Photo (Statfjord A): Statoil, Oyvind Hagen

Produced Water

Separation Systems

Produced Water
Produced water handling is a key challenge at most production facilities. It can be a crucial factor limiting the production of oil and gas. If the discharge requirements are not met, there may be a significant environmental and economic impact. Furthermore, produced water can take up valuable space in the oil transport lines, reducing the amount of oil that can be produced and transported.

Produced Water Solutions

The produced water solutions include all technologies required to separate water from the well-stream and to deliver clean water that can either be discharged to sea or re-injected back to the reservoir:
      

Separator vessel internals InLine separation Sand handling Hydrocyclones Compact Floatation Units Chemical treatment technologies Absorption technologies

Water re-injection may be needed for reservoir pressure maintenance, in order to maintain or increase production  Excessive oil or sand concentrations in reinjected water may lead to well damage  Environmental regulations and fines are imposed if the permitted oil concentration in water discharged overboard is exceeded


FMCs Separation Systems

Innovative separation solutions for oil and gas production  Proven technology with successful operational experience  Only company with proven InLine separation track record  Subsea experience from the industrys most challenging projects


The need to handle produced water efficiently

Oil cannot be produced without the capability to handle produced water  Oil which has not been separated from produced water equals oil not produced


Oil PPM Bulk Separation Sand Handling Water Treatment

Separator Internals & InLine Separation

Sand Jetting System InLine DeSander

InLine HydroCyclone

Bulk Separation
Separation Internals
Our high performance internals maximize the capacity and increase the efficiency of a separator vessel to make it perform at its best. Troubleshooting and debottlenecking of separation processes by use of these internals increase the throughput and efficiency of existing production trains. New built vessels can be reduced in size compared to conventional separators. The results are performance improvement, problem-free operation, reduction in capital and operational expenditure, and increase in profits. We have provided solutions for more than 1400 separators world-wide.
Separation Internals Portfolio Inlet devices CDS Inlet Cyclone Evenflow HE

Gravity separation

CDS Drained Meshpad Agglomerator Distribution Baffles Plate Pack Coalescers Sand Jetting System

Sand Removal Demisting devices

Mesh Pad Demister Vane Pack CDS Spiraflow CDS Gasunie Cyclone Scrubber

InLine Technology Portfolio

InLine Technology
Gas-liquid

We have developed a line of highly efficient compact separation equipment based on cyclonic and electrostatic technologies that covers all aspects of primary separation. Together they allow operators to achieve complete phase separation by using pipe segments. The equipment can be combined to suit all conditions and separation requirements.

InLine DeGasser InLine DeLiquidiser InLine DeMister InLine PhaseSplitter InLine DeWaterer InLine ElectroCoalescer Inline HydroCyclone InLine DeSander InLine Controls

Liquid-liquid

Solids Controls

down to <1 ppm oil in water Chemical Treatment CFU Polishing

Sorbfloc

Sorbsep

SorbPol

Application Examples Bulk Separation

Sand Handling
Our sand handling technologies can be applied in various locations through the process plant and are in some cases key components of the produced water treatment systems. Both technologies have undergone successful qualification programs for topside as well as subsea applications: Sand jetting and removal technology is an efficient way of removing solids from production separators: Combines sand fluidization and sand transportation  Robust system free of clogging  Operates with minimum water


Retrofit the existing separator. Install an InLine DeLiquidiser upstream. Our solution increased oil production capacity by 10per cent.

InLine DeSander allows for highly-efficient separation of small solid particles, as well as bulk separation of coarse solid particles.
Size comparison, gravity vs. cyclonic liquid-liquid separation Conventional gravity separator

Can be used for multiphase, water and gas streams  Protects of process equipment against erosion  Prepares produced water to re-injection criteria


InLine DeWaterer

The InLine DeSander is the first of its kind in the world to be installed subsea, at the Petrobras Marlim Subsea Separation System.

The InLine DeWaterer allows for more compact new build systems and can also easily be retrofitted in existing facilities to increase the water handling capacity.

Compact three phase separation system based on use of InLine technology InLine HP PhaseSplitter Cyclonic L/L Separator Slug Catcher Gravity Separator InLine LP Phase Splitter

By combining InLine and vessel separation solutions we achieve a compact integrated system with all features of a three phase separation train.

