Advances in Produced Water De-Oiling Utilizing a Recently DevelopedTechnology Which Removes andRecovers Dispersed Oil in Produced Water 2 Microns and Larger

摘要

In upstream oil and gas operations, water is co-produced with the crude oil. On a global spectrum, it isestimated that 3 barrels of water is produced for every barrel of crude oil[1]. As the asset matures, the ratioof water produced vs. crude oil begins to increase. Treatment and disposal of produced water is becominga leading economic factor in the viability assessment of the asset.EARTH (Canada) Corporation have been developing and validating a technology, Total Oil Remediation andRecovery (TORR?) to remove and recover dispersed oil in water 2 microns and larger [2], [3], [4], [5]. Thetechnology is a combination of filtration, coalescence and gravity separation. Solutions for severalchallenging aspects of produced water properties have been developed and tested, through both field trialsand laboratory experimental simulations. Results obtained have been measured with an advanced videoimaging particle size-distribution apparatus that measures samples on line and in real time. The resultsshow that the technology has been successful in polishing produced water to oil-in-water concentrations ofless than 10 mg/L. The theory behind the technology will be explained and laboratory and field results willbe presented to support the technology's claims.