Advances in Compact Flotation Units

for the Treatment of Produced Water

Produced Water & Environmental
Mike Bhatnagar Conference - Aberdeen
Sr. Product Manager
June 5-6, 2013
Cameron is a leading provider of branded flow equipment products,
systems and services to worldwide oil, gas and process industries.

TST-CFUTM

Process & Compression Systems

Custom Process Systems
2
Custom Process Systems - Portfolio
OIL GAS WATER SOLIDS

• Free Water Knockout • Cynara® CO2 Produced Water Seawater • MOZLEY™ Wellhead
• PureMEG™ MEG Desander
• TS WKO™ Compact
Reclamation • UNICEL®Vertical Skim • METROL® SeaCell®
Free Water Knockout • MOZLEY™
• Shell / Paques Vessel
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• THIOPAQ®
Heater Treaters • PORT-TEST • NATCO® Cross-Flow • METROL SeaScreen • MOZLEY™
WhirlyScrub I™, V™ Scrubber & SeaScreen Max Microspin
• Multi Phase
• PORT-TEST • VORTOIL® Deoiling
Separators • Media Filters
Revolution® Cyclones • MOZLEY™
• PORT-TEST • CONSEPT DC™ • WEMCO® ISF® Hydrotrans™
• Vacuum Deaerators
Revolution® • CONSEPT IVD™ • WEMCO®Depurator®
• MOZLEY™
• CONSEPT ICD® • CONSEPT SI™ • UNICEL® IGF • Gas Strip Deaerators
Fluidizer™
• CONSEPT Spinlet™ • NATCO® Versaflo™
• NATCO® Dual • PETRECO® • Polymem UF
• CONSEPT ACI™ • MOZLEY™
Frequency® • NATCO® CHF® Heater Hydromation® Nutshell Deltaclone™
• NATCO® Sulphate
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• NATCO® Desi-Dri® Nutshell • MOZLEY™
Polarity®
• NATCO® SHV™ • PETRECO® Softeners • CDX™ Compact Sandcleaning
• PETRECO® Bilectric® Flare/Combuster • NATCO® Skim Pile Deaeration
• PETRECO® MeterCell • NATCO® Water Bath • NATCO® DOX®
Heaters • TS CFU™ Compact
• CES™ Compact Flotation
• NATCO® Glymine
Coalescer
• Amine Treating
• Bilectric HF™ • Glycol Dehydration
• Mechanical
Refrigeration
• NATCO® Jewel T®
TS Technology acquired by Cameron Custom Process Systems
1990 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2007 2010

TEST MPE
ConSepT
CYNARA Axsia
Membranes

Mozley NATCO
Acquired by
ESI Cameron

PORTA-TEST

BHPS
acquires Sequal Holdings Custom Process
purchases Baker
BFCC BHPS Hughes Process
Systems
acquires Systems from
WEMCO Baker Hughes Petreco Baker Hughes
Oil & Process
Systems creating Petreco
Gas with
Metrol (BHPS) International Petreco
Petreco Petreco
formed from
International
International
Baker Hughes BHPS BHPS International
Baker acquires acquired by
Industries & acquires acquires acquires
Hughes WEMCO with Unicel Cameron Cameron
Vortoil Krebs KCC
Industries Metrol acquires
Process TS
Technology

1990 1993 1995 1996 1997 1998 2001 2002 2004 2010 2011

Custom Process Systems

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exceed the defined gray box.

Produced Water Treatment Trends

Next Generation Compact Flotation - TST CFU
Field Trials – North Sea
Field Test Results
Summary of other Field Test Results and Full Scale Installations
Conclusions and Future Work
5 Custom Process Systems
 Produced Water Trends – Onshore Applications

• Globally produced water associated with the oil & gas production
is between three and seven times than the oil production and it
continues to increase over the lifespan of the well.

• Onshore produced water is usually treated and re-injected into

underground formations, or treated and discharged under
permits issued by regional agencies.

• Cameron’s WEMCO Depurator Flotation Systems and the

Petreco Hydromation Nut Shell Filters are well established in
these applications.

