Abstract
SUMMARY Using conventional oilfield processing equipment, such as free-water knockouts, retention tanks, and heater treaters, in conjunction with commercially-available demulsifiers (CADs), the produced-fluid emulsion from Marathon's M-1 micellar/polymer project could not be broken in a cost-effective manner. After evaluating numerous CADs with dismal results, two polyoxypropylene amines (POPAs), found useful in laboratory demulsification studies, were field tested. Neither of the chemicals is manufactured primarily as a demulsifier. Compared with the CADs, the field tests showed that the POPAs (1) markedly accelerated the separation rates, (2) dramatically improved the quality of the sell oil and disposal brine, (3) lowered chemical consumption and its corresponding cost by over 50 percent, (4) substantially reduced the amount of processing equipment, and (5) significantly decreased the number of operators required to man the treating facility. These findings led to the adoption of the POPAs as the treating chemicals for the M-1 Project. This paper describes the produced-fluid emulsion from the M-1 Project, details the treating problems encountered while using CADs, and relates how the switch to the POPAs improved both the quality of the separations and the economics of the processing. The time frame for the ensuing discussion is at or near maximum oil production when emulsion problems are most pronounced.
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