Sand Cleaning – Mechanisms of Mechanical Scrubbing (B-FSM-140)
The cleaning system we will detail in this module is designed around mechanical scrubbing. It is a compact package specifically targeting offshore oil & gas facilities.
Mechanical scrubbing to remove adsorbed oil from sand particles takes place through three concurrent mechanisms.
Shear – High velocity water interacting with particles to physically shear oil from the sand particle
Abrasion – Impact of the oil coated sand with the cleaning equipment (i.e. pipe wall, valve components, pump parts, and cyclone internals).
Attrition – High concentration of sand particles in a slurry interacting with each other, where the interaction physically scrubs oil from the surface of the sand particles
References:
- Rawlins, C.H. and Wang, I. 2001. “Design and Installation of a Sand-Separation and -Handling System for a Gulf of Mexico Oil Production Facility”. SPE Production and Facilities, August, pp. 134-140. https://doi.org/10.2118/72999-PA
- Rawlins, C.H. 2019. “Enhanced Production Through Surface Facilities Sand Management.” SPE Distinguished Lecturer presentation. Link here
Next week I will continue discussion on cyclonic sand cleaning system design.