InLine DeSander

InLine HydroCylone

The InLine HydroCyclone is a solution for produced water applications based on a unique axial flow design:
     

The worlds first subsea application of an InLine HydroCyclone, will be at the Petrobras Marlim field.

Outlet OiW concentration

High separation efficiency Low pressure-drop Low differential pressure-drop ratio Erosion resistant Resistant to clogging Suitable for installation in existing hydrocyclone vessels.

Fixed inlet OiW

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A successful performance optimization project that was completed in 2009, delivered a significant performance enhancement compared to conventional hydrocyclone technology offered in the market. This resulted in a novel design that can be fitted into standard vessels as used by most operators.

Increased shear applied on oil droplets

Approximately 50% outlet OiW concentration reduction compared to previous designs. Performance was improved at all droplet sizes and under all inlet conditions.

Performance Optimization > Significant performance enhancement

Sand Tolerance Qualification Project

Erosion of produced water handling equipment is always an important issue. Cyclonic technology requires high velocities which could potentially lead to erosion by sand and failure of the produced water treatment system. When FMC Technologies started the qualification program of the water treatment system for the Marlim Subsea Separation System, special means were taken to ensure long term safe operation without risk of failure due to erosion. A successful qualification program was carried out to demonstrate sand handling tolerance and to ensure that this technology is fit for the purpose of this challenging application. The tests demonstrated that the water treatment system had excellent sand tolerance, and this technology is now being manufactured.

Erosion test: A view inside the InLine HydroCyclone liner after 2.5 years of simulated field wear reveals no impact of wear.

Marlim Subsea Separation System

The Petrobras Marlim Project is the worlds first system for deepwater subsea separation of heavy oil and water that includes water reinjection to boost production in a mature field development.

Marlim is the most complex subsea processing project carried out to date. The water is separated from the well-stream and re-injected back to the reservoir. This is the first application where the produced water is used for pressure maintenance of the reservoir as part of the subsea separation operation and it is also the first subsea heavy oil application. The system includes a PipeSeparator, separating the water from the well stream and a water treatment system using InLine HydroCyclones. The sand handling system includes a multiphase InLine

DeSander at the inlet of the separation system to protect the downstream equipment and avoid sand accumulation. It also contains a dual redundant Sand Jetting System in the outlet section of the PipeSeparator, and an InLine DeSander for removing the smallest particles in the water stream from the separator to protect the re-injection well and reservoir. The separated sand is taken with the oil to the topside facility. All the separation and sand handling equipment has been tested as part of the technology qualification program and was installed in Q4 2011.

Tordis Subsea Separation Boosting and Injection

Tordis is recognized as one of the most important breakthrough technology milestones for subsea in recent years.

FMC Technologies delivered a subsea separation boosting and injection system for the Tordis field in the North Sea in 2007. The system was installed to enhance oil recovery from the field and to enable increased production. The subsea processing system solved both water and sand handling capacity problems at the topside platform. The Tordis system combines water and sand separation with a re-injection system. The water and sand are separated from the well-stream in a patented semi-compact separator vessel, where the sand separates and accumulates at the bottom.

The vessel includes a sand removal system operated by high-pressure water from the water injection pump. The removed sand is conveyed in batches to a desander and sand accumulator vessel. The accumulated sand is pressurized and goes to the discharge side of the water injection pump to protect the pump from erosion. All the separated sand is injected with the water, avoiding sand handling requirements at the topside facility. The Tordis system was qualified through a Subsea Separation and Sand Handling System Qualification Program at FMCs facilities in The Netherlands.

Final Stage Water Treatment Technologies

Our water treatment solutions are based on in-house technologies as well as technology offered through a partnership with Sorbwater AS. Together, FMC Technologies and Sorbwater have a combined product portfolio that can solve any produced water challenge.

SorbFloc Green technology for clean water to even the most challenging applications
Produced water consists of very small droplets of oil that are difficult to separate. Consequently, many production processes suffer from unacceptably high oil content in the discharged water. Sorbfloc is a product made from alginate and seaweed. It is completely green, even used in food products. The chemical enables any particles to be collected and agglomerated such that the droplets and particles easily can be separated from the produced water. The Sorbfloc is added to the produced water upstream of an oil removal separator such as a Compact Floatation Unit, hydrocyclone or other water treatment equipment. The technology enables separation of submicron oil droplets and other particles from produced water.

