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OTC-24679-MS

Advances in Compact Flotation Units (CFUs) for Produced Water Treatment


Mike Bhatnagar, Carl Johan Sverdrup, Cameron International
Copyright 2014, Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Offshore Technology Conference Asia held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 25–28 March 2014.

This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Offshore Technology Conference, its
officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Offshore Technology Conference is prohibited. Permission to
reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of OTC copyright.

Manuscript

1. ABSTRACT
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The Cameron TST-CFU is the next generation compact flotation unit that uses gas flotation and additional
centrifugal forces to separate and remove hydrocarbons as liquid and gas, aromatic compounds, hydrophobic
substances and small solid particles from produced water. The technology uses special fixed internals for mixing of
gas and oil through several stages within one vessel.

This next generation compact flotation unit is capable of handling high inlet oil concentrations and providing lower
outlet OIW concentrations (less than 10ppm). This compact flotation technology requires less equipment, has a
lower weight, smaller footprint, is less dependent on chemicals and can potentially replace multiple produced water
treatment technologies. This paper will cover some of the test results from pilot testing conducted on this next
generation compact flotation unit.

2. INTRODUCTION

The technology is based on flotation principles, whereby small gas bubbles aid the separation process. The
process is maintained by dissolved gas and/or additional gas injected into the feed by injecting external gas such
as nitrogen or fuel gas mixed it into the water. Gas bubbles attach to the Oil droplets, and the low density of the
oil/gas mixture aids the separation process in the vessel. A special internal design allows this process to be carried
out in multiple stages within one vessel. The vessel can operate from 0.5 barg in the last stage and upwards
depending on the pressure in the downstream reject system. Due to the low operational pressure, both oil and gas
are removed from the incoming water and no additional degassing vessel is necessary. The design is flexible and
numbers of internal stages is dependent on the actual application.

3. BACKGROUND

Produced water is water that is returned to the surface through an oil or gas well. It is made up of natural formation
water as well as the uphole return of water injected into the formation (flowback water) that was sent downhole as
part of a fracture stimulation (frac) process or an enhanced recovery operation. Produced water is typically
generated for the lifespan of a well. Although produced water varies significantly among wells and fields, several
groups of constituents are present in most types of produced water. The major constituents of concern in produced
water are: Salt content (expressed as salinity, total dissolved solids, or electrical conductivity); Oil and grease
(identified by an analytical test that measures the presence of families of organic chemical compounds); Various
natural inorganic and organic compounds (e.g., chemicals that cause hardness and scaling such as calcium,
magnesium, sulfates, and barium); Chemical additives used in drilling, fracturing, and operating the well that may
have some toxic properties (e.g., biocides, corrosion inhibitors); Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM).

Globally water production associated with the oil & gas production is three times higher than the oil production.
This gives an average water fraction of about 75% of what is produced from the wells. The water percentage
continues to increase. About ten years ago was it about 70%. The water fraction increases in proportion to the oil
fields being older and decreases in proportion to better methods being developed to handle the reservoir and to
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new fields being introduced. Most onshore produced water is re-injected to underground formations, either to
provide additional oil and gas recovery or for disposal, under permits issued by regional regulatory offices. Most
offshore produced water is diposed as discharge to the ocean following treatment according to requirements as
permitted by the regional regulatory offices.

Oilfield operating companies continue moving to ever-increasing water depths to produce oil and gas reserves.
Producing in these deep water locations has caused a shift from the traditional fixed-leg platforms to floating
structures and other emerging technologies. Due to the high cost of constructing floating platforms, it is imperative
that the size and weight of processing equipment be kept as low as possible. In addition, fluid processing
equipment that is installed on the topsides of these floating structures is subject to more severe wave-induced
motions. These issues must be taken into consideration when designing topsides equipment in order to minimize
any adverse impacts to capacity and performance. Simultaneously the environmental conditions are being more
strict and more complicated to meet. The challenges for the operators are increasing and the need of better,
diminished and more cost effective technologies arises. In recent years, many operators have adopted a trend
toward the use of liquid-liquid hydrocyclones followed by vertical column flotation units to treat produced water prior
to overboard disposal since this type of solution results in a smaller, lighter system design.

Vertical flotation units were originally developed for offshore produced water treatment applications. The use of
floating platforms has led to many challenges for oilfield equipment technologists and designers. Some of the
primary issues to be addressed by equipment designers are:

• Wave-induced motion
• Compact size
• Reduced weight

Offshore applications of the flotation equipment have led to improvements in the original geometry. The design of
the cylindrical Induced Gas Flotation units was intended to address offshore needs of low space and weight. The
next generation design of the compact flotation unit combines several technologies into one single vessel and
addresses the needs for enhanced equipment performance, reduced foot print and weight requirements, reduced
capital, operating, and maintenance costs, and application to higher pressure and off-gas containment
requirements.

