Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of a Centrifugal Downhole Oil Water Separator CDOWS for Potential Use in High Water Cut Wells

Abstract

Abstract With the decreasing price of oil nowadays, the need to develop techniques to reduce operational costs in a field is inevitable. Formation water is a by-product obtained during oil production which is produced is produced in higher quantities than hydrocarbon. This is a major concern for oil and gas industry as separating, treating and reinjecting of the produced water into the reservoir formation requires a large amount of energy, money and time. This paper proposes a new technique for downhole separation of oil and water using a tubular centrifuge which can be integrated of the casing or the tubing string. This centrifugal downhole oil/water separator (CDOWS) will introduce the feed to a large centrifugal force which will separate both fluids based on density differences. The technology is designed for different well configurations satisfying several conditions in the industry. This paper shows and tests the model using Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study for different designs and configurations. To validate this process in a downhole configuration, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study is conducted on a CAD model which was designed using a 3D modeling software. The study investigates the separation efficiency using various diameters, RPMs of the CDOWS as well as different flow rates and water cut. Furthermore, different possible designs are considered in this study. The results are then used to optimize the design of such tool in order to produce a physical model.