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Publisher Summary This chapter explains how various components are combined into a production system. The material is in no way meant to be all-inclusive. Many things must be considered in selecting components for a system, and there is no substitute for experience and good engineering judgment. A process flow sheet is used to describe the system. There are numerous figures that are typical of a flow sheet that will be used as examples for discussion purposes. Another name for a process flow sheet is a process flow diagram (PFD). Regardless of what it is called, either a flow sheet or a diagram, the information contained on it is the same. There are figures that define many of the commonly used symbols in process flow sheets. The study discusses the controlling process through operation of a control valve. Control valves are used throughout the process to control pressure, level, temperature, or flow. This section focuses primarily on the functions of this equipment; all control valves have a variable opening or orifice. With pressure control the study discusses that the hydrocarbon fluid produced from a well is made up of many components ranging from methane, the lightest and most gaseous hydrocarbon, to some very heavy and complex hydrocarbon compounds. Because of this, whenever there is a drop in fluid pressure, gas is liberated. Therefore, pressure control is important.

Publisher Summary The purpose of this chapter is to present the engineer with a procedure for selecting the appropriate type of equipment for treating oil from produced water and to provide the theoretical equations and empirical rules necessary to size the equipment. When this design procedure is followed, the engineer will be able to develop a process flow sheet, determine equipment sizes, and evaluate vendor proposals for any wastewater treating system once the discharge quality, the produced water flow rate, the oil specific gravity, the water specific gravity, and drainage requirements are determined. When hydrocarbons (crude oil, condensate, and natural gas) are produced, the well stream typically contains water produced in association with these hydrocarbons. The produced water is usually brine, brackish, or salty in quality but in rare situations may be nearly “fresh” in quality. The water must be separated from the hydrocarbons and disposed of in a manner that does not violate established environmental regulations. Typically, the produced water is separated from the hydrocarbons by passing the well stream through process equipment such as three-phase separators, heater-treaters, and/or a free-water knockout vessel. These gravity separation devices do not achieve a full 100% separation of the hydrocarbons from the produced water. Furthermore, the study briefly explains offshore operations and onshore operations, characteristics of produced water, scale removal, and many other concepts.

The first part of this chapter describes oil-field emulsions and their characteristics, treating oil-field emulsions to obtain pipeline quality oil, and the equipment used in conditioning oil-field emulsions. The second part of this chapter provides a brief description of oil desalting systems, the importance of mixing, and the equipment used in oil desalting systems. The purpose of this chapter is to present a rational alternative for those instances when laboratory data do not exist or, if it is desirable, to extrapolate field experience. It further discusses emulsion that is a stable mixture of oil and water that does not separate by gravity alone. A stable or “tight” emulsion occurs when the water droplets will not settle out of the oil phase due to their small size and surface tension. Stable emulsions always require some form of treatment. The vast majority of oil treating systems deal with normal emulsions, which is the focus of this chapter. For an emulsion to exist there must be two mutually immiscible liquids, an emulsifying agent (stabilizer), and sufficient agitation to disperse the discontinuous phase into the continuous phase. Along with this, the study describes the methods and equipment commonly used to desalt crude oil.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews basic principles involved in stabilization, the various process schemes used to stabilize a liquid hydrocarbon stream, and the equipment used in the stabilization process. In almost all cases the molecules have a higher value as liquid than as a gas. Crude oil streams typically contain a low percentage of intermediate components. Thus, it is not normally economically attractive to consider other alternatives to multistage separation to stabilize the crude. In addition, the requirement to treat the oil at high temperature is more important than stabilizing the liquid and may require the flashing of both intermediate and heavy components to the gas stream. Gas condensate, on the other hand, may contain a relatively high percentage of intermediate components. Thus, some sort of condensate stabilization should be considered for each gas well production facility. The most common method used to remove the light components from hydrocarbon liquids before the liquid enters a stock tank or a pipeline is stage separation. In addition, separation followed by weathering in a stock tank is the simplest method of stabilization, but it is often the most efficient method. A stabilizer can achieve a stable specification product with a higher liquid recovery, but this usually results in higher capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX). The addition of a stabilizer requires additional space, which is normally not a factor for onshore applications but may be a major consideration for an offshore installation.

