High efficiency gas-liquid separation system for pumped wells

Gas-liquid separation is a very common process in industrial plants, where often high Efficiency of Gas Separation (EGS) is demanded. In the upstream oil industry, gas separation is also crucial for the proper operation of Electrical Submergible Pumps (ESP). Recent studies report the excellent performance of a gravitational separator known as Inverted-Shroud separator (IS-separator). Laboratory results indicate that this kind of separator can achieve total gas separation for a wide range of operation conditions under continuous two-phase flow. The original intent is to use the IS-separator for downhole gas separation in oil production wells. However, by account of its simple design and relatively compact size, it may be suitable for using in industrial plants. In this paper, we present the IS-separator in details, including geometry characteristics and phenomenology. The equipment performance is also discussed. In addition, the challenges related to the deep understanding of the gas separation process inside the IS-separator and the possible practical solutions are outlined.