Why separator performance issues persist and how operators can address them whilst avoiding shutdowns

Posted by Nurhazirah MY

May 20, 2026 9:00:00 AM

Separator performance remains one of the most persistent challenges in onshore gas and midstream processing. Even well-designed systems can drift away from optimal operation over time, allowing liquids or solids to carry over into the gas stream. When this happens, the consequences extend far beyond the separator itself.


Downstream equipment becomes exposed to fouling and corrosion, throughput is constrained, and maintenance teams are forced into reactive mode. For operators, this often translates into lost production, rising operating costs, and unplanned downtime that can take weeks or months to fully resolve.
What makes separator underperformance particularly costly is not just the issue itself, but the time it takes to understand why it is happening.

 

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Topics: Separator, separator study, separator performance, increased separator efficiencies

Optimising oil and gas production with advanced scanning and tracer technology

Posted by Nicola Porter

Mar 10, 2025 10:40:42 AM

In the high-stakes world of oil and gas production, every second counts. A minor disruption in operations can have a domino effect, leading to significant financial losses.

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Topics: neutron backscatter, Gamma Scanning, tracers, Tru-Scan, gamma ray inspection, oil production, PhaseFinder, separator study, oil in water, water production, oil residence time test, increase production rates, optimising oil and gas production, gas undercutting, oil processing, gas processing, separator systems, liquid carry-over, hydrocarbon separation train

Optimizing Separator Performance

Posted by Margaret Bletsch

Mar 14, 2019 9:03:02 PM

Tracerco technology provides our customers a "look" inside their process in real time.

A Tracerco Diagnostics™ Separator study complements other diagnostic tools and techniques available to production engineers. The technology is non-intrusive with preliminary results generated on-site. This allows a rapid understanding of fluid flow and mechanical integrity within a hydrocarbon separation train by essentially making the process transparent. This approach significantly eliminates guess work when trying to resolve process issues and allows accurate process data to be gathered providing information so that engineering decisions on process improvement or repair can be quickly made and implemented. If deemed necessary, immediate changes to a system can be made with further measurements to assess if improvements have resulted.

Read more and watch a short animated video to learn how Tracerco's tracer and scan investigations can help optimize separator performance.

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Topics: Upstream, Separator, Damage to vessel internals, separator study, oil in water, Blockages in perforated plates, Flow distribution

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