Patent ID: 8220551

Claim:
A water separation system for use in well operations, the water separator comprising: a subsea production tree having a vertical passage with at least one laterally extending production branch, the tree having a mandrel on its upper end; a subsea separation device having a hollow toroidal body and a central mounting ring connected to the body by a central framework, the ring sliding over and being coupled to the mandrel such that the tree supports the entire weight of the subsea separation device, the toroidal body having an inlet for admitting production fluid, a less dense outlet for discharging less dense fluid, and a more dense outlet for discharging more dense fluid the less dense, outlet and the more dense outlet being located 180 degrees from the inlet relative to an axis of the mounting ring; the toroidal body having a first separator passage leading from the inlet to the less dense outlet and the more dense outlet in a clockwise direction relative to the axis; the toroidal body having a second separator passage leading from the inlet to the less dense outlet and the more dense outlet in a counterclockwise direction relative to the axis; at least one separation unit mounted in each of the separator passages, wherein the production fluid entering the inlet simultaneously flows from the inlet into both of the separator passages and through the at least one separation unit in each of the separator passages; and the at least one laterally extending production branch leads from the vertical passage to the separation device for admitting the production fluid.