Copyright 1999, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

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Abstract
Multiphase separation and flow is governed and influenced by
phenomena and mechanisms that are strongly dependent on
fluid specific properties. A typical example is phase dispersion
which is composed of mechanisms like droplet breakup,
droplet coalescence, phase inversion and sedimentation/
flotation, which in turn depends upon the nature of the
oil/water interface determined by the surface active
components of the oil.
There exists a vast number of surface active components in
a crude oil comprising of original components like
asphalthenes, waxes, inorganic particles and napthenic acids
and foreign components like production chemicals
(demulsifiers, anti foam chemicals, asphalthene inhibitors,
scale inhibitors etc). The composition of an oil is therefore
highly specific and therefore also the separation and flow
properties of the oil.
In this paper it will be shown how large the variations in
the behavior of crude oils can be with respect to their
individual separation and flow characteristics. This paper will
also focus on what fluid specific information is needed for
characterizing the separation and flow properties of an oil and
serve as basis for process selection and design.
Tentatively, several methods can be used for obtaining
such information. This paper presents a new proven approach
for performing separation tests at real conditions, by using a
multi test unit (MTU). The use of the MTU will be compared
to other methods like bottle tests, laboratory scale tests, flow
loop testing and full scale testing. The advantages and
limitations of the various methods will be discussed. By
comparing data from oil fields and corresponding test results it
will be shown that some of these methods can be used to
predict the real process behavior of a fluid. One of the most
realistic methods is the use of the MTU. The details of
performing a MTU test will be presented, as well as how this
test unit can be applied in order to reveal the separation and
flow properties of a fluid. Currently, two main areas of interest
have proved the suitability of performing tests with the MTU:
Firstly, it can be applied in process optimization and as a
trouble-shooting tool. Hence, testing and optimization of
production chemicals (such as demulsifiers and anti foam
chemicals) can be done in a realistic and effective manner.
Secondly the MTU can be used in the exploration phase in
order to get valuable data as input to process design for new
field developments.
Introduction
Past experience has shown that oil samples change their
properties with respect to oil-water separation extremely
quickly. Therefore, in order to study any emulsion formations
in crude oil production, it has been necessary to formulate new
test methods to investigate key parameters that are not fully
addressed when using other established techniques. As a result
of a cooperation program between Statoil, Saga and Norsk
Hydro, a new series of testing equipment tools has been
developed. The idea was to develop a multi test unit (MTU)
for testing of separation characteristics on fresh, live
wellstreams under realistic conditions. The MTU is owned and
operated by Petrotech today.
The MTU consists of a small test separator, with additional
chemical and water pumps, which can be directly connected to
a production line. It is then possible to inject additional water
to control and regulate the water cut, and to test production
chemicals. By means of detailed on-line instrumentation, all
process data can be recorded and stored for further analysis.
The MTU provides a high degree of flexibility for changing
test conditions in order to perform an extensive experimental
program during a limited period of time.
Key parameters in all emulsion testing are representatively
sampling, including the effect of ageing [1,2]. Traditional
experiments like bottle testing only give an indication of the
emulsifying tendency and the relative effect of chemicals,
SPE 56847
MTU - The Multi Test Unit for Investigating Offshore Separation
Problems and
Optimizing the Gas/Oil/Water Separation Process
P.E. Gramme, SPE, Norsk Hydro; B. Dybdahl, SPE, Petrotech; . Holt, Statoil; J.D. Friedemann,
Saga Petroleum; B.
Riise, Petrotech
2 P.E. GRAMME, B. DYBDAHL, . HOLT, J.D. FRIEDEMANN, B. RIISE SPE 56847
temperature, mixing conditions etc. This is due to a number of
reasons, like
sample quality
absence of dissolved gas
unrealistic mixing conditions
unrealistic scale and flow dynamics in such tests
separator conditions (layout and dimension of choke, flow
rate, pressure drop, separator internals etc.) cannot be
predicted by lab measurements
difference in materials (glass surfaces which are
hydrophilic may lead to coalescence/separation)
Some of these points can be improved, especially sample
quality. By minimizing the oxidizing effect from air exposure
by including the effect of dissolved gas, and optimizing
mixing conditions using specially designed separation rigs in
the laboratory, it is possible to get a more realistic picture of
the emulsifying conditions. However, such measurements will
always have some element of uncertainty that can only be
reduced by testing and optimization on real fluids at field.
The use of the MTU will overcome most of the
shortcomings listed above. A well-planned test can provide a
good reference to the separation properties of difficult oilwater
mixtures under real conditions. In a field development
study an adequate separation characterization is needed for the
proper design of the process facilities.
When there is a reason to suspect separation problems, an
MTU test program can be conducted during testing of
exploration wells. After the field has come into production, it
will be necessary to qualify the best chemicals for
demulsification. Here the MTU has already shown its potential
as an excellent tool for testing of chemicals and separator