Injecting Sorbfloc into the water stream brings the hydrocolloid chains in physical contact with oil droplets or suspended solids. Then, larger flocculates are formed that can be easily separated. Reaction time is just a few seconds.

Darkfield micrograph of oil droplets captured by Sorbfloc

ZERO

Discharge Solutions

SorbSep Second Generation Compact Floatation Unit

Compact Floatation Units (CFU) are highefficiency produced water treatment technologies well known for the capability to separate oil droplets from water, easy operability and high robustness. Sorbsep is a combined flotation cyclone, stripping and coalescing device utilizing all these effects to separate hydrocarbons from water. Unlike similar devices, Sorbsep is designed especially to capture the smallest droplets which normally avoid such separation. This is a new, but proven technology that has successfully been tested at several offshore fields that are known for their challenging chemical characteristics.

SorbSep installed on a platform

SorbPol Meeting requirements below 1 ppm oil in water

Some substances are extremely difficult to remove from water. When very strict oil-in-water content is required or when the water chemistry is extreme, a highly-efficient solution is required. SorbPol is a polishing reactor where hydrocarbons are absorbed on the surface of the SorbPol vessel such that all pollutants in the water phase are removed, meeting one hundred per cent zero-discharge requirements.

OFFSHORE
Innovation

GREEN

Water Technology

Photo (Gullfaks C): Statoil,Oyvind Hagen

Statoil qualification of the InLine DeWaterer

The InLine DeWaterer has been tested over several periods at Statoils advanced High Pressure, Live Hydrocarbon test loop in Porsgrunn, Norway and through offshore field testing at the Gullfaks platform in the North Sea. The results of these qualification tests demonstrated that Statoils performance requirements were met and even exceeded. FMC is continuously working with Statoil to develop this solution to meet their compact oil-water needs for various applications.

InLine DeWaterer

3-Phase compact separation skid Al Huwaisah (PDO)

 Compact remote produced water separation and reinjection skid  Increase oil production by reducing water in transport line to gathering station   Capacity 70,000 bbl/day of water   Water injection quality < 80 ppm oiw
 Integrated InLine System Shell PDO Al-Huwaisah, Oman Our skid replaced an installation in the desert of 135 T. and 12x20x10 m. (LxWxH). It weighs 24 T. and measures 5x6x10 meters.

InLine DeWaterer InLine DeGasser Booster pump

Test skids for produced water handling

Defining solutions for produced water handling challenges requires predictions of how certain technologies will perform on the installation. An indication of the suitability of a certain technology can be obtained from laboratory tests, but often it will be required to test at the actual field to verify the performance at real operating conditions. For that reason we provide test skids that can be connected to a slipstream of the produced water stream that needs to be treated. In this way we be obtain an accurate indication of the efficiency that our technical solution will have in the production plant which again ensures that the equipment will work successfully when it is finally installed. We have the following test skids available:
     

Three-phase separation test skid made for Petrobras

InLine three-phase separation

The Integrated InLine System for the Brazilian national oil company Petrobras is a skid for complete three phase oil, gas and water separation. The system consists of, a CDS Gasunie, InLine DeWaterer and improved InLine HydroCyclones. The system has been tested with very successful results in Brazil demonstrating the capability of both the individual separation components and the total system. It will be used further at various fields in operation in Brazil to identify how use of InLine technologies can increase effectiveness of the production process. Design conditions:
   

InLine DeWaterer InLine DeSander InLine HydroCyclone Sorbsep Compact Floatation Unit Sorbfloc Chemical Injection SorbPol Water Polishing Unit

Other Separation Systems Solutions

Production Improvements Compact Total Separation Systems Heavy Oil production Efficiency Improvement and Troubleshooting  Solids Handling
   

Heavy Oil (API 19) Liquid: Max. 6,000 bbl/day Gas: 5,000 Sm3/hr Outlet OiW < 200 ppm
The InLine- DeGasser, DeSander, PhaseSplitter, DeWaterer and DeLiquidiser are patented by Statoil and FMC has exclusive worldwide license to sell this technology.

 Copyright July 2011 | FMC Technologies

FMC Technologies 1777 Gears Road Houston TX 77067 USA Phone: +1 281 591 4000 www.fmctechnologies.com/separation

FMC Technologies Separation Systems Delta 101 6825 MN Arnhem The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0)26 7999100