Get more out of the well.
RST separation and power recovery units ingest mixtures of liquids and gases and separate each to respective discharge outlets with a quality comparable to conventional vessel gravity separators. RST developed processes and machines separate liquids of different densities as well. With sufficient energy in the flow stream, power can be generated under some conditions.
Rethinking the separation process to save time, money and space.
RST products combine compact and efficient separation of oil and gas with recovery of energy - usually wasted in conventional pressure let-down operations. This energy can be recovered as high pressure liquid, shaft power or a combination of the two.
Increased efficiency of the separation process.
In a conventional gravity separator, residence time may be up to 20 minutes. In RST separators, liquid residence time is measured in seconds. Additionally, centrifugal force imposed on the liquid layer is typically several thousand times gravitational force. This enables more efficient and complete separation, and lower fluid inventory (volume) on a RST separator.
RST original concept.
The RST turbine separator was originally developed to separate water and steam from geothermal wells and increasing energy produced by steam turbine generators. Output from geothermal wells increases by up to 40% by recovering energy from the steam that is usually throttled to a lower pressure.
Can convert currently wasted pressure energy into shaft power.
In a typical hydrocarbon process, fluid flashes across a pressure let-down valve into a separation vessel with no energy recovery. In certain cases, such as the last stage of a production separation string or gas separation process, a separate pump, requiring energy, re-pressurizes the liquid.
By contrast, RST turbines in a single compact step can generate shaft power from a turbine expansion process and recover residual kinetic energy of liquid as pressure so it can be recycled or transferred to downstream stages without pumps. This also keeps frictional heating to a minimum. Expansion of two-phase flow in nozzles creates considerably less agitation compared to throttling across valves, and eliminates foaming while reducing emulsion formation. These contribute to higher separation efficiency compared to conventional gravity separation.
RST turbine separators can remove water from high CO2 subsea gas wells allowing use of carbon steel flow lines instead of corrosion resistant alloys. With no risk of forming carbonic acid, a subsea pipeline project can avoid upwards of several hundred million dollars in cost through the use of RST devices.
In your search for better separation and more efficient ways to bring gas and fluids out of the ground, consider the advantages of RST separation and power recovery solutions. We offer many ways to debottleneck existing operations and save on construction and energy costs. Find out how Dresser-Rand's RST can improve your next application.
Print