internals at present and future production conditions.
The MTU also opens new ways of analyzing fluid effects
on "live" fluids. Such applications include the investigation of
multiphase flow and rheological behavior as a function of
water cut, monitoring of wax, asphalthenes and scale
formation, corrosion or sand monitoring, as well as testing of
different production chemicals.
Characterizing separation properties
The conventional way of characterizing the separation
properties of a fluid has been to apply the bottle test, see
Fig. 1. A sample of oil and water is subjected to mixing by
shaking the sample bottle by hand according to a definite
procedure. The speed of separation of the phases after mixing
is used to characterize the ease of separation of the fluid.
However, this method has several major weaknesses:
1. The prolonged and arbitrary mixing process of the bottle
test is neither able to simulate the high shear environment
within the choke valve, nor the correct shear history.
Therefore, the real initial droplet size distributions, Fig. 2,
can never be attained in a controlled manner by this
method. This will naturally influence the separation
characteristics.
2. Important phenomena leading to droplet growth and
flotation effects cannot be simulated in a realistic manner.
Such phenomena are caused by interactions between gas
bubbles, between gas bubbles and oil droplets and between
the oil droplets, and are highly dependent on shear
intensity, shear history and phase mixing.
3. The droplet break-up in a mixing process creates new fresh
oil/water interfaces. As the droplets age, surfactants will
migrate to the interface and adsorb to it, and thereby affect
the emulsion stability. This is illustrated by the plot of
interfacial tension versus the time shown by Fig. 3. This
important time and shear history dependent process, which
is vital for the droplet growth (by coalescence), can never
be simulated realistically by the bottle test.
4. The bottle test is carried out under atmospheric
conditions. Most of the oil/water separation in process
plants is carried out at pressurized conditions. As shown
below, the system pressure has a vital impact on the
oil/water separation. Therefore an atmospheric test does
not reveal the separation properties of the fluids at real
process conditions.
Based on the statements above, the bottle test is not really
suitable to assess the separation of fluids. Even the testing of
demulsifiers, which is the major present use of this method, is
strongly affected by the limitations of the method. Bottle
tests can only be used to assess the efficiency of demulsifiers
in a rather coarse manner.
The separation properties of crude oils are strongly
dependent on the system pressure, Fig. 4. Normally, the
emulsion stability decreases as the system pressure increases.
Even a small change in system pressure, for example from 1
bar to 7 bar, may have a significant impact on the separation
properties of the fluid, Fig. 5. As shown by Fig. 6, the water
cut and the gas/oil ratio also have a strong impact on
separation. Generally the ease of separation increases as the
water cut increases. The effect of free gas phase is generally
negative, as the gas bubbles seem to prevent droplet growth by
coalescence. In order to characterize the separation properties
of crude oil fluids in a representative manner, it is vital to
perform the test as realistic as possible:
1. Apply representative shear history prior to separation. The
shear history determines the inlet droplet size distribution
by affecting the break-up and coalescence mechanisms.
Experimental simulation of the shear exposure and shear
history occurring in upstream high shear components like
valves, pumps and piping is best simulated physically by
using realistic process components.
2. Use real or recombined fluids. The only way to establish
the density, viscosity and the real composition of the
oil/water interface is to use real or carefully recombined
fluids. All components that affect the properties of the
interface should be present, comprising the naturally
occurring surface active constituents of the oil (napthenic
SPE 56847 MTU - THE MULTI TEST UNIT FOR OPTIMIZING THE GAS/OIL/WATER SEPARATION PROCESS 3
acids, asphalthenes, resins, waxes, inorganic particles etc.)
and production chemicals that are being used
(demulsifiers, corrosion inhibitors, anti foam chemicals,
scale inhibitors, asphalthene inhibitors etc.)
3. Never expose the fluid sample to air or oxygen during
sampling or during the characterization tests. The oxygen
will react with oil components producing constituents that
are surface active and hence affect the emulsion properties
of the fluid. Pressurized sampling (or use of a blanketing
gas, e.g. argon, when sampling stabilized oil) should be
used.
4. Use real or synthetic produced water. Be aware of the
strong effect of pH-values on oil/water separation of water
continuous fluids. Component specific effects like the
reaction between calcium ions present in the water phase
and napthenic acid present in the oil phase is also
important for crude oil with a high acidic content. To get
such fluid specific features correct is vital for the quality of
the characterization of the produced fluid under
investigation.
5. Carry out the separation at the process conditions the
characterization should be referred to, i.e. the appropriate
system pressure, temperature, water cut and gas/oil ratio. A
characterization of the fluid typical of the inlet separator
does not give reliable information of the fluid behavior in
the 3rd stage separator.
Likewise the procedures used in tests for selecting efficient
and optimal demulsifiers should be based on the same
guidelines as listed above. Properties of the oil/water fluid
such as droplet size distribution, interfacial area and
composition of the interface are also vital when the effect and
dosage requirement of different demulsifiers should be