This chapter discusses two-phase gas–liquid separators, their design, structure, and operation. In oil and gas separator, the liquid and gas components that exist at a specific temperature and pressure are separated from a hydrocarbon stream. Proper separator design is important because a separation vessel is normally the initial processing vessel in any facility, and improper design of this process component can hamper and reduce the capacity of the entire facility. A separator is a pressure vessel designed to divide a combined liquid–gas system into individual components that are relatively free of each other for subsequent disposition or processing. Functional sections of a gas–liquid separator utilize gravity settling, velocity separation by centrifugal force or impingement, and filtration. Additional methods of separation are sometimes required after primary separation, such as thermal, electrostatic precipitation, adhesive separation, and adsorption. Separators are designed and manufactured in horizontal, vertical, spherical, and a variety of other configurations. Each configuration has specific advantages and limitations. The chapter further discusses equipments known as mist extractors or mist eliminators, which are designed to remove the liquid droplets and solid particles from the gas stream. Next, the chapter explores the potential operating problems such as foamy crude, paraffin, sand, liquid carryover, gas blowby, and liquid slugs. Separator design and various constraints are discussed in detail.

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights the basic principles in basic oil field chemistry. Before describing the equipment used in the process and design techniques for sizing and specifying that equipment, it is necessary to review some basic principles and fluid properties. This chapter also discusses some of the common calculation procedures, conversions, and operations used to describe the fluids encountered in the process. The study discusses hydrocarbon nomenclature; hydrocarbons are covalent compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Atoms combine in a number of ways to satisfy the valence requirements. Hydrocarbons are separated into “families” of homologous series. Carbon atoms link together to form chains and/or ring structures. Natural gas and crude oil consist primarily of “straight chain” hydrocarbon molecules. Most of the hydrocarbons of concern fall in the paraffin series. In addition, elements, compounds, and mixtures are explained. Matter is anything that possesses mass and occupies space. Elements in a free or uncombined state make up only a fraction of matter. Most matter exists as compounds or mixtures of compounds. A compound is a more complex form of matter made up of chemically combined elements. A mixture consists of two or more elements or compounds that are mixed physically but still maintain their chemical identity. Mixtures can always be separated into their component parts.

This chapter discusses the requirements of good separation design and how various mechanical devices take advantage of the physical forces in the produced stream to achieve good separation Separators are sometimes called “gas scrubbers” when the ratio of gas rate to liquid rate is very high. A “slug catcher,” commonly used in gas gathering pipelines, is a special case of a two-phase gas–liquid separator that is designed to handle large gas capacities and liquid slugs. Some operators use the term “traps” to designate separators that handle flow directly from wells. In any case, they all have the same configuration and are sized in accordance with the same procedure. Separators are classified as “two-phase” if they separate gas from the total liquid stream and “three-phase” if they also separate the liquid stream into its crude oil and water components. Separators are designed and manufactured in horizontal, vertical, spherical, and a variety of other configurations. Each configuration has specific advantages and limitations. Selection is based on obtaining the desired results at the lowest “life-cycle” cost. Many types of separators, such as horizontal, vertical, centrifugal, and venturi, are discussed in this chapter.

This paper gives an overview of the Jini architecture, which provides a federated infrastructure for dynamic services in a network. Services may be large or small. Services are defined by one or more Java language interfaces or classes. These types define a contract with the clients of the service.

The Jini architecture presents a new opportunity for network designs: Network services are real objects, not remotely accessible objects. Sometimes we call this Objects in the network instead of objects on the network. This opens new questions in network service designs, such as how to design a service interface that allows the most network implementation strategies, or how one recovers from partial failures, or handles non-global time. This talk will deploy some questions of interest, discuss some answers or possible insights, and lay out some areas for future discussion and research. This paper presumes a basic knowledge of the Jini architects.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

This chapter highlights the connection of simple I/O (input/output) devices to a microcontroller and how it is mapped into the processor's memory or I/O address space using a bus. For embedded processors, I/O capabilities are among the most important factors to consider when selecting a central processing unit (CPU). Typical microcontroller integrated circuits (ICs) have on-chip bi-directional parallel ports, serial ports, and timer/counter devices. Many also have specialized VO for driving LCDs, analog-to-digital converters, pulsewidth- modulated (PWM) digital-to-analog outputs, complex pulse trains of programmable width, and timers for period and frequency measurement, etc. Some devices also incorporate special serial interfaces, intended for inter-chip connections. The processors I/O pins may often be connected directly to simple devices, such as key switches and LEDs. In some cases an interface circuit may be required to convert the processor I/O voltage and current levels to those appropriate for the I/O device.