6 Custom Process Systems

 Compression Compression Gas Export
Typical Onshore
Gas Treatment
Separation PFD and Conditioning Knock
out Gas
Bulk Phase Drum Treatment /
Dehydration
Separation
HP Electrostatic
Solids Separation Production LP Production Electrostatic Crude
System Separator Separator Dehydrator
Conditioning
Wellhead
Choke
Crude
Export
Water

Wellhead
Desanders

HYDROMATION
Pressure Nutshell Filter Cartridge Filter
reducing WEMCO WEMCO Adsorption
CPI Flotation

From
Wellhead

Pressure
reducing
Produced
Produced Water Water for re-
SandClean System Treatment injection
Skimmings
Separation
Sand
Disposal
WEMCO ® Depurator ®

Cylindrical
Design

Conventional
Box Design

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Petreco® Hydromation® Nut Shell Filters

9 Custom Process Systems

 Produced Water Trends – Offshore Applications

• Most offshore produced water is treated and discharged to the

ocean as permitted by the regional agencies.

• In the past, many offshore operators have adopted a trend

toward the use of de-oiling hydrocyclones followed by
conventional flotation, degasser or conventional compact
flotation to treat produced water prior to overboard discharge.

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 Compression Compression Gas Export
Typical Offshore
Separation PFD Gas Treatment
and Conditioning Knock
Gas
out
Drum Treatment /
Bulk Phase Dehydration
Separation
Solids Separation HP Production LP Production
Separator Electrostatic
System Separator Dehydrator Crude
Export
Wellhead
Choke
Electrostatic
Crude
Conditioning
Wellhead
Desanders
Conventional Produced Water
Flotation /
Pressure Desanding Degasser/ CFU Treatment
reducing Hydrocyclone Deoiler
Cartridge Filter
Adsorption

Delta
Clone
Pressure Deoiler Produced
Reducing Water for re-
Oil injection
Recycle
SandClean System
Skimmings
Separation
Sand
Disposal Water Produced
Recycle Water for
Disposal
Vortoil ® Deoiling Hydrocyclone

Value Engineered
over 20+ years

Inserted Sandwiched Original Modified Super Offset

Offset Manufactured
12 Offset
Unicel ® Vertical Flotation

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 Offshore Production Trends, continued…
• Oilfield operating companies continue moving to ever-increasing water
depths to produce oil and gas reserves. The high cost of constructing
floating platforms, is driving the need to reduce the size and weight of
topsides processing equipment on these platforms.

• The challenges for the operators are increasing and the need for high
performance, compact and more cost effective technologies exists that
can handle the high water cuts.

• This has lead to the development of the next generation TST-CFUTM, that
has multiple stages in a single vessel making it capable of handling
higher inlet OIW concentrations.

• The TST-CFUTM offers better performance than that achieved by a

combination of multiple technologies like Hydrocyclones, Conventional
Flotation or Compact Flotation units, considerably reducing the need for
foot print and weight.
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Produced Water Treatment Trends

Next Generation Compact Flotation - TST CFU
Field Trials – North Sea
Field Test Results
Summary of other Field Test Results and Full Scale Installations
Conclusions and Future Work
15 Custom Process Systems
Next Generation Compact Flotation – TST CFUTM
• The TST-CFUTM uses gas flotation and
additional hydraulic forces to separate
and remove hydrocarbons, aromatic
compounds, hydrophobic substances
and fine solid particles from produced
water.
• The TST-CFU is available as a single
stage vessel or as a single vessel with
multiple internal stages offering a
compact solution specially designed to
handle higher inlet oil concentrations,
over 1,000mg/l.
• It requires a smaller foot print, has a
reduced weight than competitive
technologies.
• The technology is world wide patent
pending.