evaluated.
More realistic methods for characterizing the separation
properties of fluids are shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Both the
laboratory scale characterization rig and the high-pressure
multiphase flow loop operate on real or recombined fluids at
the appropriate process conditions. Passing the fluid through
process components like valves and piping at appropriate
process conditions upstream the separator physically simulates
the dispersion at the inlet to the separator. The separation
properties are monitored, by measuring cross entrainment and
droplet distributions in the outlet streams together with the
phase profile (i.e. foam layer, oil layer, emulsion layer and
water layer) of the separator.
Several comparisons have been made between test rig and
field performance. A typical example is given in Fig. 9. So far
these methods represent the real process behavior fairly
accurate.
Although it has been experienced that realistic fluid
characterization with respect to separation properties can be
feasible in laboratory and flow loops (provided that all
necessary precautions are taken), it is still safer to perform the
characterization out in the field using equipment like the
MTU. In certain cases for difficult fluid systems these types of
data is even considered as a must. This practice eliminates
questions regarding fluid representativity and is more suitable
than laboratory scale and flow loop scale characterization,
especially for testing and optimizing demulsifiers. The
advantages of the MTU are:
1. Once through system, no recirculation of chemicals.
2. Always fresh fluids
3. Fluids contain the actual production chemicals applied on
site.
4. Individual wells can be tested
5. Comparison with process separator performance is easy
6. Reference data for further work in laboratory
When using the MTU it is possible to obtain important process
information that can be used in selection and design, trouble
shooting and optimization of the separation train. Such
information is:
1. Foam formation and foam decay behavior, see Fig. 10.
2. Emulsion formation and emulsion decay parameters, see
Figs. 11 and 12.
3. Information of produced water quality
Performing MTU tests
By taking out a small part of a wellstream or process stream
(typically 1-2 Sm3/h), and leading this into a small test
separator it is possible to perform testing of separation
efficiency at different conditions without disturbing the main
production, see Figs. 13 and 14. Depending on local facilities
formation water, sea water or synthetic formation water can be
injected into this sidestream and hence the watercut can be
regulated between the actual watercut and 100% water. The
efficiency of different demulsifiers can be monitored alone or
in combination with other production chemicals.
The current version of MTU consists of a separator unit
(7500 kg; 2.4x2.4x4.6 meters), and an injection unit (3500 kg;
2.4x2.4x2.4 meters). The separator has an internal diameter of
0,56 meters, and is designed for operation up to 70 bar and
100 C. In addition a choke valve, a water tank and flexible
piping/tubing may be used for connections to the production
facilities.
An extensive array of instrumentation makes it possible to
monitor all relevant parameters with a high level of precision,
both at the separator outlets and inside the separator (a profile
meter measuring the depth of the emulsion and foam layers as
well as all the interfaces). All data is continuously logged by a
control system for later analysis, and a report generator
simplifies the data analysis by extracting the most interesting
parameters. The control system has also a shutdown system,
and all equipment fulfills the requirements for temporary
equipment for offshore use.
Compared to full-scale testing on a standard test separator
or separator train the MTU has following advantages:
Can be operated independently with respect to other
operational activities
4 P.E. GRAMME, B. DYBDAHL, . HOLT, J.D. FRIEDEMANN, B. RIISE SPE 56847
Watercut can be varied freely with a constant fluid
composition, no need for variation in number of wells
with different watercut and different separation behavior
Separator stability is reached within a few minutes after
parameter changes because of the small size
Flexibility to test a wide range of conditions and
chemicals within a limited test period
Only small volumes of chemicals are needed
Effect of different chemicals and dosage can be seen as
clear changes in dehydration within one hour (several
hours at stable conditions are needed for chemical testing
in a test separator)
Future process conditions can easily be simulated
The separator is easy to open for inspection or for testing
of different internals
More instrumentation than usual on a test separator give
more information about the separation behavior
Optimizing Separation Efficiency
Traditionally the process design of the separation facilities is
based on traditional engineering methods, and where the fluid
specific part is unfortunately, being trusted to be solved by
applying the right chemicals to break down the emulsion (and
foam) layers. For difficult fluid types this often leads to
operational problems, either in meeting the product
specifications for water and salt content in export crude or as
too much hydrocarbons in the effluent water. The time needed
to solve such a problem could take several months, leading to
high economic losses.
After production start-up at new fields, the MTU can be
used for qualification of proper chemicals before water
production commences and hence make it possible to avoid
much of the operational problems experienced. In addition to
find a chemical with high efficiency, stronger environmental
requirements make it necessary to qualify the right chemicals
also with respect to this. Testing a variety of different
chemicals based on several types of components at an early
stage makes it easier to pick a chemical that meets all
