Subsea Modular Hydrocyclone Separation for Sand Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore oil and gas production platforms face challenges in efficiently separating solid particles (sand) from hydrocarbon-containing fluids due to the large and heavy equipment required, which occupies valuable space and increases production costs, especially as sand production increases over time, often leading to equipment downtime and costly maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A modular solids separation system integrated with a riser, featuring hydrocyclones and a fluidisation flushing system, that can be installed on the wellhead or riser, reducing the need for platform-based equipment and allowing for easy expansion as sand production increases, with each module handling significant fluid volumes and weighing less than 2 tonnes, enabling continuous production and reducing infrastructure costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional solids separator equipment is installed on the platform to remove sand from produced fluids, then sand removal effectiveness is improved, but platform space occupation and payload weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The solids separation function is extracted from the platform and relocated to subsea equipment. The subsea solids separator and hydrocyclone system perform sand removal at the wellhead location, extracting the harmful function (sand) from the produced fluids before they reach the platform, thereby eliminating the need for large platform-based separation equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
A subsea manifold acts as an intermediary device between the wellhead and platform pipelines. It integrates the solids separator, hydrocyclones, and flushing system in a compact subsea package, mediating the separation process at an intermediate location that requires minimal platform space while maintaining effective sand removal.
2Reliability
If traditional solids separator equipment is installed on the platform to remove sand from produced fluids, then sand removal effectiveness is improved, but equipment weight and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy solids separation equipment is extracted from the platform and installed subsea. The subsea solids separator and associated equipment weigh significantly less when positioned offshore, reducing platform payload requirements and associated costs while maintaining sand removal effectiveness through the same separation mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the platform is upgraded to accommodate solids removal equipment as sand production increases over time, then sand handling capability is improved, but capital cost and platform modification expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
The solids separation system is installed subsea at the wellhead in advance, before sand production becomes a significant problem. This preliminary action allows the platform to handle sand-laden fluids from the outset without requiring future upgrades, as the subsea equipment performs separation before fluids enter the platform infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates adjustable hydrocyclones and a flushing mechanism that can be modified or maintained remotely. The modular subsea design allows for dynamic adaptation to increasing sand production rates without requiring platform modifications, as adjustments can be made to the subsea equipment itself.
4Area of stationary object
If subsea pipelines transport produced fluids with solids without separation equipment, then platform space is preserved, but pipeline blockage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separation function is taken out from the platform and placed subsea at the wellhead. This extraction enables effective sand removal before fluids enter the subsea pipelines, preserving platform space while preventing pipeline blockages through upstream separation at the source of sand production.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The modular system effectively separates solids from hydrocarbon-containing fluids, reduces platform space and payload requirements, and allows for flexible adaptation to increasing sand production without major platform upgrades, maintaining continuous production and lowering operational and capital costs.
Implementation Method 1
Each module comprises a solids separator, preferably a hydrocyclone
Implementation Method 2
a flushing system to allow the collected solids to be removed once their volume or weight has reached a predefined threshold
Data Source
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Figure 6
AI summary
An apparatus (100) for separating solid particles from a hydrocarbon-containing fluid produced from an oil and/or gas production facility, the apparatus being supported on a wellhead (102) or a riser (104) connected to a wellhead (102), the apparatus comprising: A. a conduit (107) for conveying a hydrocarbon-containing fluid from a wellhead (102), the conduit being connected to the wellhead or a riser connected to the wellhead (102); B. a modular system for separating solid particles from the hydrocarbon-containing fluid, the modular system comprising at least two modules, each module of the modular system comprising: i. a solids separator (108) in fluid communication with the conduit (107), the solids separator being adapted to separate solid particles from the hydrocarbon-containing fluid, the solids separator having an inlet, coupled to the conduit (107), for the hydrocarbon-containing fluid, ii. a solids outlet for outputting solid particles separated by the solids separator (108) from the hydrocarbon-containing fluid, and iii. a fluid outlet (111) for outputting hydrocarbon-containing fluid separated by the solids separator (108) from the solid particles; and C. an output conduit (113), coupled to the fluid outlets (111), for conveying the hydrocarbon-containing fluid from the fluid outlets (111) of the modular system into a production line (115) attached to the wellhead (102).