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in-depth

OIL AND WATER

SEPARATION
AT ITS BEST
Looking for faster and more ecient separation of produced water from crude oil as
well as increased production? Vessel Internal Electrostatic Coalescers (VIEC) have
proved to be the solution for a range of major oil companies worldwide.
T E X T: K ATJA A L A JA P H OTO S : W RTS I L , S H U T T E R STO C K

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THERE ARE SEPARATORS

AT EVERY OIL AND GAS
PRODUCTION FACILITY.

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he main purpose of any oil and gas production facility is to separate the oil, water and gas produced into their original phases.
This is achieved by a stepwise reduction in pressure down to
atmospheric pressure, flashing off the gas and then dehydrating the crude oil to meet its export specification of less than
0.5% water in oil.
Conventional gravity-based production separators allow the
water to settle at the bottom of the vessel while the oil flows on
top of the water phase. A dedicated electrostatic coalescer vessel is normally
installed downstream of the production separators to remove the last water
fractions.
On the other hand, gravity-based separators only remove the free water and
have a limited effect on water emulsified into the oil phase. Emulsion layers
in the separators are difficult to monitor and hence difficult to control, which
causes carryover of excess water into the oil outlet. Also, traditional electrostatic
coalescer vessels are equipped with uninsulated high voltage electrodes which
cannot be exposed to gas and the more than 10-15% water remaining in the oil.
A game changer was introduced by the development of an electrostatic device
with insulated electrodes, making it possible to handle 100% water as well as
any gas present. This allows such devices to be installed into upstream production separators.
We have successfully delivered and installed Vessel Internal Electrostatic
Coalescers (VIEC) into more than 30 test and production separators treating
crude oils ranging from API 1250, with an equal split between retrofits and newbuilds and covering most of the major national and international oil companies,
says Trond Bynes, Director of Separation Technology at Wrtsil.
CHALLENGES BEYOND EASY OIL

Beyond easy oil refers to the fact that most of the oil that is easy to extract has
already been produced. Existing fields are maturing and experiencing more
water coming out of the reservoirs with less oil, exceeding the design basis
for the production equipment in use. Reservoir pressures are dropping, which
leads to the installation of pumps and once again causes problems with stable
emulsions in the separation process. Future oilfield developments will be more
challenging as 50% of the worlds remaining oil reserves can be characterized
as either heavy or extra-heavy oil.
Traditionally, heavy oils are separated by using huge separator vessels and
allowing extra long periods for the water to settle, as well as adding large quantities of chemicals and heating the crude oil to temperatures of up to 150C. Significant additional operational costs are inevitable.
Improving the efficiency of the separation process by means of VIEC technology can reduce fluid temperatures below 100C, allow the optimisation of separator vessel size and reduce the use of chemicals, says Bynes. This not only has
a positive effect on CAPEX (capital expenditure) and OPEX (operational expenditure), but also on levels of CO2 emissions.
FASTER AND BETTER SEPARATION

Coalescence of dispersed water in an oil-continuous phase can be greatly

enhanced by subjecting the emulsion to high-voltage electric fields. This phenomenon is called electrostatic coalescence. When an emulsion consisting

In a VIEC system
the electrodes usually form
a cross-section wall. Water
quickly settles to the bottom.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
FOR QATAR PETROLEUM
Qatar Petroleum were experiencing issues
with separation at their Dukhan Field,
especially during periods of low winter temperatures when increased fluid viscosity resulted in dense emulsions. Surface tension
forces and particles attaching themselves
to the water-oil interface made these emulsions appear to be extremely stable.
We carried out an oil study which
involved characterizations of the crude oil
and a separation study involving screening
of both the chemicals currently being used
and alternatives, says Trond Bynes. This
revealed that the current choice of chemical should be changed and that a significant
improvement in separation performance
could be achieved by installing a VIEC
system.
Qatar Petroleum decided to install a VIEC
System with the key objective of reducing
basic sediment and water (BS&W) levels
in the production separator from approximately 5% to below 2%.
The VIEC system was installed and commissioned by Wrtsil in January 2012. The
whole project was executed in less than a
week.
Performance tests were carried out by
a third-party laboratory hired by Qatar Petroleum to verify and confirm the systems
enhanced performance following installation of the VIEC solution. Testing took place
over a two-week period.
According to Bynes, the results reported
by the third-party laboratory were excellent. The BS&W levels measured were less
than 0.2% throughout the test period, well
below the target level of 2%. Salt content
in the crude oil was also reduced by up to
90%.

