State of the Art of Gas/Liquid Cylindrical-Cyclone Compact-Separator Technology

The petroleum industry has relied mainly on conventional, vessel-type separators to process wellhead production of oil/water/gas flow. However, economic and operational pressures continue to force the industry to seek less expensive and more efficient separation alternatives in the form of compact separators, especially for offshore applications. Compared with vessel-type separators, compact separators, such as the gas/liquid cylindrical cyclone (GLCC), are simple, low-cost, low-weight separators that require little maintenance and are easy to install and operate. However, the inability to predict GLCC performance adequately has inhibited its wide-spread deployment. Current R and D is aimed at creating the necessary performance-prediction tools for proper design and operation of GLCC separators. This paper presents the status of the development of the GLCC, the state of the art with respect to its simulation and design, and current successful and potential applications.