Research on the Enhancement of the Separation Efficiency for Discrete Phases Based on Mini Hydrocyclone

Abstract

The economic and efficient treatment of mixed media in offshore produced fluids is of great significance to oilfield production. Due to the small space and limited load-bearing capacity of offshore platforms, some mature multiphase media separation processes in onshore oilfields are difficult to apply. Therefore, high-efficiency processing methods with small-occupied space are required. Mini hydrocyclones (MHCs) are a potential separation method due to their simple structure, small footprint, and high separation efficiency (especially for fine particles or droplets). However, for discrete phases with different densities and sizes, the enhancement rule of the separation efficiency of MHCs is not yet clear. In this paper, numerical simulation methods were used to study the separation performance of hydrocyclones with different main diameters (including conventional hydrocyclones (CHCs) and MHCs) for discrete phases with different densities and particle sizes. Results show that MHC has the optimal enhancement range for oil–water separation when oil-droplet sizes are 60–300 μm, while the optimal enhancement range for silica particle and water separation is 10–40 μm. For other droplet/particle size ranges, the efficiency enhancement effect of MHC is not obvious compared to conventional hydrocyclones. By calculating the radial force of particles in MHC and CHC, the reasons for the enhanced efficiency of MHC are theoretically analyzed. The pressure drop of MHC is higher than CHC under the same feed velocity, which can be improved by connecting CHC with MHC. Additionally, the fluid velocity test experiments based on particle image velocimetry (PIV) were carried out to verify the accuracy of the numerical simulations. This study clarified the scope of application of MHCs to different discrete phase types, in order to provide a basis for the precise application of MHCs.