GLR Solutions Ltd In Association with The Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada Presents :
“How a Micro-bubble Flotation
System Can Enhance Oil Separation and Recovery from Produced Water while Reducing Chemical and Filter Usage”
Table of Contents 1. Introductions 2. Company Background 3. Common Separation Technologies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
API/Gravity Separators Corrugated Plate Interceptors Induced Gas Floatation (IGF) Induced Static Floatation (ISF) Hydrocyclone Centrifuge
4. Gas Liquid Reactor/Micro-bubble Floatation 5. Conclusion/Questions 2
GLR Personnel •
Douglas Lee, President & CEO
•
Martyn Lutz, Vice President, Sales & Marketing
3
GLR Company Background •
Calgary Based Corporate Office and Manufacturing
•
GLR’s Products are Manufactured, Sold and Serviced in Alberta by GLR
•
Customers Include Producers and Oil Field Services Companies – –
Producers: Husky Energy, Encana Service Companies: Schlumberger, BJ Services
4
API/Gravity Separators • Usually a tank or series of tanks where oil collects on the water’s surface and can be skimmed off • Built according to the API 421 code, based on “Stoke’s Law” • Performance of these vessels varies greatly depending on parameters such as: – Retention time, tank internals, oil properties, physical conditions, and inlet stream characteristics – To alter the oil properties and improve performance chemicals are often used
5
API/Gravity Separators Pros – Simple Design, No moving parts, Relatively Inexpensive, Retrofit Capability, Added Surge Capacity, some solids removal
Cons – Ineffective with small oil droplets or emulsified oil, Require long retention time to achieve efficient separation
Costs – Capital Costs: $30,000$150,000 + – Operating Costs: Occasional shutdowns for Cleaning
6
Corrugated Plate Interceptor (CPI) • Corrugated plates are used to enhance the performance of gravity separation tanks • They amplify the difference in densities by providing longer path for the fluid to travel • The plates minimize the distance an oil droplet needs to travel to find another oil droplet • As the oil droplets collect they coalesce with other droplets and the larger droplets rise more rapidly to the water’s surface
7
Corrugated Plate Interceptor (CPI) Pros
– Reduces size of API/Gravity Separators, Relatively simple design and operation, No moving parts
Cons
– Limited to removal of oil of 50 microns droplets and larger, Higher removal efficiencies require abundant chemical usage – Copes poorly with surges in flow or heavy oils – High inlet solids loads can form blockages
Costs
– Capital Costs: $50,000-$180,000 + – Operating Costs: occasional shutdowns for cleaning of tank and media
8
Induced Gas Flotation (IGF) •
Gas is induced into the oil/water mixture using eductors, sparging tubes, or paddles
•
Gas is used to more rapidly float the oil out of the water
•
Bubbles are created through Mechanical Means
•
System performance is also dependant upon the size of the bubbles produced by the particular technology used
•
Various flow patterns are used inside IGF vessels to aid the separation process
• IGF bubbles are typically in the range of 200 microns in diameter
9
Induced Gas Flotation (IGF) Pros
– High oil removal efficiency – Can handle 50% change of production rate with little change in outlet ppm – Large range of inlet concentrations
Cons – – – –
Unable to remove oil droplets below 25 microns Requires a gas supply Extensive chemical treatments required to remove smaller droplets No retrofit capability
Costs
– Capital Costs: $60,000-$1,000,000 + – Operating Costs: At least one pump, but it depends on the system each can have various rotors which need motors, or simply one recirculation pump 10
Induced Static Flotation (ISF) •
Gas is induced into a recycled water stream and then into the produced water at the bottom of the vessel
•
Bubbles are created through Hydraulic Methods
•
The vessel is typically divided in to several cells and in each cell the gasified water is introduced
•
ISF Vessels often have the capability to run in a pressurized state
•
Gas bubbles adhere to oil droplets and help float them to the top of the water
•
The difference between an ISF and an IGF is method of bubble generation, bubble size & ability for pressurized operation
11
Induced Static Flotation (ISF) •
Pros – – –
•
Cons – – – –
•
Able to remove oil particles to 5 microns High removal efficiency Low skim volume
Requires a gas supply Not well suited for oil concentrations above 300 ppm Copes poorly with fluctuations in flow rate No retrofit capability
Costs – –
Capital Cost: $250,000 – $1,000,000 + Operating Costs: one recirculation pump
12
Hydrocyclones • Conical tubes with the fluid stream feed tangentially into the top of the cone so it swirls around the cone • The spinning motion of the fluid is accelerated by the tapered shape of the cone • Spinning creates a centrifugal force which pushes the heavier water out and the lighter oil into the middle of the cone • The oil is forced out the larger end and the water continues down the cone and leaves out the tapered end • The smaller the cone radius the smaller the target outlet oil concentration in water 13
Hydrocyclones Pros – – – – – –
High rate of separation Insensitive to motion – good for ocean platforms No moving parts Small footprint Easily accessible for maintenance Can deal with high oil concentrations
Cons – – – – – –
Large pressure drop across these devices Performance dependant upon turn down ratio Separate system required to remove solids Susceptible to wear resulting in maintenance costs Susceptible to fouling or blockages from solid buildup Control intensive to cope with fluctuations in flow rate
Costs – Capital Costs: $75,000-$450,000 + – Operating Costs: Pump to provide necessary pressure and maintenance costs for regular installation of replacement liners 14
Centrifuge •
Operate under the same physical principles as hydrocyclones. Spinning causes the two phases of the fluid to separate from each other
•
Centrifuges use moving parts to spin the liquid to create the spinning motion
•
Centrifuges are used for removing oil from water but more commonly removing water from oil
•
Centrifuges are also quite effective in the removal of solids from oil or water. 15
Centrifuge Pros – High removal rate – Removes solid particles as small as 2 micron
Cons – Low flow rates – Susceptible to wear resulting in maintenance costs
Costs – Capital Cost: $150,000– $800,000 + – Operating Cost: motor to spin the fluid
16
GLR Microbubble Floatation System (MBF) •
The MBF takes a stream of produced water from the outlet of a separation tank and gas is introduced through an eductor or a pressurized gas stream
•
Microbubbles occur as this water entrained with gas is passed through the patented Gas Liquid Reactor (GLR) where it experiences shear, impact and pressure resulting in bubbles 5-50 µm in diameter
17
GLR Microbubble Floatation System (MBF) •
This stream is then introduced at the inlet into a separation tank where the bubbles adhere to the oil and carry it to the water’s surface
•
On the surface a frothy layer of oil and gas is formed that is then skimmed off
•
Smaller bubbles more effectively separate the oil from the water which results in a drier froth and a very low skim volume
•
The water leaving the skim tank can have as little as 5 ppm oil. This outlet concentration typically correlates to a separation efficiency of 95% +.