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of a polar liquid dispersed in a non-conductive liquid is

subjected to electric fields, several physical phenomena
cause the droplets to merge. In a VIEC system, two primary
effects can be identified. Firstly, an electrical dipole attraction causes droplets to coalesce. Secondly, the electric fields
distort and weaken the film, i.e. the surfactant components
surrounding the water droplets.
Separation efficiency can usually be influenced by
increasing gravity forces, density difference and the diameter of the water droplets or by reducing viscosity. Droplet growth caused by the electric fields therefore leads to a
substantial growth in the settling velocity of the dispersed
droplets and enhances separation efficiency. As the surfactant components prevent coalescence, proper chemical
treatment such as a demulsifier is also needed.
A VIEC system typically consists of 150200 electrodes
- depending on the size of the separator - forming a crosssectional wall within the separator which allows the fluid
to pass the electrodes and be exposed to the electrical
field, says Bynes. Following electrostatic treatment, water
quickly settles to the bottom of the separator and is piped
to the water treatment system, while the crude oil flows
across to the oil section.
Originally developed by ABB Corporate Research Center
in Norway in 1998-2001, VIEC technology is covered by
worldwide patents.
INSTALLATION TAKES LESS THAN A WEEK

Production separators are the heart of any oil and gas production facility, offshore or onshore, all the way from the
tough conditions in the North Sea to the hot deserts of the
Middle East. Any shutdown of these separators will almost
immediately hit oil companies revenue streams.
Installing VIEC technology has to be planned carefully.
The equipment must be a correct fit at the first attempt
and the installation process must be performed quickly to
reduce downtime.
The whole installation also has to be performed through
a manhole just 18-24 inches wide. As well as being designed
to pass through the manhole, the component parts have to
be bolted together inside the separator unit.
To secure safe and on-time installation, Wrtsil performs a full-scale test installation prior to equipment delivery, says Bynes. While installing a VIEC system inside a
separator takes just a few days, additional time is required
for depressurizing and cleaning prior to installation, and
pressurizing and recommissioning after the installation is
complete.

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CRUDE OIL GOES TO THE LABORATORY

To deliver the correct VIEC solution for each
customer, Wrtsil analyzes and characterizes
the crude oil that it will be handling. Crude oils
are very complicated liquids and are all very
different by nature, says Trond Bynes.
Customers send a 20100 litre sample of
crude to the Wrtsil laboratory in Norway.
Wrtsil has already analyzed more than
80 different crude oils from all of the worlds
primary crude-oil producing zones. In addition
to a library of real crude-oil samples, this has
allowed Wrtsil to build up a unique database
of knowledge.
Characterization of the crude oil includes
determining its dielectric properties, viscosity,
density, surface/interface characterization,
asphaltene stability and emulsion stability, as
well as inorganic/organic solid quantification
and residual water quantification.
Following the characterization process,
a range of separation tests is performed to
verify the effect of a VIEC in combination
with different chemicals. Separation testing
focuses on retention time in the electrical field,
chemical screening, turbulence, shear, recirculation patterns, flow entrainment of small
droplets and other dynamic effects.
As well as verifying the use of electrostatic
technology to treat the crude oil, this testing also provides data for oilfield owners and
operators which allows them to optimize and
remove bottlenecks from the overall separation process. This can result in smaller separator vessels, reduced processing temperatures
and reduced dosing with chemicals.