OTSO - Horizontal Inline Separator

Horizontal Inline Separators must control inlet momentum, vapor demisting, liquid retention and the outlet flow of liquids. These four specific functions are the lifeblood of this Horizontal Separator.

The most common arrangement for this Horizontal Separator has the Inlet located one end, and the gas & liquids outlets located on the opposing end of the separator.

Liquids and Gas enter the vessel through the Inlet where initial bulk separation occurs. As gasses rise, oil and water fall into the retention area, settle, separate and exit the oil and water outlets. Gas is further purged of oil & water with a mist extractor and vortex breakers are used to prevent re-entrainment.

Horizontal Inline Separators must control inlet momentum, vapor demisting, liquid retention and the outlet flow of liquids. These four specific functions are the lifeblood of this Horizontal Separator.
The most common arrangement for this Horizontal Separator has the Inlet located one end, and the gas & liquids outlets located on the opposing end of the separator.

Liquids and Gas enter the vessel through the Inlet where initial bulk separation occurs. As gasses rise, oil and water fall into the retention area, settle, separate and exit the oil and water outlets. Gas is further purged of oil & water with a mist extractor and vortex breakers are used to prevent re-entrainment.

The most common choice for inlet momentum control is with a splash plate or dished head. Although these two devices do provide inlet energy disbursement, there are superior methods for inlet regulation such as OTSO’s Maelstrom Revolution™.

The Maelstrom Revolution™ is superior to traditional “splash plate and dished heads” type inlet momentum regulation, whereas centrifugal force is used to rapidly accelerate oil, water and gas separation. Another key benefit of the Maelstrom Revolution™ is its ability to virtually eliminate foam. Such efficiency at the initial separation phase has a profound impact on separator function, so much so that smaller vessels can be used when a Maelstrom Revolution™ is incorporated.

The importance of better separation and foam elimination is not merely a performance benefit. It also has a positive impact on our clients bottom line. Simply put, better separation yields higher oil and gas recovery.

After inlet momentum disbursement occurs, liquids fall to the liquid retention area for further separation through coalescing. Horizontal separators are especially proficient at this process due to the larger area they inherently provide. The use of OTSO’s PureSEP™ internals are routinely incorporated within the liquid retention section to reduce liquid / liquid coalescing time.

The importance of demisting can’t be overstated. The coalescing and ultimate removal of liquid droplets from the gas stream is vital to meeting pipeline gas specifications further downstream. OTSO’s PureSEP™ line of separator internals provide our clients with numerous options for demisting, such as serpentine vanes, wire mesh and coalescing ball media. As is the case with all other sections of the vessel, the proper demister for the job, or a combination thereof are selected based on each vessel’s operating conditions.

Outlet control is used to prevent the re-entrainment of separated gasses and liquids. A vessel’s internal configuration of either a bucket and weir, bucket and riser, spillover weir, fixed weir, or standpipe are the typical mechanisms used for outlet control. The use of vortex breakers at the gas and liquid outlet is also commonplace to prevent vortex occurrence.

OTSO’s engineering team is highly apt in the configuration of the outlet section and selection of the proper locations for vortex breakers. Our team can offer assistance for your specific application to ensure proper configuration is achieved.

Due to their versatility, OTSO’s Horizontal Inline Separators have been used successfully in the following applications.

• Horizontal Production Separators
• Horizontal Test Separators
• Horizontal Inlet Separators
• Horizontal Wellhead Separators
• Horizontal Slug Catchers
• Horizontal Flare Scrubbers
• Horizontal Free Water Knockouts
• Horizontal Gas Scrubbers
• Horizontal Floating Production Separators