A serial interface might activate an interrupt to indicate that a character has been received and it is available to be processed. In the case of a typical embedded application, event driven programs are used when it is necessary to respond to an external event within a fixed time period. When a hardware interrupt request is enabled and activated, the central processing unit (CPU) saves its current program counter and performs an interrupt cycle in place of the usual program fetch cycle. The interrupt cycle typically consists of the interrupt source identification and the transfer of the interrupt vector information. A software interrupt is a special subroutine call. It is synchronous meaning that it always occurs at the same time and place in the program that is interrupted. A hardware interrupt can be thought of as hardware induced subroutine call. The purpose of the interrupt processing sequence is to allow the processor to temporarily stop an executing program when an external event occurs, call the appropriate interrupt service routine to process the event, and then return to the interrupted program where it left off. Interrupts provide a very efficient means for the processing of events that occur at unpredictable times with a minimum of delay.

User programmable logic devices (PLDs) are a family of devices that are all manufactured in the same way, and can be customized using a special programming process much like an EPROM. An EPROM can be used to implement arbitrary logic functions by using the address lines as inputs and data lines as outputs. There is a wide range of devices available, from fuse-linked two-level combinatorial logic and EPROM registered logic arrays, to arrays of logic blocks programmed with SRAM memory in each block. These devices span a range of complexity from one hundred to more than ten thousand usable gates. Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are a cross between gate arrays and PLDs. They have an array of logic with user programmable interconnections. FPGAs are generally used where the desired logic function is too large to fit in a sum-of-products device, and the volume is too low to justify the use of a gate array or custom logic. The most common types of programmable logic are two level (AND-OR) logic chips implementing a sum-of-products logic function on each output. The pattern used to program the device is referred to as a fuse map because the original chips used fuse linked memory and the map represents the pattern of blown fuses.

This chapter examines how the central processing unit (CPU) reads data from and writes data to memory. The CPU is an integral part of a microcomputer. The processor controls the data transfers on the bus on a cycle-by-cycle basis, fetching instructions, reading and writing operand data. The data bus, driven by the CPU during write cycles and by other devices during read cycles, transfers instructions and data in and out of the CPU. The width of the data bus, among other things, determines the amount of data that can be transferred on the bus. The control bus, normally driven by the CPU, determines what type of cycle is to take place and when the data will be present on the bus. In order to describe the address decoding of memory and I/O clearly an address map (also referred to as a memory map) table is used to specify which devices respond to a particular range of addresses in a given address space.

Many designs fail due to the lack of a worst-case analysis of the design. When timing or loading problems show up in a design, they usually appear as intermittent failures or as sensitivity to power supply fluctuations, temperature changes, and so on. A worst-case design takes into account all available information regarding the components to be used with respect to variations in performance. Even when all parameters are at their most adverse values, the worst-case design can still be proved to meet the specifications. These variants may be due to changing manufacturing conditions, temperature, voltage, and other variables. The purpose of timing analysis is to determine the sequence of events in each of the bus cycles so that we can delimit, among other things, the time available for each of the components to respond to changes. Another important part of worst-case design is a realistic model of the signal loading for each of the circuit's outputs. If insufficient drive is available, buffer circuits must be added or the number of loads must be reduced to guarantee correct operation. Finally transmission line effects are briefly described.

This chapter discusses the fundamentals required for the development of microcontroller. Several different skills are required for successful embedded hardware design. There is an incredible diversity of applications for embedded processors. Most people are aware of the highly visible applications, but there are many less apparent uses. Selecting a particular processor for a given application is usually a function of the designer's familiarity with a particular architecture. While there are many variations in the details and specific features, there are two general categories of devices: microprocessors and microcontrollers. Structured design of a microcomputer requires the ability to do the system design and partitioning from the top down while implementing the system from the bottom up. Software design is also frequently done in parallel with hardware design, and sometimes even before the hardware design. This is frequently a result of the fact that the cost and time required to develop the software exceeds that of the hardware development.

