OptimisationThree Phase Separators: A Mathematical Model Design

Multiphase separators are intrinsic to the recovery of crude oil. This work compares extant separator design models with a newly developed procedure to optimise existing models by minimising economic cost. The new method avoids the use of ‘fudge factors’ or undefined variables in the solution of the design. A comparison between results obtained from this model and four extant models is presented. The newly developed model gave results similar to models based on retention time theory without the need for undertaking a laboratory testing.