Experimental study on hydrocyclone desanding of high-viscosity oil

Crude oil containing sand brings serious safety hazards to the surface gathering system, and wellhead sand removal could basically eliminate the sand threat to the pipelines and equipment. We developed a hydrocyclone desanding experimental device, using high-viscosity industrial white oil to simulate the high-viscosity crude oil on site to carry out the hydrocyclone desanding experiment, and explored the factors such as the oil viscosity, water content and gas injection on the hydrocyclone separation. The range of operating parameters for efficient hydrocyclone desanding of high-viscosity oil was found. The results showed that the hydrocyclone is not suitable for de-sanding of pure oil, but adding water could significantly improve the inefficient desanding state caused by the increase of oil viscosity. And the higher the viscosity of white oil, the more water is needed. Feed stream containing gas would cause a significant increase in pressure drop, which would waste excess pressure energy. Therefore, it is recommended that the dissolved gas should be removed before hydrocyclone desanding on site. Increasing the inlet flow rate, reducing the oil viscosity and increasing the water content could enhance the resistance to the interference of the gas.

Automated summary

Crude oil containing sand poses serious safety hazards to the surface gathering system, but wellhead sand removal can effectively eliminate the threat. A hydrocyclone desanding experimental device was developed to explore the factors affecting hydrocyclone separation, such as oil viscosity, water content, and gas injection. The study found the operating parameters for efficient desanding of high-viscosity oil and recommended removing dissolved gas before desanding on-site to enhance resistance to gas interference.