This chapter takes a detailed look at the design and analysis of a simple microcontroller project. It illustrates the interactive nature of the design process. The preliminary design is analyzed for limitations and violations of the timing requirements for the various chips. Then modifications and additions to the design are made to improve the performance based on the analysis. The modified design is then verified for conformance to the various component specifications. The process of designing an embedded microcomputer system is mostly independent of the particular central processing unit (CPU) that is used. Once the preliminary timing analysis is complete, the next step is to evaluate the noise margin as well as the DC and AC loading for the design. The results of this will determine if any of the signals are incompatible or overloaded, requiring changes to the circuit design or component selection.

Small improvements in the design of a memory bit multiplied by the large number of bits on a chip can make a big difference in chip cost and performance. This chapter categorizes and describes the wide variety of storage concepts and technology that are central to the design of microcontrollers. Memory management is also very important. There are two kinds of memory management: memory address relocation and memory performance enhancement. They are often used in conjunction, as is commonly done in personal computers. The differences between different storage technologies, in terms of performance and cost, vary over many orders of magnitude. Disparity in price and performance has lead to the idea of using small, fast memories to store the most frequently accessed subset of the complete collection of data present in a larger, slower memory. Some CPUs generate signals for memory timing and synchronization with devices having various access times using a technique that generates delay cycles for slow memories, referred to as wait states. These extended memory cycles allow the processor to work with slower memory and peripheral chips.

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights the basic concepts of a microcontroller. A computer system can be broken down into multiple levels or layers to show the translation of a specific instruction into a form that can be directly processed by the computer hardware. Language translators such as compilers and assemblers translate high-level code into machine code that can be executed by the processor. In a dedicated embedded computer, however, the programs are stored permanently in ROM where they will always be available. Microcontroller chips that are used in dedicated applications generally use ROM for program storage and RAM for data storage. Memory technology is crucial to the design and understanding of embedded computers. Regardless of the type of processor, certain address modes are usually available in one form or another. This chapter also describes some of the generic address mechanisms and instruction encoding formats.

This chapter discusses the practical design issues that must be considered in an embedded design. Embedded controllers can be constructed using any one of several techniques, but the most common method is a printed circuit board (PCB).In designing the layout, or interconnecting pattern of the PCB, there are many conflicting requirements that must be addressed to make a reliable, cost-effective and producible device. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues have become much more significant now that there are a large number of electronic devices which unintentionally radiate electromagnetic energy in the same frequency ranges used for communication, navigation, and instrumentation. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is an important design consideration in embedded applications because of the potential for failure and erroneous operation in the presence of external electric fields. There are several other characteristics that the embedded system designer should become at least somewhat familiar with. These include the thermal characteristics of a system and the concept of thermal resistance, power dissipation, and the effects on device temperature and reliability. Another issue of importance in portable, hand held, and remotely located systems is the application of battery power storage.

Publisher Summary Many types of embedded computer applications must deal with information that is not inherently digital by nature. Real world signals, such as temperature and pressure, are inherently analog signals. Analog signals are continuously variable in amplitude and must be converted to discrete digital approximations for use in digital processors. Many embedded systems require the use of a few specialized I/O (input/output) devices, and the limited pin count of a microcontroller chip can make it difficult to interface all the desired I/O. In some applications, static RAM (SRAM) is too expensive for data storage. A low cost alternative is to use dynamic RAM (DRAM) and handle the address multiplexing and refresh under software control. A common use for DRAM is in low cost digital voice recording, such as that used in some digital answering machines and toys. A microcontroller could be used in conjunction with a DRAM to record and play back voice. The chapter concludes with a brief description of the general approach used to record and playback speech in a digital answering machine.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several factors that are considered to determine the most desirable methods of treating crude oil to contract requirements. The chapter describes the emulsion treating theory. For an emulsion to exist there must be two mutually immiscible liquids, an emulsifying agent, and sufficient agitation to disperse the discontinuous phase into the continuous phase. In oil production, oil and water are the two mutually immiscible liquids. An emulsifying agent in the form of small solid particles, paraffins, and asphaltenes, is almost always present in the formation fluids, and sufficient agitation always occurs as fluid makes its way into the well bore, up the tubing, and through the surface choke. The difficulty of separating the emulsified water from the oil depends on the “stability” of the emulsion. In the process of gravity separation most oil-treating equipment rely on gravity to separate water droplets from the oil continuous phase, because water droplets are heavier than the volume of oil they displace.

