Multi-objective optimization of a novel gas-liquid cylindrical cyclone based on response surface methodology

Abstract

Currently, most major oilfields in China have reached a stage of high water content, where the extracted fluid is often accompanied by significant volumes of associated gas. This situation increases extraction costs and elevates safety risks. To address these challenges, this paper presents an innovative redesign of the traditional gas-liquid cylindrical cyclone (GLCC) by applying composite mechanics to improve the inner cone structure. The new design is tailored for conditions with high gas content and flow rates. Using response surface optimization, the optimal structural parameters for the separator were identified: an inlet area of 881 mm2, a column diameter of 110 mm, and an inner cone height of 189 mm. Furthermore, the study integrates numerical simulation with experimental research to compare and analyze the flow characteristics and separation performance of the GLCC before and after optimization. The results demonstrate that the optimized GLCC achieves a separation efficiency of 93.2 %, an improvement of 21.2 percentage points over the initial design, with a maximum pressure loss of 0.0621 MPa. The experimental findings and numerical simulations show strong agreement, confirming the efficacy of the new design.