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 TST CFU – Compact Flotation Technology

• The Technology uses both

induced, and dissolved gas
Induced gas flotation flotation to remove
Orifice /Valve/Mixer
hydrocarbons.
Water • Special internals for mixing
of gas and oil have been
Direction of flow developed to achieve easy
separation of this mixture
Gas
from the water.
Dissolved gas flotation • The water can be treated
Pressure P1
Orifice /Valve
Pressure P2 P1 > P2 through several stages within
Gassaturated water at pressure P1 one vessel. It s available in
configurations up to 4
Direction of flow stages.
• The numbers of stages
depend on the inlet fluid
conditions.
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TST CFU Basic (Single stage vessel)
• The TST-CFUTM design consists of special
internals that include a static mixture, a
riser pipe, distribution arms and guide
1st stage
vanes.
with • Improved produced water circulation and
overlapping
guide vanes re-mixing is crucial to the design of TST-
CFUTM system to enhance the oil
separation efficiency and reduce the
Inlet retention time down to 20 seconds per
nozzle
stage.
Clean • Key parameters like downward fluid
water
without velocity, gas bubble size, fluid circulation,
bubbles internal flow paths, gas bubble re-mixing as
below the
vanes well as cell residence time, gas induction
rates, skimming rates, and their effects on
process hydrodynamics have been taken
into consideration when designing this next
generation compact flotation technology.
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TST CFU – Gas bubble distributuion and re-mixing

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TST CFUTM MS3 (Three stage vessel)
• CFD analysis was used to improve the
efficiency of the internal guide vanes by
retaining more of the swirling oil water
mixture and providing an upward flow
pattern to the rising gas bubbles
attached to the oil.
Stage 1 • The proper distribution of gas bubbles

over the entire cross-sectional area of

the vessel, the re-mixing of the gas
Stage 2
bubbles, the size of the bubbles induced
into the produced water are all critical to
promote good oil separation
Stage 3
• Much shorter retention times of around
20 seconD/S per stage has resulted in a
more compact vertical pressure vessel
PW inlet and smaller reject volumes.
• The result is an enhanced CFU design
Treated water with multiple stages in a single vessel as
Outlet compared to the single stage design of
the conventional vertical IGFs and
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conventional Compact Flotation Units.
TST CFUTM MS3 (Gas inlet and oil reject lines)

Reject stage 1 Gas recycle

Stage 1

Gas Inlet
Stage 2

Reject stage 2

Reject stage 3 Treated Water outlet

Produced Water Inlet

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exceed the defined gray box.

Produced Water Treatment Trends

Next Generation Compact Flotation - TST CFU
Field Trials – North Sea
Field Test Results
Summary of other Field Test Results and Full Scale Installations
Conclusions and Future Work
22 Custom Process Systems
Field Trials – North Sea
Existing System:
• 1st stage separator
• 2nd stage separator
• Flocculation tank
• 1st stage hydrocyclones
• 2nd stage hydrocyclones
• Degassing tank
• Single stage existing
compact flotation unit

Tie-in points :
• Downstream of the
degasser
• Downstream of the 1st
stage hydrocyclones
• Downstream of the 2nd
stage hydrocyclones
• Downstream of the 1st
stage separator
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TST-CFUTM Test Skid

• The TST-CFU test-skid

consisted of two compact
flotation units, the CFU A
and CFU B with different
internal designs.

• The test allowed CFU A

and CFU B to be operated
individually, in series or in
parallel.

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Inlet Oil/ water Specifications
Oil API 30.0
Oil Density (150 C) [kg/l] 0.8759

PW Temperature[°C] 70
PW pH 7.1-7.2

OIW levels in PW from existing treatment system

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Test Procedures
• Tests at different tie-in points
• Flow rate (Typical 50; 100; 150% of design)
• Gas rate injection variation
• Tests performed with and without flocculants
• Testing with the normal variation of incoming water
• Measure OIW & Oil droplet size

Testing instruments
• OIW field instrument calibrated with the existing plant’s
permit monitoring instrument
• Malvern Mastersizer Oil droplet size and particle size
monitoring
• Malvern Zeta-sizer used when oil droplet surface charge
was problematic (especially for condensate water)
Custom Process Systems
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exceed the defined gray box.

