Oil and gas separators should be installed at a safe distance from other lease equipment. Where they are installed on offshore platforms or in close proximity to other equipment, precautions should be taken to prevent injury to personnel and damage to surrounding equipment in case the separator or its controls or accessories fail. The following safety features are recommended for most oil and gas separators.
Baca juga :
Perjalanan Sang Dhevils Mechani (bagian 3)
Opra Gas Turbin Geneartor Di Indonesia
Kehidupan di Offshore Platform
High- and low-liquid-level controls
High- and low liquid-level controls normally are float-operated pilots that actuate a valve on the inlet to the separator, open a bypass around the separator, sound a warning alarm, or perform some other pertinent function to prevent damage that might result from high or low liquid levels in the separator.
High- and low-pressure controls
High- and low pressure controls are installed on separators to prevent excessively high or low pressures from interfering with normal operations. These high- and low-pressure controls can be mechanical, pneumatic, or electric and can sound a warning, actuate a shut-in valve, open a bypass, or perform other pertinent functions to protect personnel, the separator, and surrounding equipment.
High- and low-temperature controls
Temperature controls may be installed on separators to shut in the unit, to open or to close a bypass to a heater, or to sound a warning should the temperature in the separator become too high or too low. Such temperature controls are not normally used on separators, but they may be appropriate in special cases. According to Francis (1951), low-temperature controls in separators is another tools used by gas producers which finds its application in the high-pressure gas fields, usually referred to as "vapour-phase" reservoirs. Low temperatures obtainable from the expansion of these high-pressure gas streams are utilized to a profitable advantage. A more efficient recovery of the hydrocarbon condensate and a greater degree of dehydration of the gas as compared to the conventional heater and separator installation is a major advantage of low-temperature controls in oil and gas separators.[1]
Safety relief valves
A spring-loaded safety relief valve is usually installed on all oil and gas separators. These valves normally are set at the design pressure of the vessel. Safety relief valves serve primarily as a warning, and in most instances are too small to handle the full rated fluid capacity of the separator. Full-capacity safety relief valves can be used and are particularly recommended when no safety head (rupture disk) is used on the separator.
Safety heads or rupture disks
A safety head or rupture disk is a device containing a thin metal membrane that is designed to rupture when the pressure in the separator exceeds a predetermined value. This is usually from 1 1/4 to 1% times the design pressure of the separator vessel. The safety head disk is usually selected so that it will not rupture until the safety relief valve has opened and is incapable of preventing excessive pressure buildup in the separator.
Alarm Unit
Not only is it related to the safety installed on the oil and gas separator, but alarm equipment is also installed if an undesirable process anomaly occurs, such as
LSH, which is to notify you if a low liquid level occurs in the separator.
HSH where this alarm is installed if a high level of liquid occurs in the separator and
PSH, where excessive pressure occurs according to the operating parameters permitted before the safety device works.
That was a brief story about safety devices on oil and gas separators. Hopefully it can be useful and increase our insight into the world of oil and gas in Indonesia. If you have questions or experiences related to separator maintenance or operating a separator, please write in the comments column so that your experience can be useful for those who need it and become a field of charity for your knowledge.