The choice of separator operating pressures in a multistage system is large. For large facilities many options should be investigated before a final choice is made. For facilities handling less than 50,000 bpd, there are practical constraints that help limit the options.
A minimum pressure for the lowest pressure stage would be in the 25 to 50 psig range. This pressure will probably be needed to allow the oil to be dumped to a treater or tank and the water to be dumped to the water treating system. The higher the operating pressure the smaller the compressor needed to compress the flash gas to sales. Compressor horsepower requirements are a function of the absolute discharge pressure divided by the absolute suction pressure. Increasing the low pressure separator pressure from 50 psig to 200 psig may decrease the compression horsepower required by 33%. However, it may also add back pressure to wells, restricting their flow, and allow more gas to be vented to atmosphere at the tank. Usually, an operating pressure of between 50 and 100 psig is optimum.
As stated before, the operating pressure of the highest pressure separator will be no higher than the sales gas pressure. A possible exception to this could occur where the gas lift pressure is higher than the sales gas pressure. In choosing the operating pressures of the intermediate stages it is useful to remember that the gas from these stages must be compressed. Normally, this will be done in a multistage compressor. For practical reasons, the choice of separator operating pressures should match closely and be slightly greater than the compressor interstage pressures. The most efficient compressor sizing will be with a constant compressor ratio per stage. Therefore, an approximation of the intermediate separator operating pressures can be derived from:
Once a final compressor selection is made, these approximate pressures will be changed slightly to fit the actual compressor configuration.
In order to minimize interstage temperatures the maximum ratio per stage will normally be in the range of 3.6 to 4.0. That means that most production facilities will have either two- or three-stage compressors. A two-stage compressor only allows for one possible intermediate separator operating pressure. A three-stage allows for either one operating at second- or third-stage suction pressure, or two intermediate separators each operating at one of the two compressor intermediate suction pressures. Of course, in very large facilities it would be possible to install a separate compressor for each separator and operate as many intermediate pressure separators as is deemed economical.
