Experimental study on sand particles accumulation, migration and separation efficiency in slug catcher

Influence of cyclone separator on separation efficiency. Influence of baffle height on separation efficiency. The cyclone separator is installed separately for gas and liquid pre-separation. The results show that the separation efficiency is improved to a certain extent. Especially when the gas velocity is 16 m/s, the separation efficiency increases by about 16%. A baffle is installed in front of the downstream liquid outlet to prevent sand particles from migrating to the liquid outlet, thereby reducing the possibility that the sand particles flow out of the slug catcher. When the baffle height is 15 cm, the separation efficiency at different gas velocity is basically the same and all separation efficiencies are bigger than 85%. The effect of the baffle completely offsets the influence of the change in gas velocity. [Display omitted] Sand production often leads to the failure of production equipment on offshore platform. Therefore, a new idea has been put forward, which is installing cyclone or baffle in the internal of the slug catcher for better sand control. In this paper, an experimental study is presented, which mainly includes sand particles accumulation shape, migration law and separation performance. The results suggest that the accumulation area is mainly divided into two zones: the crowded settlement zone and the free settlement zone. The crowded settlement zone has a special shape, which can be characterized by two parameters: accumulation length and accumulation angle. Axial sampling analysis shows obvious particle classification. Median particle size decreases with the increase of the axial distance, and the range of particle size distribution narrows gradually. The separation experiment shows that the gas velocity has the greatest influence on the separation efficiency. When the gas velocity is 14 m⋅s−1, the separation efficiency drops sharply, which can be abated by installing cyclone separator. In addition, the separation efficiency tends to be a constant under different gas velocities by installing baffle with appropriate height. Then the effectiveness and rationality of installing internal components can be strongly proved. All these provide important guidance for maximizing the sand control function of the slug catcher.