GEOMETRY OPTIMIZATION OF 3S-SEPARATOR AS A REDUCING DEVICE FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

Background Before transporting by gas pipelines, the gas field borehole products must be treated at the complex gas treatment unit (CGTU). Crude gas need to be dried and stripped after initial purification from mechanical impurities. Currently, for well products treating, low temperature separation (LTS) method has become widespread. The products got from the LTS unit are dried and stripped natural gas and stabilized hydrocarbon condensate. The condensate can be used as a raw material for petroleum products, the cost of which is many times higher than the cost of gas fuel. In addition to the economic benefits of separating heavy hydrocarbons, there is a technological need for the process considered. It is in the fact that heavy hydrocarbon components can condense at gas transport temperatures. The consequence of this may be the transport of a two-phase flow - gas and gas condensate. A technically simple and economically less expensive way of cooling a gas to the hydrocarbon dew point temperature at a gas treatment unit is the iso-enthalpy expansion of the gas through the use of a throttling valve. Despite the obvious operational and economic advantages, the LTS using a throttle has several drawbacks (the main of which will be low efficiency when operating the field at the stage of falling pressure). Thus, it is necessary to develop effective and technologically simple methods for implementing the low-temperature separation process. Promising directions are the rationalization of the use of the throttle effect, as well as the optimization of the separator at the stage of falling inlet pressure. Aims and Objectives Development of an algorithm for calculating nozzle geometry and a method for predicting the properties of a gas stream. These studies will allow to move on to creating a real model and conducting bench tests. Results The nozzle geometry based on the composition of the mixture being cooled was calculated, and analysis of the gas parameters during the passage of the nozzle cavity through the stream was carried out. The values of the main parameters of the gas flow were determined by the calculation method in the ANSYS Fluent software package. It was necessary to obtain the convergence of the calculations obtained in the software environment and using the analytical method. The optimal geometry of the nozzle profile in a wide operating range of the input pressure and gas temperature was determined.