Advanced Electrostatic Technology for Heavy Oils

May 2009

AGENDA
Opportunity Crude Issues Electrostatic Technology Desalting Technology Dual Frequency Dehydration Experience with Heavy Crudes

Heavy Crude Issues

Difficult-to-Treat Oils
The Bad Actors Electrical Conductivity Interfacial Tension Reverse Emulsions Limited Differential Density High Solids
Asphaltenes Sands, Scale Crystalline Salts

Excessive Oil Conductivity

1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Temperature, F

Conductivity, nS/m

Typical High

Interfacial Tension
Platinum Ring Tensiometer At Ambient Temperature
15 -25 dynes/cm

At Treating Temperature
10 15 dynes/cm

With Demulsifier
7 10 dynes/cm

In Electrostatic Field
3 5 dynes/cm

Water-in-Oil Emulsion
Typical

Reverse Emulsion
16 API SAGD DilBit

Crystalline Salt
A Vexing Problem
Dissolved Salt
Na+ H O Cl 2

+ +
+

H2O

Salt Crystals Associated With Brine

NaCl

Na+
NaCl

H2O

ClNaCl

H2O

Dry Salt Crystals NaCl Electrical Forces H2O

Water-in-Oil Emulsion
with Salt Crystal

Crystalline Salt

Electrostatic Technology

Electrostatic Fields
Our Choices Include AC Conventional & Deep-Field DC (Only with refined products) Dual Polarity - Combination AC/DC Modulated Dual Polarity Electro-Dynamic Desalting Dual Frequency

Electrostatic Dehydrators
Net Drop Forces in Voltage Field
Electrode Viscous Drag

Volts

+ Dipolar Attraction

Electrophoretic Force Weight

Dipole Voltage Field Direction Force

Electrophoretic Direction Force

Alternating Current
Direct Current

Oscillates
Constant

0.4 weight Reverses

0.4 weight Constant

Net is zero
53 weight

AC/DC Electrostatic Field

Dual Polarity

Oil Flux

}
Dual Polarity

Bulk Water Removal

Desalting Technology

Electrostatic Desalter
Single Stage Flow Diagram
Oil Outlet

Electrostatic Desalter
Feedstream to HEX

Mixing Valve

Water To Disposal Dilution Water

Effluent Pump

Electrostatic Desalter
Two Stage Flow Diagram
Oil Outlet

Electrostatic Desalter
Feedstream

Electrostatic Desalter
Mixing Valve

Mixing Valve
Water To Disposal

to HEX

Effluent Pump Interstage Recycle

Dilution Water

Effluent Pump

Electrostatic Desalter Essential Components:

1. Mixing

3 6% water up to 15 psi DP
2. Internal Recycle From 5 to 10% of crude rate

3. Electrostatic Field
Target oil viscosity is 5 to 10 cP 4. Enhanced Distribution / Collection Maximum vessel utilization

Dual Frequency Dehydration

Oil Conductivity
Effects on Voltage Decay
Oil Conductivity
Low Instantaneous Voltage Medium High

Threshold Voltage

Voltage

High Oil Conductivity

Frequency Effect on Voltage Decay
Low Frequency Average Field Strength High Frequency

Threshold Voltage

Voltage

Time
Instantaneous Voltage

Dual Frequency Waveform

Coupled with Voltage Modulation
Sinusoidal Wave (or trapezoidal, triangular, square, etc)

600
Primary Voltage, volts

Critical Voltage 20 - 40 kV

400 200 0 -200 -400 -600

Time

Threshold Voltage 12 - 25 kV

Base Frequency

Modulation Frequency

Droplet charge follows the Modulation waveform

Dual Frequency Dehydrator

System Performance:
1. High Conductance Crudes High (base) frequency

2.

Water Drop Interfacial Tension

Low (pulse) frequency

3. Combined to achieve Lowest Salt and BS&W

Heavy Oil Performance

Technology Comparison
Pilot Results
1 0.9

Outlet BS&W (%)

Oil API 21 TAN - 4 AC

Solid Curves Predicted by Electrostatic Dehydrator Computer Model

0.8 0.7

Dual Dual Polarity Frequency

0.6
0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300
Field AC Dehydrator @ 239 F

Modulated Dual Polarity

AC Dehydrator @ 219F AC/DC @ 218F Modulated AC/DC @ 220F Bimodal AC/DC @ 220F

Oil Flux (bopd/sf)

Ref: SPE Paper 97786

Technology Comparison
Heavy Oils
Pilot / Field Tests

Increased Oil Flux

2

Oil Gravity API 16 20.2

Flux (BOPD/ft )@ BS&W

Comments Diluted SAGD, Canada West Sak, Alaska

Dual Polarity
100 @ 0.63% 90 @ 0.38%

Dual Frequency 125 @ 0.56% 220 @ 0.4%

20.7
24

90 @ 0.35%
125 @ 0.4%

175 @ 0.4%
208 @ 0.4%

Bohai, China
Venezuela

Advanced Dehydration Results Dual Polarity vs. Dual Frequency

Crude Crude API Identification Venezuela Venezuela Wyoming Oklahoma Brazil North Sea 25 17 24 22.8 13.8 20.8 Feed Temperature Grid Load BS&W (F) (bopd/sf) (%) 150 280 130 135 240 200 9 28 11 11 5 200 94 100 75 80 150 Outlet BS&W (%) Dual Dual Polarity Frequency 1.78 0.3 1.45 1.35 0.5 0.9 0.6 0.1 0.85 0.8 0.27 0.55

Pilot data on several oils from 13.8 to 25 API.

Heavy Oil Desalting

Pilot Results

Dilbit API - 16 Temperature - 280 F Flux - 70 bopd/ft2

Feed Stage 1 2 Tech. AC DF

Wash Water 5 % Recycle 5 % Valve DP 10 psi

Outlet

BS&W, % Salt, ppm Cl- BS&W, % Salt, ppm Cl5.8 0.4 220 6 0.4 0.35 6 1

Mixing Efficiency = 25%

Crystalline Salt Removal

Aggressive Mixing WCS Crude - 20 API Average Inlet Salt Is 10 ptb Flux Rate of 115 bpd/sf @ 280 F 5% fresh water
Electrostatic Technology Deep-field AC Dual Polarity Dual Frequency Dual Frequency BS&W % 0.6 0.4 0.15 0.3 NaCl ptb 2.2 1.3 0.5 1

Mix Technology 3 Static + Valve 3 Static + Valve 3 Static + Valve Dynamic

Mixing Efficiency = 40%

Questions?

Heavy Oil Technology for Offshore Applications May 2009