Produced Water Treatment Trends

Next Generation Compact Flotation - TST CFU
Field Trials – North Sea
Field Test Results
Summary of other Field Test Results and Full Scale Installations
Conclusions and Future Work
27 Custom Process Systems
North Sea Test Results - Tie in Points

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 Single Stage TST-CFU - D/S of the degasser
60
• The incoming OIW was
around 20 mg/l with a
50
few peaks of up to 50
mg/l.
40
• Initially no gas was
injected into the TST-
mg/l OIW

30
CFUs, but when gas
20 was added to the unit,
the effluent OIW
10 6
concentration stabilized
4 5 3 4 5 3 4 3 4 3 at around 2-3 mg/l.
2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2
0 • No additional
Inlet Outlet flocculants were used
during this test.
• The effluent from the
existing CFU was
around 7.8 mg/l.

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Oil droplet size changes over the TST-CFU – D/S of the degasser

• The median (d0.5) oil

droplet size changed
from 3 to 2 μm from inlet
to outlet of the TST-CFU.
• The measured
concentration D/S the
TST-CFU was very low.
• The size distribution data
and the low OIW
concentration from this
location both indicate
excellent treatability.
• The TST-CFU removes
very small diameter oil
droplets.
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Single Stage TST-CFU - D/S of 1st stage hydrocyclones

• The OIW results

show that the OIW
was reduced from
~45 mg/l to 5 mg/l
over one stage.
• The lowest OIW
concentration out of
the TST-CFU
without flocculants
was 3.5 mg/l and
with flocculants was
2.5 mg/l.
• The median oil
droplet size was
reduced from 3.1 to
1.8μm over the TST-
CFU.

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Single Stage TST-CFU –D/S of 2nd stage hydrocyclones

• The test was

performed using
a single stage
CFU B.
• Flocculants
improved the
OIW
performance
from ~ 4 mg/l to
~2 mg/l in the
effluent.

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 3 Stage TST-CFU – D/S of the 1st stage Separator

• The inlet oil in water

50 concentrations were
45 between 850 and 1000
Inlet OIW values between 850 and 1,000 mg/l mg/l.
40
• The oil in the water
35 from the 1st stage
separator contained
30
small oil droplet size
mg/l OIW

25 with 50% of the oil

20 droplets < 5.7 μm.
• The first stage of the
15
11 12 11 10
TST-CFU removed
9 8 9 8 8 8 9 9 9 8 > 95 % and moved the
10 7 7 7
5 d0.5 to 2.5 μm.
5
• The second and third
0 stage of the TST-CFU
remove a further 60%
and reduce the d0.5 to
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 TST-CFU – North Sea Field test Summary
Tie-in Points Inlet OIW (mg/l) OIW (mg/l) OIW OIW OIW
OIW Outlet 1st Outlet 2nd Removal % Removal % Removal %
stage stage 1st Stage 2nd Stage Total
D/S Degasser ~20 ~2 90 90
D/S 1st Stage >1000 50 20 95 60 98
Separator
D/S 1st Stage HC 50 3.5 93 93
D/S 2nd Stage HC 20 2 90 90

• D/S of the degassing vessel – Single stage TST-CFU treated the water from an inlet
OIW concentration of 20 mg/l down to 2 mg/l, (90 % reduction). The existing CFU had an
outlet OIW concentration of ~7.8 mg/l, (61% OIW reduction).
• D/S of the 1st stage separator - A two stage TST CFU reduced the OIW to 20 mg/l.
With subsequent treatment over a three stage TST-CFU, the effluent OIW concentration
was reduced to 8-11 mg/l., the same level as four separate existing produced water
technologies- flocculant vessel, hydrocyclones, degasser and existing CFU
• D/S of the 1st stage hydrocyclones - A single stage TST-CFU treated the water to an
OIW concentration below that achieved by using the existing degasser and the existing
CFU. With subsequent treatment over a second stage TST-CFU, the effluent OIW
concentration was further reduced by 1-2 mg/l.
• D/S of the 2nd stage hydrocyclones - A single stage TST-CFU treated the water to a
concentration down to 2 mg/l OIW, and a treatment efficiency of 90% OIW, much better
than the level reached by using the existing
34
degasser and the existingCustom
CFU. Process Systems
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exceed the defined gray box.

