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The software given for this chapter, “Oil and Gas Production Surface Facility Design and
Rating” all address the sizing of well production crude oil and the associated gas equipment
selection, design, rating, and operation. Oil stabilization and dehydration are the principle
operations. The earlier software given with this book was written in Visual Basic 3.0. These
earlier programs remain in this software given on the MH website. Pages 4 – 7 show the
VB 3.0 display screens. Please note the same MS Windows PC operating systems are
st
required to run these 1 edition software programs. The surface facility design/rating programs
more commonly used and applied for rating have been re-written in Excel for ease of using and
realizing most every PC operating system of our day provides the Micro-Soft Excel run
software. Each is user friendly and simply common Excel spreadsheet forms. The clear boxes are
data inputs and the yellowed boxes are the answer outputs. These new Excel programs are
listed:

1. Standard Design Electrostatic Treater: Electric plate voltage enhanced oil dehydration to
0.05 vol% or better water removal from oil. Use this Excel program spreadsheet as a
finisher simulator in most all applications. Assure a 12 vol% or less water in oil feed
content is limiting.

Heater Treater Oil stabilization & dehydration: This Excel program, electrostatic treater is
also used as a heater –treater well head first treating unit operation and the emulsion
breaking advantage. Think of it as the second part of a common vessel having the first
part a vertical 3-phase separator. The heating element is most always in the first part of
the vessel in the water liquid phase. The heater-Treater vessel is commonly a horizontal
configuration with these two sections as described. The target heated liquid temperature
is to be set by oil viscosity and water-oil gravity differences.

2. Standard Design Horizontal 3-Phase separator: Liquid particle-gravity separation and

gas-particle separation are principle process physical transport thermodynamics achieved.
This is the more common Excel program spreadsheet three phase separator design-rating
equipment type throughout the entire oil/gas production industry. Use it sparingly in all
possible applications.

3. Standard Design Vertical 3-phase separator design and rating in Excel spreadsheet form.
Many smaller operating production fields have limited oil – gas production such as
gathering systems of less than 50,000 barrels per day oil-water and 100 mmscfd or less
associated gas production. These limited production cases fit well into vertical type vessel
3-phase separators rather than the horizontal type. Also, offshore the vertical vessel
design is preferred even at greater rates due to the smaller foot print plot plans. Use this
Excel spreadsheet in any application as needed.
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4. Standard Design Vertical 3-Phase Oil Skimmer: This oil skimming Excel spteadsheet is
applied generally upstream of oil-water flotation treating cells or upstream of oil-water
hydrocyclone separators. The oil skimmer is commonly a vertical atmospheric tank
having tank top oil overflow weirs hydraulically removing the oil. Oil removal to 15 ppm
vol% or less is specified for offshore water overboard. This specification can only be
achieved with oil-water flotation cells or by long tankage residence time 15 to 24 hours.
Onshore oil in water remainder has a greater allowance relating ground water production
field re-injection. Please refer to ICPD chapter 4 for a more detailed discussion.

5. Standard Design Horizontal 3-Phase Oil Skimmer: All applies the same as for the vertical
oil skimmer. The gas rate and oil content remainder allowed in water disposed may alter
the desired selection between vertical or horizontal oil skimmers.

There are six,6 , above presented Excel spreadsheet programs counting the Heater-Treater as one.
Each runs on the Excel spreadsheet standard. It is believed the user will have no difficulties
applying any of these Excel program spreadsheets.

The following Visual Basic 3.0 programs were presented in the ICPD book 1st edition. Simply
click the “Run” option whenever the program is presented on the PC screen, pages 4 - 7. You
will then be given typical example run default values with answers for each of the Visual Basic
programs herein. As given in the 1st edition they are equally presented herein again as uploadable
from the MH website:

1. VESSIZE: This is a Visual Basic 3.0 program which runs in the operating systems as
presented herein ( see page 1). VESSIZE is a horizontal 3-phase separator pressure vessel
which is the same calcs as the Excel form. The user may find it more fitting for all data
answers as may be desired.

2. VessizeV: This is a Visual Basic 3.0 program program which runs in the operating
systems as presented herein ( see page 1 ). VessizeV is a vertical 3-phase separator
pressure vessel which is the same calcs as the Excel form. The user may find it more
fitting for all data answers as may be desired.
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3. Tksep: This is a Visual Basic 3.0 program program which runs in the operating systems
as presented herein ( see page 1 ). Tksep is a atmospheric type storage vessel which is
the Excel form spreadsheet, page 7. The user may find it useful by having a scroll of tank
diameters given with storage volumes and salt content calcs. All data inputs with output
answers may be very beneficial for needed answers such as dilution water required for
crude oil salt content specification. The Excel spreadsheet may also be used as a gun-
barrel oil treater storage tank simulator.

4. Elect2: This is a Visual Basic 3.0 program program which runs in the Window’s 7 XP
imaging, Windows Ultra version operating systems ( see page 1 ). Apply it the same as
the Excel Electrostatic Treater program spreadsheet. The user may find an advantage
using it as a scroll of horizontal diameters with vessel lengths to be most desirable for
hold-up time. Salt content in oil answers are output. A 30 minute oil retention time is
considered conventional design and rating.
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