominated services

Yes

Liquid dominated
services

Yes

Factors That Determine

Vessel Orientation
Feature

Vertical

Horizontal

Three phase separation

Yes

Liquid-liquid separation

Yes

High liquid degassing

residence time

Yes

Pigging and slug flow

separation

Yes

Foaming feed

Yes

High liquid surge capacity

Yes

Large capacity flare KO

drum

Yes

Solid removal through

jetting

Yes

High liquid and vapor flow

Yes

Yes

Advantages of
Vertical Separators
Have good bottom-drain and clean-out facilities.
Can handle more sand, mud, paraffin, and wax without

plugging.
Fewer tendencies for entrainment.
Has full diameter for gas flow at top and oil flow at bottom.
Occupies smaller plot area..

Advantages of
Horizontal Separators
Advantages of these separators are:
Require smaller diameter for similar

gas

capacity

as

compared to vertical vessels.

No counter-flow (gas flow does not oppose drainage of mist
extractor).
Large liquid surface area for foam dispersion generally
reduces turbulence.

Tidbits for
Separator Sizing
Providing sufficient time to allow the immiscible gas, oil, and

water phases to separate by gravity.

Providing sufficient volume in the gas space to accommodate
rises in the liquid level that result from the surge in the liquid
flow rate.
Allowing for variation in the flow rates of gas, oil, and water
into the separator without adversely affecting separation
efficiency.
Increasing gas flow yields improved droplet capture, but also
increases re-entrainment which results in liquid carryover and
limits separation capacity.

Data and Information Required

to Specify and Size Separators
Separator environment: wellhead, offshore, gas plant
Service: K.O. drum, gas-liquid separator, surge, flash drum,

reflux drum, crude oil separator, solids removal

Physical space limitations
Typical sizing parameters for this service
Separator effluent requirements / separation efficiency needed:
Bulk liquid removal and/or fine mist removal.
Effect of separation efficiency on downstream equipment
Conditions of service: clean, fouling, or potentially plugging
service determines types of entrainment separation devices that
may be considered

Data and Information Required

to Specify and Size Separators

Operating Conditions: gas and liquid flow rates, operating

temperature and pressure, gas and liquid physical properties
Design factor for sizing: Typically design factor is based on
either maximum operating flow rate alone or operating flow
rate plus a factor. This decision should be based on specific
service and project criteria
Liquid residence time requirements for de-gassing or other
needs for this service based on experience or specific project
criteria
Liquid-liquid settling time requirements

Data and Information Required

to Specify and Size Separators
Inlet slug size and frequency
Surge time requirements
Nature of fluids being contained: hazardous properties (toxic,

flammable, lethal, etc.) and corrosively

Mechanical design conditions: design pressure and
temperature, corrosion allowance, material of construction,
minimum design metal temperature, and any project specific
requirements

Criterion for
Horizontal Three Phase Separator
Sizing
Vapor Liquid Separation Zone
a) Without Wire mesh
b) With Wire Mesh

Liquid-Liquid Separation Zone

a) Conventional
b) With Boot
c) With Overflow Weir

Vapor Liquid Separation Zone

Without Mesh

Check that the vapor velocity satisfies the following equation

in order to avoid entrainment. The area used for the vapor

velocity shall be the vertical cross-sectional area above high
liquid level.
uh

L1
ut
H1

ut = terminal velocity of liquid droplet

(m/s)
uh = horizontal vapor velocity
(m/s)
L1 = distance between vapor inlet nozzle and vapor outlet
nozzle (mm)
H1 = height of vapor section(the section above the high
level

Vapor Liquid Separation Zone

Without Mesh
The minimum vapor space above the high liquid level should

be larger than 15% of the drum diameter or 300 mm,

whichever is the greater to avoid entrainment of liquid

Vapor Liquid Separation Zone

With Mesh
wiremesh
pad is calculated by following
Maximum allowable velocity at DR
g
formula

ua K

100

Vapor velocity passing through wire mesh pad shall be equal to or

smaller than maximum allowable velocity. Actual pad length is larger

than required pad length by 100 mm for support plate.
L1

1000

Qa
3600 u a

L2 = L1 + 100

Height from high liquid level to underside of wire mesh (H1) shall be

0.50L1 or minimum 150 mm to avoid re-entraining from liquid surface.

Vapor Liquid Separation Zone

With Mesh

Check that the velocity

through mesh pad is kept

high enough for good
separation.
u wm 0.15 m / s

0. 3 ua u wm 1.1 ua
u wm

Qa

3600

L1

1000

= Vapor velocity at
wire mesh
u wm

Liquid-Liquid Separation Zone

Conventional
Check the liquid velocity which is given by following equation

in order to avoid entrainment of heavier liquid. Terminal

velocity of heavier droplets shall be estimated by
gD P 2 h
ut
18

L1
uh
ut
H1

Liquid-Liquid Separation Zone

Conventional
Total liquid flow rate (sum of heavier and

lighter) shall be used for liquid velocity

(uh ). Sectional area (A1) for liquid
velocity shall be based on H1+H2.
(4) The minimum vapor space above the
high liquid level should not be less than
15% of the drum diameter or 300 mm,
whichever is the greater for avoiding
entrainment of liquid.
(5) Lighter Liquid Low Level (LLL) should
be separated at least 200 mm from
Heavier Liquid High Interface Level (HIL).
Outlet nozzle of higher liquid should be
extended above HIL by min. 100 mm.

Liquid-Liquid Separation Zone

With Boot
Holding time of heavier liquid in boot (from low interface level

(LIL) to high interface level (HIL)) shall be minimum five (5)

minutes as a guideline. Minimum height from LIL to HIL shall
be 300 mm.
Minimum boot diameter shall be 250 mm (10") for good
operability of heavier draw off. Commercial pipe up to 24"
should be applied from economical standpoint.
Maximum boot diameter shall be 1/3 of the drum inside
diameter. When larger diameter is required, consult
mechanical engineer

Liquid-Liquid Separation Zone

With Boot

LS (length of separation zone) should

be no less than 0.85D (diameter). A

approximate LS from inlet nozzle to
boot center can be given as follows.
L1 : nozzle nominal diameter (mm) +
200
L2 : Boot diameter (d) + outlet nozzle
nominal diameter + 0.1*drum
diameter + 350
L3 : nozzle nominal diameter (mm) +
200
Calculate and check LS
LS = L - (L1 + L2 + L3), LS0.85D
Criteria for Uh is checked

Liquid-Liquid Separation Zone

With Overflow Weir
Check

the lighter liquid velocity in this zone for heavier

droplet separation.
L
uh

H1

ut

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