requirements. Typically 8-10 different demulsifiers could be
tested within a one week test program. In the North Sea such
test programs have been performed at the Yme, Gullfaks and
Varg fields.
New field developments
When planning new field developments, fluid characterization
is of utmost importance when the production concept and
process design is to be chosen. Proper sampling from
exploration wells is necessary in order to get laboratory results
of high quality. However, as explained above, there are often
large uncertainties regarding the separability of the fluids
based on laboratory work alone.
When exploration wells are being tested (drill stem tests or
similar), it is possible to connect the MTU in parallel to a
standard test separator. In this way valuable data about the
separation properties can be characterized under real
conditions. Within a 24-hour test the watercut can be varied
both with and without chemicals. These results have shown to
be very valuable as reference data to more detailed laboratory
work, removing uncertainties from the sampling procedure,
ageing of samples, recombination of fluids etc. So far, 3
exploration wells have been tested in this way in the North
Sea.
Design Methodology
In order to choose the right level of process, a series of
questions have to be answered. The most critical decisions
need to be supported by experimental work. Typical issues to
be addressed in this connection are:
The need for demulsifier. Below the point of phase
inversion which normally is 50 - 70 % water cut, the fluid is
oil continuous and a demulsifier is usually required for
efficient oil/water separation by gravity to occur. The
demulsifier usually affects both droplet growth by coalescence
and, hence, the rate of sedimentation of the water droplets, and
the stability of the dense packed emulsion layer in the
separator, see Fig. 12. By using the MTU it is possible to
study such relevant effects that are important when selecting
the optimal demulsifier.
Need for electrostatic coalescer. The MTU test will provide
results that can be used to evaluate the possibility of reaching
the export specifications of the required BS&W with gravity
separation alone, or if a final dehydration step based on
electrostatic coalescers or centrifuges will be required.
Improving separation with water recirculation. The
oil/water separation is normally improved as the water cut
increases. At low water cut, the separation may be so slow that
virtually no separation will occur in a gravity separator. If
separation is required to meet the product oil specification
with respect to BS&W, an alternative to electrostatic coalescer
or centrifuge may be to recirculate water across the separator
using a valve as a mixing device. If the inlet water cut is
increased to the critical water cut of the fluid, gravity
separation will occur fast. This effect could easily be
monitored with the MTU, by gradually increasing the watercut
into the separator.
Water treatment facilities. The quality of the produced
water from the MTU can be analyzed with respect to oil
concentration and droplet distribution. Based on this
information, a treatment process for produced water may be
selected and designed.
Prediction of future process conditions. The water
production normally increases with the life of the field. As the
emulsion stability or ease of separation is a strong function of
the water cut, see Figs. 5 and 6, the process behavior of the
fluid will change significantly with time. Using the MTU the
inlet water cut can be increased using water addition or water
recirculation. Therefore, by application of the MTU it is
SPE 56847 MTU - THE MULTI TEST UNIT FOR OPTIMIZING THE GAS/OIL/WATER SEPARATION PROCESS 5
possible to simulate the age of the field by characterizing
separation as function of the water cut.
Conclusions
The MTU has shown to be a cost-effective way of optimizing
the separation process and provides an excellent tool to qualify
production chemicals at an early operational stage. MTU data
from exploration wells gives valuable reference data for the
right choice of process design in new field developments. In
combination with new experimental experiences from
laboratory work, the amount of uncertainty regarding
investment costs and functionality can be significantly
reduced.
Nomenclature
BS&W = Basic Sediments and Water, (Water contents in
oil)
GOR = Gas Oil Ratio
GLR = Gas Liquid Ratio
MTU = Mobile Test Unit
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Statoil, Saga Petroleum and
Norsk Hydro for their sponsoring and permission to publish
this work, and Bjrn Riise for his work with the design and
commissioning of the MTU.
References
1. Sjblom, J.; Mingyuan, L.; Christy, A.A.; Rnningsen, H.P.;
Water-in-crude oil emulsions from the Norwegian continental
shelf. 10. Ageing of the interfacially active components and the
influence on the emulsion stability; Colloids and surfaces. A:
Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 96, 261-272, 1995
2. Rnningsen, H.P.; Sjblom, J.; Mingyuan, L.; Water-in-crude
oil emulsions from the Norwegian continental shelf. 11. Ageing
of the crude oils and its influence on the emulsion stability;
Colloids and surfaces. A: Physicochemical and Engineering
Aspects, 97, 119-128, 1995
Shake the bottle
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Time (min)
0
20
40
60
80
100
% separated water
Separation under
quiecent conditions
Shear
Fig. 1 The bottle test
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Pressure drop across choke valve (bar)
1
10
100
Vol. avg. droplet size (m)
Fig. 2 Droplet break-up in a choke valve.
0 5 10
Time (min)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Interfacial tension (dyn/cm)
AGEING:
Time is necessary for
surfactants to diffuse from
bulk to interface. Newly
created droplets will
coalesce faster than old
stabilised droplets.
Fig. 3 Oil/water interfacial tension as function of time or age of
droplet interface