Produced Water Treatment Trends

Next Generation Compact Flotation - TST CFU
Field Trials – North Sea
Field Test Results
Summary of other Field Test Results and Full Scale Installations
Conclusions and Future Work
35 Custom Process Systems
TST-CFUTM Configurations and Applications

TST CFU 3 or 4 stages

TST CFU 2 stages

TST CFU 1 stage

Custom Process Systems

 Pilot test results – GOM D/S of Separator
340
Inlet
320
Stage 4
300

280

260

240

220

200

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
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 3 stage CFU – South Sea China
• Outlet from Separator- 100 to 180 ppm
• Outlet from existing HC - 80 ppm
• Outlet from existing Degasser vessel - 50 ppm

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3 stage CFU D/S of inlet separator – South Sea China

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3 stage CFU D/S of inlet separator – South Sea China

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Full Scale Unit Startup 3 stage CFU – South Sea China
550
530 Inlet
510
Stage 3
490
470
450
430
410
390
370
350
330
310
290
270
250
230
210
190
170
150
130
110
90
70
50
30
10
-10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
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3 stage CFU – China

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Pilot test - 4 stage CFU – China
320 Inlet
300
Stage 4
280
260
240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0

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Full scale unit Startup 4 stage CFU – China
550
Inlet CFU B
500
Stage 4 Outlet of CFU B
450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
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Pilot test TST- WKO Water Knock Out - China
• Inlet to WKO – 100,000 mg/l
• Outlet from WKO - 500 mg/l
• Outlet from CFU – <20 mg/l

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WKO/ CFU Test Units – China

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 Full Scale Startup of WKO - China
1000
950
900
850 Inlet OIW values between 80,000 and 100,000 mg/l
800
750
700
650
600
550
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

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exceed the defined gray box.

Produced Water Treatment Trends

Next Generation Compact Flotation - TST CFU
Field Trials – North Sea
Field Test Results
Summary of other Field Test Results and Full Scale Installations
Conclusions and Future Work
48 Custom Process Systems
Parameters impacting performance
Oil droplet size
Important parameter for efficiency
Oil slugs
Minor effect on performance. Free oil is
easy to separate.
Gas bubble size
Smaller bubbles will give bigger
surface and better contact between oil
droplets and gas bubbles.
Salinity
Affects gas bubble size.
Temperature
No effect on performance, tested from
250C to 950C
Pressure
No effect, tested from 0.5 to 20 bar
49 Custom process Systems
Other parameters impacting performance

Dissolved gas in the feed

Positive effect on gas flotation

Flocculants
Improved performance with use of flocculants

Shearing across valves

Shearing across upstream valves can create small oil
droplets and should be avoided

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CONCLUSIONS
Multiple separation stages within one single vessel
Can handle OIW inlet concentrations over 1,000 mg/l
No need for several vessels in series
Less space required and easier adaptation into existing installation
More flexible design

Multiple internal feed distribution instead of an external tangential inlet

Better fluid distribution and internal re-mixing
Higher probability of contact between gas bubbles and oil droplets
Not impacted by scaling up of vessels

The technology is world wide patent pending

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 CONCLUSIONS

• Better performance than traditional IGFs and conventional CFU’s

90 to 98% efficiency

• Less equipment as it can replace multiple technologies

Lower weight
Smaller footprint

• Less dependent on chemicals than the first generation CFUs

Lower OPEX

• Simple skid design

Compact single vessel option

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FUTURE WORK

• Thus far the next generation TST-CFUTM

compact flotation technology has been
installed at several platforms performing
satisfactorily.

• Other operating companies in the GoM

and other deepwater locations are also
testing the TST-CFUTM.

• As feedbacks from existing and new field

installations are received, additional
enhancements will be made to the TST-
CFUTM design.

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Custom Process Systems