Challenges of Retrofit Works For Process Separator Internals
At Rhine Rhur Pty Ltd, we are proud to offer engineered solutions for the oil and gas industry. One of our specialties is retrofitting process separators with high-performance internals that can improve the separation efficiency and capacity of existing vessels.
Retrofitting process separators presents several challenges, such as complying with relevant codes and standards, dealing with lack of available data such as scaled drawings or inspection reports, and addressing the urgency and and safety concerns. These challenges are amplified when the separators are rerated for higher feedrates with higher water content, resulting in separation difficulties. Moreover, some retrofit projects have additional constraints, such as limited hot work allowed and limited space to work - as seen in shared images above.
We have successfully overcome these challenges in several projects, where we have installed larger separation internals, such as vane inlet devices, coalescer packs, and mist eliminators, in existing separators. These internals can enhance the liquid-liquid and liquid-gas separation by reducing the droplet size, increasing the coalescence rate, and capturing the entrained droplets. We have used our expertise in design, fabrication, and installation to ensure that the retrofit internals are compatible with the vessel geometry, operating conditions, and code requirements.
We are happy to share some of the results of our retrofit projects, where we have achieved significant improvements in the separation performance, such as:
- Reduced the oil-in-water content from 200 ppm to 20 ppm
- Increased the gas capacity by 30% without compromising the liquid removal efficiency
- Eliminated the foaming and carry-over problems in the glycol contactor
We are grateful to our clients for trusting us with their retrofit projects and giving us the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities. We look forward to collaborating with more clients who are facing similar challenges and need our assistance. If you are interested in learning more about our retrofit solutions, please visit us a rhineruhr.com.au