Heavy Oil Exploration System
This system focuses on the smooth flow of the recovered Heavy Crude Oil during exploration in order to achieve 100% efficient flaring (complete combustion) of flow back well effluent.
Oil Pit Remediation and Sludge Treatment System
This unique treatment system is the first of its kind to simultaneously recover oil and treat the oily solids within a pit, bringing the Total Oil and Grease (TOG) value of the solids down to the desired level as per international environmental regulations.
Case Study 1: Heavy Oil Exploration and Flaring
The Challenge
Earth’s challenge was to solve various problems encountered by Saudi Aramco during their heavy oil exploration. The heavy crude recovered was highly viscous and had a significant percentage of water emulsions, which made it difficult to pump. The heavy oil was also the root cause for incomplete combustion and oil spill into the surrounding sea, when the well flow back effluent was sent to flare.
Earth was responsible for developing a 100% efficient flaring system where the failure criterion was the formation of oil sheen in the seawater below the flare tip.
The Solution
Earth’s collaborative solution was to design a chemical treatment system that would reduce the viscosity of the heavy oil, break the emulsions and give 100% efficient flaring. The solution consisted of:
- EC 103 Emulsion Breaker: This was utilized to break all oil-water emulsions resulting in efficient separation of heavy oil and water.
- EC 106 Viscosity Reducer: The EC 106 reduced the viscosity of heavy oil with its micro-cleaving mechanism, resulting in reduced viscosity.
- EC Oxidizer: This product was specially developed for flares where incomplete combustion was observed. The product is stable until it reaches flare temperatures where it immediately begins to release oxygen to enable 100% efficient flaring.
The Result
The Heavy Oil Exploration and Flaring Treatment System was successfully employed in (04) Heavy Oil Exploration wells. The flaring was continuous and efficient with no oil spilling into the sea.