New Separation Technology for Heavy Oil Applications

Marit Storvik, FMC Technologies

Rune Fantoft, FMC CDS Separation Technologies

Content
Separation technology market trends and need for new
technology
Separation methods the solutions
Subsea Separation Heavy oil, the next step

Summary

An Innovative Approach to Separation

Today

Gas Scrubbers

Gas Treatment

Axial Cyclones
Vane Packs,
Mesh Pad

High-Level
Conventional

Oil Treatment
Plate packs and other mechanical internals

Primary Separation

Tomorrow

Inline / Ultra-compact
separation solutions

Process Design/CFD
Inlet Cyclones
Vane Inlet Device
Plate packs
Distribution baffles
Inline G/L Separation
Inline De-Sander
Inline Bulk Liquid/Liquid

New advanced
separation methods

Water Treatment
Hydrocyclones
Water de-sanding

Subsea Separation

Technology Trends in Separation Market

Green Field Developments

S
U
B
S
E
A

S
O
L
U
T
I
O
N

New constructions

Deepwater gas-liquid separation for boosting

T
O
P
S
I
D
E
S

Gas-liquid separation for routing to different

infrastructure
Heavy oil separation and boosting
Water separation to export quality
Future: dehydration, cold flow, CO2/H2S
removal

Retrofit applications

Water separation for re-injection (including

heavy oil and sand handling)
Gas scrubbing for gas compression.

Compactness to reduce platform size and

weight
Capabilities to handle more challenging fluids
(e.g. heavy oils, CO2/H2S)
Strict requirements for discharge to
environment (produced water treatment)

Retrofit applications

Capacity increase of installed hardware

Decrease system inlet pressure
Need to handle increasing water loads
Handle increasing sand concentrations

Future: Water separation for discharge to sea

Separation Technologies

Inline primary separation

Solids handling technologies.
Advanced vessel internals for primary separation.
Advanced electrostatic coalescer technology (or
equivalent).

High efficient water treatment technology.

Removal of dissolved hydrocarbons from produced
water
Compact technology for gas dehydration / H2S/CO2
removal.

Focus areas development of new separation

technology for heavy oil applications
High G-force separation

Electrostatic coalescence

Gravity separation in pipe segments

Sand handling at difficult conditions

Water treatment at difficult conditions

High G-force Separation

CDS StatoilHydro Inline Separation Technology

De-liquidizer

Phase Splitter

De-gasser

De-sander

Bulk de-oiler

Bulk de-waterer

Developments - Inline Technology Portfolio

Product

Status

Development plans

De-gasser

Qualified and Field Proven Technology

3 commercial applications

Qualification for heavy oil applications foreseen. No specific plan

Qualification for applications / end-clients planned

De-liquidizer /
Phase Splitter

Qualified and Field Proven Technology

19 commercial applications

Qualification for applications / end-clients planned.

De-sander

Qualified technology
Experience from StatoilHydro pilot
installation expected short term.
3 commercial installations to be set in
operation during 2009.

Qualification for applications / end-clients planned

Product improvement and qualifications planned in R&D program
2009
Qualification for heavy oil applications foreseen.

Bulk de-oiler

Ongoing development Prototype

exists. 2 unit extensively tested. 5
unit testing and design improvements
ongoing.
Offshore test system being
manufactured for Petrobras.
Target commercial break-through 2009

Qualification of 6 unit with StatoilHydro ongoing

Qualification of complete product portfolio planned in R&D
program 2009

Inline
Electrostatic
Coelescer

Conceptual design developed.

Prototype conceptual design
established by end 2008

Qualification and commercialization of unit target End-2009 and

included in 2009 R&D program

De-waterer

First generation conceptual design

established. Design solution to be
defined during 2009

R&D activity to prove conceptual design planned 2009

De-gassing of Heavy Oil

Inline de-gassing field proven building
block for gas-liquid separation.
Heavy oil applications applicable,
separating small bubbles from liqud flows.

StatoilHydro CDS Bulk De-oiler

Performing oil-water separation
in compact cyclones compared
to large gravity separators.
Especially of interest for
difficult separation applications
where high retention time in
gravity separator requires large
vessels.
Concept qualified with field
installation being delivered to
prove concept.
Link to bulk de-oiler skid

Electrostatic Coalescence
Heavy oil applications with lower
water cut needs enhanced forces
for oil-water separation.
Further development of compact
electrostatic coalescers ongoing to
enable efficient heavy oil
separation processes.

Subsea Separation
Heavy oil one of the most focused current
challenges within subsea separation applications.

Gas-liquid separation and liquid pumping (ongoing)

Pump liquid to enable production from heavy oil reservoir.

Efficient separation to allow for single phase pumping.

First application: Pazflor Subsea Separation System.

Heavy oil water separation and re-injection (near-future)

Maturing fields experience substantial problems with water handling.

Subsea separation considered as efficient tool to eliminate.

Existing applications, light oil: Tordis SSBI.

Near future heavy oil applications expected.

Subsea sand handling expected to become a key challenge to heavy oil

subsea separation projects.

Importance of Separation Efficiency

Sand Handling
Quantitave sand production model;
- Sensitivites wrt. rate, water cut, type of sand, age of screens etc..

Design specification
Subsea equipment
design
Sand production rates
- cumulative
- accidental

Sand transport capacity

in production line and riser

Mechanisms when
particles/sand is injected

Mechanism that
determines sand
production

Reservoir injectivity
- required pressure
- maximum sand rate
- frecturing philosophy
- sand particle characteristics

Subsea Separation
Subsea Processing Projects
Customer

Field

Region

Trees

North Sea

Statoil

Tordis

Shell

Perdido

GoM

Shell

BC-10

Petrobras

Cascade

Total

Pazflor

Project Drivers

Project
Award

Increasing Water Production

2005

17

Low Reservoir Pressures / Heavy Oil

2006

Brazil

10

Low Reservoir Pressures / Heavy Oil

2007

GoM

Low Reservoir Pressures / Heavy Oil

2007

W. Africa

49

Hydrate Formation Risk

2008

LIQUID
GAS

Caisson separators

Production
MUD-LINE

MULI-STAGE
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP

14

Pazflor
3 G/L separation station as part of Green Field development

The Pazflor Subsea Separation Project

First Seabed Gas-Liquid Gravity

Separation system

Enabling Technology for oil

production
Enabling Technology for hydrate
strategy using simplified field
architecture

Challenges:

Special made separator internals

design to meet special conditions
Passive sand handling solution
sand transported to topside

Heavy oil - shut down

Emulsions
Slugs
Sand
Pump requirement

TOTAL, Angola (W. Africa)

Delivery 2011
Size: 21 x 21 x 19 meters

Video

Subsea Water Separation

Typical drivers:

Decreasing pressure
Increased water cut
Heavy oil applications
Water injection pressure support

Typical challenges:

Heavy oil separation efficiency

Water quality
Sand handling
Water depth
Monitoring

PipeSeparator

Inline System

Summary

Heavy oil is one of the most focused current challenges within subsea
separation applications

New developments for separation technology needed for both topside and
subsea applications

Focus areas for new deveopments are

High G-force separation

Electrostatic Coalescence

Gravity separation in pipe segments

Sand handling at difficult conditions

Water treatment at difficult conditions

Heavy oil subsea separation projects already being installed in Brazil and
GOM no extreme requirements

Pazflor the next step for subsea gas-liquid separation of heavy oil

Future challenges: heavy oil water separation and water reinjection

THANK YOU!