Design of this compact flotation unit takes into account the effects of major parameters on the process
hydrodynamics including fluid velocity, gas bubble size, mixing efficiency, fluid circulation, internal flow paths, gas
bubble re-mixing capability as well as cell residence time, skimming rate, downward velocity, gas induction rate,
etc.
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In order to avoid the severe produced water short circuiting produced inside the conventional flotation vessels, the
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TST-CFU design consists of special internals that include a static mixture, a riser pipe, distribution arms and guide
vanes. As the fluids enter the compact flotation unit through the static mixer at the bottom of the vessel, gas
st
bubbles are induced. These bubbles collide with the oil droplets in the riser pipe and contribute to the 1 stage of
flotation in the upper part of the compact flotation unit.

The gas bubble, oil droplet mixture exits throgh the distribution arms horizontally in a radial-swirl pattern to properly
release the liquid over the inclined guide vanes. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses was used to
improve the efficiency of the guidevanes by retaining more of the swirling oil water mixture and providing an
upward flow pattern to the rising gas bubbles attached to the oil. Improved produced water circulation and re-
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mixing is crucial to the design of TST-CFU system due to the impact of this on oil separation efficiency.

The re-mixing of the gas/ oil mixture across overlapping guidevanes serves to coalesce oil droplets in the produced
water, improving flotation efficiency in each stage. The proper distribution of gas bubbles over the entire cross-
sectional area of the vessel, the proper distribution of gas bubbles, the size of the bubbles induced into the
produced water are all critical to promote good oil separation that leads to:

 Much Shorter retention times per stage that results in smaller vertical pressure vessel.
 Multiple stage vessel design instead of the single stage conventional design of the vertical IGF.
 Smaller reject volumes of the floated oil.

The cylindrical vessel design allows for implementation of ASME pressure vessel code guidelines for high internal
pressure applications and significantly increases the pool of available manufacturing resources with an abundance
of fabrication skills whereas special tools and craftsmanship are needed for the conventional design. Adaptation of
special internals to the cylindrical geometry allows for higher inlet OiW levels.

Attenuation of wave-induced motion, or sloshing, is a critical aspect of the design of vertical column flotation units
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on floating platforms. The TST-CFU is 100% liquid filled and avoids these effects.

4. FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

These next generation compact flotation units use a vertically oriented cylindrical vessel to contain the produced
water for treatment. The produced water enters the vessel near the bottom and flows upward. Simultaneously, gas
bubbles are introduced to the vessel near the bottom and float along with the produced water upwards. The
primary objective of flotation is to populate a produced water stream containing oily contaminants (dispersed oil
droplets and/or oil-coated solids) with gas bubbles such that as the bubbles rise to the surface, they collide with,
cling to, drag along, and float the oily contaminants to the surface. Once at the surface, the contaminants are
rejected from the vessel. Clean produced water exits from the bottom of the first stage and is distributed through
aset of internals to next stage. Bubble formation and bubble distribution can be achieved by using a properly
designed inlet distribution system.

Gas from the first stage can be recirculated by using and external eductor. When produced water is pumped
through the eductor, a low pressure zone is created in the eductor. Gas from the top of the vessel is routed to the
eductor through a small diameter tube. Gas is pulled into the eductor by the vacuum and mixed with the water prior
to entering the vessel. This gas/water mixture is used to introduce the bubbles needed for the flotation process.
Gas bubbles that disengage at the gas-liquid interface are recycled to the bottom of the vessel for flotation.
Oftentimes it is necessary to inject a chemical agent to promote bubble-contaminant interaction. Many times these
chemicals are long-chain polymers that impart an electrical charge to the oily contaminants or render them
hydrophobic. This phenomenon increases the possibility that the contaminants will cling to the bubbles and float to
the surface.

Based on the foregoing description, it can be concluded that the primary factors affecting the performance of the
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TST-CFU flotation unit are:

• Quantity of gas bubbles formed


• Size of gas bubbles formed
• Proper distribution of gas bubbles across the vessel cross-sectional area
• Proper distribution of produced water across the vessel cross-sectional area
• Downward velocity (flux) of the produced water
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• Proper water chemistry to promote bubble-contaminant interaction


• Particle size of the contaminants

The technology can operate from 0.5barg and upwards, depending on downstream reject system and numbers of
internal stages.