This chapter discusses the concepts, theory, and sizing equations for the separation of two immiscible liquid phases—crude oil and produced water. The separator design concepts that have been presented in the book are related to the two-phase separation of liquid and gas and are applicable to the separation of gas that takes place in three-phase separators, gas scrubbers, and any other device in which gas is separated from a liquid phase. The basic design aspects of three-phase separation are identical to a two-phase separation. The concepts and equations pertaining to a two-phase separation are equally valid for a three-phase separation. In three-phase separation the more concern is placed on liquid–liquid settling rates; and that some means of removing the free water must be added. Liquid–liquid settling rates are also discussed in the chapter. Water removal is a function of the control methods used to maintain separation and removal from the oil. Several control methods are applicable to three-phase separators. The shape and diameter of the vessel determine the types of control used.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the concepts involved in choosing a line size and determining the wall thickness of the pipe. When choosing a line size it is necessary to consider both pressure drop and velocity of flow. The line needs to be large enough so that the pressure available will drive the fluid through the line. The chapter introduces the basic concept of erosional flow, and discusses velocity and pressure drop criteria used to determine the required inside diameter for liquid, gas, and two-phase flow piping. It discusses criteria for selecting the wall thickness required so that a pipe of a given diameter is capable of containing a specified pressure; and describes the pressure rating classes used for fittings and valves to withstand a specified pressure. The chapter also includes some examples of calculations used for choosing a line size and wall thickness.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the practical aspects of centrifugal pump selection. The information provided in the chapter helps to familiarize the project engineer with the major options and choices available to him if he has to analyze vendor proposals on simple jobs, or communicate effectively with mechanical engineers on more complex installations. In designing multiple centrifugal pump installations it is necessary to keep in mind the interaction between the pump curves and the system curve. That is, throughput cannot be doubled by adding an identical pump in parallel, and the head is not doubled by adding an identical pump in series. In comparing similar centrifugal pumps it is often useful to use a parameter called specific speed. For similar designs major pump dimensions are proportional to specific speed. Specific speed is used by pump designers to help determine the required impeller geometry. Centrifugal pumps are separated into genetic types according to their physical construction, number of impellers, or the standard under which they are constructed.

This chapter discusses the steps involved in organizing a project. The beginning of a project occurs at the time objectives or goals are established. This normally includes a brief understanding of the nature and extent of the work, a tentative schedule, and possibly a target cost. The conceptual study is the first step of any project. It investigates one or more means of accomplishing the objective. An economic and technical assessment and comparison of the various methods or schemes is made. The owner compares various alternatives by using discounted cash flow analysis. The analysis includes estimations of the timing and amounts of all projected capital and operating expenditures and related revenues. The next phase in project management for the scheme selected in the conceptual study is to define the project. The tools used to define the project are process flow sheets, layout drawings, preliminary cost estimates, and project execution plans.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the procedure that is employed for selecting the appropriate type of equipment for treating oil from produced water. The chapter provides theoretical equations and empirical rules necessary to size the equipment. The function of water-treating equipment is to cause the oil droplets that exist in the water continuous phase to separate from the water phase so they can then be removed. In gravity separation units, the difference in specific gravity causes the oil to float to the surface of the water. The oil droplets are subjected to continuous dispersion and coalescence during the trip up the wellbore through the surface chokes, flowlines, control valves, and the process equipment. When energy is put into the system at a high rate the drops are dispersed to smaller sizes. When the energy input rate is low, small droplets collide and join together in the process of coalescence. The process of coalescence in water treating systems is more time dependent than the process of dispersion. In dispersions of two immiscible liquids, immediate coalescence seldom occurs when two droplets collide. The process of flotation improves the separation of the oil droplets from the water continuous phase. The flotation process will decrease vessel retention time, thereby decreasing the separating vessel size required to allow a specified droplet size to float to the surface or decreasing the size of oil droplet that can be captured by a separation vessel of specified size.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes some basic fluid properties. Specific gravity of a liquid is the ratio of the density of the liquid at 60˚F to the density of pure water. This property of a fluid indicates its resistance to flow. It is a dynamic property, in that it can be measured only when the fluid is in motion. Viscosity, therefore, is simply the ratio at any shear rate of the shear stress to the shear rate. There are two expressions of viscosity: absolute viscosity and kinematic viscosity. The chapter also discusses some of the common calculation procedures, conversions, and operations used to describe the fluids encountered in the process. The amount of hydrocarbon fluid that exists in the gaseous phase or in the liquid phase at any point in the process is determined by a flash calculation. Once a flash calculation is made and the molecular composition of the liquid and gas components has been determined, it is possible to determine the properties and flow rates of both the gas and the liquid streams.

