Inlet separator

Current operating conditions different from design Inlet separator malfunctions... 

Carryover of oils (e.g., compressor lube oils), brine, corrosion inhibitors, well treating chemicals sand, corrosion scales, etc., from inlet separator... 

Buildup of salt, dust, scales, etc., on firetube—check inlet separator. 

A typical amine system is shown in Figure 7-4. The sour gas enters the system through an inlet separator to remove any entrained water or hydrocarbon liquids. Then the gas enters the bottom of the amine absorber and flows counter-current to the amine solution. The absorber can be either a trayed or packed tower. Conventional packing is usually used for 20-in. or smaller diameter towers, and trays or structured packing for larger towers. An optional outlet separator may be included to recover entrained amines from the sweet gas. 

In the drying cycle, the wet inlet gas first passes through an inlet separator where free liquids, entrained mist, and solid particles are removed. This is a very important part of the system because free liquids can damage or destroy the desiccant bed and solids may plug it. If the adsorption... 

The Ferret process actively draws in water, as well as free and dispersed hydrocarbons. The inward pull causes water and product to move toward the Ferret inlet, enhancing recovery. Once the product/water mixture is taken inside the Ferret inlet, separation takes place specific gravity is used to split the hydrocarbons and water into separate pumping paths. 

Leaky lagoon systems with many inlets separated by small barrier islands. 

Temperature controller not operating correctly Carryover of water from inlet separator Inaccurate reboiler thermometer... 

Several incidents of column problems initiated in an upstream unit have been reported. In one incident (98), solids suddenly appeared in the feed and plugged a column when the feed tank was emptied. This occurred because settled solids from the bottom of the tank were stirred up and entered the feed pipe. In another incident (391), oil from an overflowing inlet separator entered an absorber system it took two days to clean this oil out. 

A separate Safety Instrumented Function that needs to be analyzed is the closing of all wells when the main inlet separator valve closes. The question is "What is the probability of any one well failing to trip when the main inlet separator valve closes "... 

The probability of all five wells tripping when the main inlet separator valve... 

In the Heatric process, the warm wet pressurised gas from the inlet separator is pre-cooled in the PCHE and then throttled in a Joule-Thomson (JT) valve to a lower pressure. The drop in pressure produces a cooling effect and both hydrocarbon liquids and water condense out of the gas. The two-phase stream passes to a separator where the liquids are removed. The cold dry gas from the separator is returned to the exchanger to chill the incoming warm, wet gas (Figure 9.3). Refrigeration... 

A properly designed feed gas inlet separator and filter should be provided. A feed gas coalescer should be considered for feed gas streams contaminated with compressor lubricating oil and other finely dispersed aerosols (Ball and Veldman, 1991 Pauley, 1991). A properly sized slug catcher should be provided if slugs can accumulate in the feed gas line. 

An efficient inlet separator is an essential component in a glycol dehydration system. The primary function of the separator is to remove liquid water from the feed gas stream howev-... 

The pH of the solution is maintained low enough to avoid carbon dioxide absorption, but high enough to minimize vessel corrosion. Additives buffer the slurry pH above 6.0 (Schaack and Chan, 1989). The inlet gas must be saturated with water and free of liquid contaminants. An efficient inlet separator is recommended (Manning, 1979). 

Inlet separator size and fluid residence time are of importance in systems where flnid (water and condensate) volnmes are significant compared to the gas volumes. If residence times are short, the corrosion inhibitor mnst not only protect the system, bnt also provide qnick, clean separation of condensate from water. 

Samples are collected at wellheads, inlet separators, or intermediate points in the system. Waters are normally analyzed for manganese levels and total iron. Most produced water associated with oil and gas production has extremely low natural manganese levels. Thus, a finding of significant manganese... 

Comparison of manganese levels between wellheads and inlet separators, making allowances for the contribution of each water source to the fluid reaching the separator, can give a measure of the protection achieved along the flow lines. Similar comparisons of iron levels at well heads and inlet separators can be made. 

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