1 10 100 1000
System pressure (bar)
0
20
40
60
80
100
% of water separated in 10 min.
Bottom hole sample
Wellhead sample
Separator 1
Separator 2
Stock
tank oil
Fig. 4 - Oil/water separation as a function of system pressure.






0 20 40 60 80 100
Water cut (%)
0
20
40
60
80
100
Water separated within 4 min (%)
GOR = O
P Sep. = 1 bara
P Sep. = 7 bara
100% sep.

6 P.E. GRAMME, B. DYBDAHL, . HOLT, J.D. FRIEDEMANN, B. RIISE SPE 56847
Fig. 5 - Oil/water separation as function of water cut and the
system pressure.









0 20 40 60 80 100
Water cut (%)
0
20
40
60
80
100
Water separated within 4 min (%)
P sep = 7 bara
GLR=0
GLR=15
GOR=150
100% sep.


Fig. 6 - Oil/water separation as function of gas/oil ratio at 7 bar
pressure.
P
C
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time (min)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
% Volume
GAS
OIL
WATER
DISPERSION
Fig. 7 - Laboratory scale batch separation test for characterization
of separation properties of crude oil. A high-pressure version is
also available.
Fig. 8 - High pressure gas/oil/water flow loop













0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Residence time, oil (min)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Water in oil from separator (%)
Rig
Field
North Sea
Crude A
Fig. 9 - Comparison between results from high-pressure
gas/oil/water experiments and field data. An inlet separator has
been simulated by experiments.







0 2 4 6 8 10
Time (min)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Fluid volume (ml)
Medium heavy oil
Fluid volume
Foam/gas interfase
Degassed fluid
Foam volume
Foam decay
Fig. 10 - Characterization of foaming. Foam decay behavior.















0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Sedimentation time (min)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Height (cm)
Sedimenting interface
Coalescing interface
Dense
packed
layer
No de-emulsifier
Fig. 11 - Batch behavior of a sedimenting oil/water system giving
information on sedimentation of droplets and emulsion layer
(dense packed layer).
SPE 56847 MTU - THE MULTI TEST UNIT FOR OPTIMIZING THE GAS/OIL/WATER SEPARATION PROCESS 7















0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Sedimentation time (min)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Height (cm)
Sedimenting interface
Coalescing interface
Dense
packed
layer













0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Sedimentation time (min)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Height (cm)
Sedimenting interface
Dense
packed
layer
Coalescing interface
No de-emulsifier With de-emulsifier
Fig. 12 - Effect of demulsifier on oil/water separation
Fig. 13 Simplified process scheme of the MTU, and its connection to process facilities
8 P.E. GRAMME, . HOLT, J.D. FRIEDEMANN; B. DYBDAHL SPE 56847
Fig. 14 Schematic process diagram of the MTU