Publisher Summary A production facility separates the well stream into three components, typically called “phases”—oil, gas, and water, and process these phases into some marketable product(s) or dispose of them in an environmentally acceptable manner. In mechanical devices called “separators” gas is flashed from the liquids and “free water” is separated from the oil. These steps remove enough light hydrocarbons to produce a stable crude oil with the volatility to meet sales criteria. Typical separators are used to separate gas from liquid or water from oil. Separators can be either horizontal or vertical in configuration. The gas that is separated must be compressed and treated for sales. Compression is typically done by engine-driven reciprocating compressors. In large facilities or in booster service, turbine-driven centrifugal compressors are used. Large integral reciprocating compressors are also used. It is very difficult to classify production facilities by type, because they differ due to production rates, fluid properties, sale and disposal requirements, location, and operator preference. Some more or less typical onshore facilities are also presented in the chapter as figures. The chapter also summarizes the main functions of a production facility.

This chapter introduces the basic principles for determining pressure drops in piping. The chapter discusses the flow equations for liquid flow, compressible flow, and two-phase flow, and also discusses the steps involved in calculating pressure drop in valves and fittings when using the various flow equations. The chapter also includes some example calculations for determining the pressure drop in various types of pipes. The Reynolds number is a dimensionless parameter that relates the ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces. Flow regimes describe the nature of fluid flow. There are two basic flow regimes for flow of a single-phase fluid: laminar flow and turbulent flow. Laminar flow is characterized by little mixing of the flowing fluid and a parabolic velocity profile. Turbulent flow involves complete mixing of the fluid and a more uniform velocity profile. Darcy's Equation states that the friction head loss between two points in a completely filled, circular cross-section pipe is proportional to the velocity head and the length of pipe, and is inversely proportional to the pipe diameter.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a brief overview of pumps that are used in production facilities to move liquid from a low pressure or low elevation location to one of a higher pressure or elevation. It discusses the classification of pump types, basic principles for selecting pumps, and concepts for pump type selection. Pumps are classified as either “kinetic” or “positive displacement” pumps. In a kinetic pump, energy is added continuously to increase the fluid's velocity within the pump to values in excess of those that exist in the discharge pipe. In a positive displacement pump the volume containing the liquid is decreased until the resulting liquid pressure is equal to the pressure in the discharge system. Centrifugal pumps are classified as either radial flow or axial flow. Flow enters the center of the rotating wheel and is propelled radially to the outside by centrifugal force. In reciprocating pumps, energy is added to the fluid intermittently by moving one or more boundaries linearly with a piston, plunger, or diaphragm in one or more fluid-containing volumes.

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with two-phase separators. Separators are classified as “two-phase” if they separate gas from the total liquid stream and “three-phase” if they also separate the liquid stream into its crude oil and water components. The chapter discusses the requirements of a good separation design and the way in which various mechanical devices take advantage of the physical forces in the produced stream to achieve good separation. In an oil and gas separator design, the liquid and gas components that exist at a specific temperature and pressure mechanically separate from a hydrocarbon stream. A proper separator design is important, because a separation vessel is normally the initial processing vessel in any facility, and an improper design of this process component can “bottleneck” and reduce the capacity of the entire facility. Separators are designed in either horizontal, vertical, or spherical configurations. The chapter discusses the factors that must be determined before deciding on a separator design.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a brief overview of reciprocating pumps. These pumps operate independently of the system curve. Thus, two identical reciprocating pumps in parallel will pump twice the flow of one pump. The chapter discusses the design concepts for minimizing vibrations caused by pulsating flow. It also discusses specifics about bearings, valve and packing selection, and some of the major provisions of the API standard for reciprocating pumps. The piping hookup details are also provided. It is absolutely imperative that the suction piping be sized to assure that the NPSH available exceeds the NPSH required by the pump. The suction and discharge piping should be short with the minimum number of elbows and fittings. The chapter presents several suggested maximum flow velocities for sizing suction and discharge piping for reciprocating pumps.