Matheus Martinez Garcia

Background

I’m a Brazilian PhD candidate. I’ve obtained my Bachelor (2013-2018) and Master (2018) degrees in Mechanical Engineering at UNICAMP, both in numerical simulations (CFD) of multiphase flows. Currently, I’m working on the development of a controlled swirl-flow separator via an experimental approach.

Research

Optimized Controlled Inline Fluid Separation
Petroleum is hardly found pure in nature. Its extraction usually involves large amounts of other components, such as water, gas or solid particles. Currently, around 4 barrels of water are extracted from the wells for each barrel of oil. The oil must be separated from the water to be sent to the refineries, and this is currently achieved by bulky (and extremely expensive) gravitational separators.

Cyclones are compact alternatives to separate the phases. However, the high shear stress caused in the oil droplets by the swirling flow inside the element cause their breakup, and may lead to emulsions; conditions that certainly impact the efficiency of the device. A control system is required to adjust the flow conditions inside the separator depending on the upstream conditions to avoid, or at least minimize, such effects.

My project is to develop the control algorithm that maximizes the efficiency of an inline swirl separator. To achieve such a goal it is necessary (i) an understanding of the hydrodynamics of the process, and (ii) image the distribution of phases inside the equipment. This will be achieved together with the other (3) students involved in the project. More info about the project can be found in the TOMOCON.eu website.