The evaluation of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) for successful field implementation is performed in stages, of which piloting plays a key role in this process. To this end it is found that an E5M system is most commonly employed on various fields for this step. Depending on the final well injection concentration (ranging from 500 to 3,500ppm diluted polymer), a wide range of flowrates can be achieved (3,000 to 22,500 barrels/day) with this size/model make-down unit.
CONTAINERISED PILOTING FACILITY
The short pilot trials typically only last a few weeks or months, where laboratory pre-selected polymers are tested with site available water sources (fresh or produced). A modular plant that can easily be moved and repurposed to a different location is ideal for this stage of the project.
The Core of the ProProcess E5M consists of: the powder off-loading and storage facility; the wetting unit; hydration tank; transfer pump; mother solution filters; the associated EOR utility supply and their respective MCCs. The Core is housed in two (2) 40ft maritime containers.
The injection pump requirements differ substantially from field to field in terms of flowrate and injection pressure per well. To overcome this challenge, our systems typically consist of the Core and the injection modules are supplied as stand-alone systems, with their own MCC and drive rooms, in a slave configuration. The polymer make-down/preparation units are controlled from a centralized control room.
Considerable emphasis of quick site installation and maintenance access has been placed on the layout of our modular plants. To this end some of the design aspects that are implemented consists of quick connect electrical systems; bolt-on pipe and cable rack supports with pre-located fixing points; staircases and platforms can simply be clipped on once the plant has been assembled.
Certain aspects of the E5M system can be customized for the individual site, these include:
- Access platforms – these can be stairs or cat-ladders
- Insulation and electrical heat tracing – typically the site location is categorized in one of the four climate zones (arctic, temperate, subtropic, tropical) and the design is adjusted accordingly.
- Locational certification – we are able to provide the correct product certification required by the authorities at the end users.
- Explosive environments – the design is modified for potentially explosive applications, such as the presence of methane gas in the supplied water. In this case motors would need to be appropriately specified and the ventilation within the plant has to be assessed. Other safety features would also be required in this case.
Other additional items that can be added onto the Core are a water treatment and let-down station, as well as alkali or surfactant addition modules.