18
MBF Process Flow
19
Typical MBF Skid 4
3 P-1 Circulation pump 600 usgpm 480V, 3P, 60 Hz, 1800 rpm 70 psi Eagle Horizontal ANSI, 6X4, 60 HP
2
1 E-1
Compressed gas supply 6.0 SCFM Median 1.00 NPT Gas Connection 75 psi Supply Pressure
GLR Vessel Capacity: 1.73m^3 Design Pressure: 1000 kPa Size: 813mm Dia. X 3556mm H.
D
D
PI FM
To relief tank
Gas
C
PI PI
C
Sample pt. C 4
To skim tank E-1
F M
B
B 1
B
Water from skim tank P-1
GLR skid
Package limits XYZ Corp - Generic Location
A
A GLR Skid Process and Instrumentation Diagram
20 Drawn by: N.S. Approved by: DWL
4
3
2
SIZE
Project #
DWG NO
Tab.
03-269
03-269-01
SCALE
Not to scale
SHEET
1
REV
A 1 OF 1
Patented Gas Liquid Reactor
21
Microbubbles Saturate Tank
22
Microbubbles vs. Gravity Separation
23
MBF150 System Accommodating Other Equipment
24
MBF600 Skid With Cladding
25
GLR Microbubble Floatation System (MBF) Pros
– Retro fit to existing skim tank – Removal of oil down to 3 microns – Handles a large range of oil concentrations and densities – Excellent Capacity for Upsets – Very low skim volumes – Good solids removal
Cons
– Requires a gas supply – Sometimes requires modifications to skim tank
Costs
– Capital Costs: $60,000$600,000 – Operating Costs: pump to provide flow through GLR 26
Close UP: Micro-bubbles Adhere To Oil Droplets And Float To The Surface Where They Coalesce
27
Performance Maximum Removal Efficiencies
28
G LR -M B F
on es H yd ro cy cl
IS F
IG F
ty
100 98 96 94 92 90 88 86 G ra vi
% oil removed
(>90% = High Efficiency)
Performance Droplet Size Removal
29
BF -M G LR
Hy dr oc yc lo ne s
IS F
IG F
CP I
60 50 40 30 20 10 0 G ra vit y
Particle Size (um)
(<10um High Efficiency)
Performance Inlet Oil Concentration Range
H
yd ro cy GL G cl R ra on -M C vi P IG IS e B ty I F F s F
(>2000 = High Capacity)
0
2000
4000
6000
Inlet Oil ppm
30
8000
10000
Performance Average Cost Comparison $900,000.00 $600,000.00 $300,000.00
31
BF -M G LR
Hy dr oc yc lo ne s
IS F
IG F
CP I
G ra vit y
$0.00
Conventional Oil Benefits • Increase Revenues due to additional oil recovery • Reduce the need for remedial treatment of the well. • Allow for easier injection in tight formations • Reduced erosion damage to injection pumps, • Reduce the need for filters and chemicals • Leveling off of the outlet oil even in upsets 32
SAGD Benefits • Increase in oil recovered/increased revenue • Reduced need for chemicals to enhance separation • Increased ability to deal with upset conditions • Reduce the likelihood of contamination of the water treatment facility and the need for remedial treatment • Increase in water recycle rate 33
MBF Skid With Enclosure
34
Questions? Contact us: Martyn Lutz
Douglas Lee
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
President & CEO
Phone: (403) 219-1270
Phone: (403) 219-1257
Fax: (403) 219-2211
Fax: (403) 219-2211
Email:
[email protected]
Email:
[email protected]
Micro-bubbles Entrained In Flow of Bitumen
36
Micro-bubbles Adhere and Float Bitumen
37
Micro-bubbles Adhere To Oil Droplets And Float To The Surface Where They Coalesce
38
