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Problem:
A slug catcher for a new offshore gas processing facility is to be sized. Gas from a
subsea well cluster will be transported to the platform in a common flow line. No pigging
facilities will be required for the flow line. A horizontal pressure vessel will be used as
both the slug catcher and the primary separator. The gas from the separator will go
to a gas dehydration system. The following information is based on preliminary well tests:
150
2000
0.65
46
800
115
0.011
1
MMSCFD
BPD
50
1
Bbl
min
Psig
F
cP
Bbl
319.70
Bbl
ft3
Note that most of the liquid volume requirement is due to the slug. The desired units for the slug catcher d
length are feet. The total liquid volume is converted from barrels to cubic feet:
Step 4 - Calculate the maximum allowable gas velocity
The maximum allowable gas velocity will be based on empirical correlations, using the
following equation:
The liquid and gas densities must be converted to the appropriate units:
Liquid Density, lb/ft3 = 62.4 lb/ft3 x 141.5/(API + 131.5)
=
49.74422535 lb/ft3
where F is the assumed fraction of cross-sectional area occupied by the vapor space. An initial F value
of 0.30 is assumed:
6.43
ft
Step 7 - Estimate the minimum vessel internal diameter based on liquid capacity
The minimum internal diameter based on liquid capacity is calculated from the total required liquid
volume calculated in Step 3 and the vapor space cross-sectional area fraction assumed in Step 6:
5
6.47
ft
6.50
Step 8 - Determine minimum vessel internal diameter which satisfies both gas and liquid capacity
criteria
For each L/D ratio considered, Steps 6 and 7 are repeated in an iterative procedure in which the value
of F is adjusted until the internal diameters are equal. For this example, it has been determined that an
F of approximately 0.7 results in a diameter that satisfies both the gas and liquid capacity criteria:
32.50
For this example, different values of a are guessed until the calculated volume Vc equals the total liquid
volume of 319 ft3 from Step 3. It has been determined that an angle of 71.8 degrees will result in the
required liquid volume:
71.00
2.19
ft
Vc
319.70
ft3
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pigging
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etric flow rate at actual
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