4.1. FIRST STAGE


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The following writeup describes the operation of the TST-CFU MS3, 3 stage one vessel compact flotation unit.
Each stage has separate gas injection and oil reject lines. The numbers of internal stages required are dependent
on the produced water quality with respect to the OIW concentration, oil droplet size distribution, solid particles and
use of chemicals.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

PW inlet

Treated
Water Outlet

Water enters the vessel through the inlet pipe at the bottom of the vessel. A gas mixer for mixing external gas such
as Nitrogen or fuel gas, or an eductor for recycling gas from top of the vessel is located in the pipe at the vessel
inlet. The mixture of gas and oily water then rises to top of the inlet pipe where the mixture is distributed into the
vessel through several tangential distribution pipes which create an internal spin. Numbers of internal distribution
pipes depends on the diameter of the vessel. In this way the internal mixing is maintained independent of the
vessel size. The outlet from each pipe is forced upwards by a guide vane that ends above the next distribution
pipe. Large gas bubbles float to the surface before the water from one distribution pipe will be remixed with new
incoming water in the next distribution pipe. In this way the required gas bubble size is maintained to get good
contact between oil and gas and mixed together with new incoming water. The downward water stream meets an
upward “gas bed” and intercepts oil droplets that follow the water downwards. The continues mixing also creates a
coalescence of the small gas bubbles with oil connected that float to the surface. The separated oil together with
released gas, added gas and some water are extracted in the reject pipe at top of the vessel. If an eductur is used
for recycling gas, that pipe will be dipped into the vessel to create a gas pocket at top of the vessel as a buffer for
the recycling gas. The amount of reject is less than 0.5% of the liquid feed per stage and is adjusted by a manual
valve that can be fixed and set during start up or a actuated valve that also has a self cleaning function. The reject
nd
enters the common reject line for all stages. Treated water is direct to the 2 stage via a vortex breaker in the
lower part of the first chamber.
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4.2. SECOND STAGE


nd st
The treated water enters into 2 stage via an annulus chamber between inlet pipe to 1 stage and distribution
nd
manifold for 2 stage. External gas is added to water via an internal gas mixer in the annulus before entering the
distribution manifold. The water/gas mixture is distributed in the same way as in the first stage. The numbers and
st
size of the distribution pipes and vanes is the same as for the 1 stage. There will be a pressure drop of apr. 0.5bar
nd st
across the inlet to the 2 stage and the amount of gas needed will be the same as for the 1 stage. The separated
oil together with released gas, added gas and some water are extracted in a reject pipe at top of the second
chamber and controlled by a manual valve with fixed setting. The normal amount of reject is less than 0.5% of the
feed per stage and is adjusted by a manual valve that can be fixed set during start up or a actuated valve that also
rd
has a self cleaning function. The reject enters the common reject line. Treated water is directed to the 3 stage via
a vortex breaker.

4.3. THIRD STAGE


rd nd rd
The waters enters the 3 stage in the same way as into the 2 stage and the 3 stage operates in the same way
nd rd
as the 2 stage with separate gas injection and reject. When the 3 stage operates as last internal stage the water
outlet pipe is equipped with a pressure control valve to maintain a steady pressure in the vessel. By having control
of the vessel pressure there is no need for level control as the vessel is 100% liquid filled as long as reject valve
opening can handle the released and added gas.

5. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PILOT TEST

The objective of the pilot test, was to check the suitability of the next generation Compact Flotation Unit (CFU) to
treat the produced water from the Water Knock Out Vessel (WKO) through a compact equipment that could
achieve the same or better performance Oil in Water removal as the existing Hydro cyclones and Surge vessel and
still meet the additional water treatment capacity.

6. THE PILOT TEST SKID

The pilot test-skid used during the test included one single stage vessel and one 3 stage compact flotation unit with
a capacity of 6m3/hr., a diameter of 0.4m and a height of 1.2m. The skid also included one Nitrogen membrane
generator, chemical injection pump, necessary hoses for connection of feed, water outlet, gas injection, reject and
sampling, valves, pressure indicators, flow meters and sample points for reject and water outlet.

Picture 1 shows the test unit in use at the test.

Picture 1. The pilot test-skid used during the test


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7. THE EXISTING PRODUCED WATER TREATMENT PROCESS

Figure 1 shows the process schematics of the existing process.

WKO VESSEL

Figure 1 Process schematics of the existing process.

Bulk fluids are separated via a single three stage separation train which comprises the following vessels:

• Water Knock Out Vessel


• Hydro cyclones
• Surge vessel

8.1. THE PILOT TEST

Figure 2 shows the pilot test configuration of the WKO and the CFU MS3. The tie in for the test was at the nozzle
of the vertical outlet pipe from the production manifold with operation pressure at 21 barg and temperature of 88°C.
This tie point was chosen because a tie in to a vertical pipe would give the most realistic composition of the feed to
the test unit. Tie in on a horizontal pipe would give unrealistic composition due to separation in the pipe. The size
of the tie in was ½” witch gave approximately 1bar pressure drop to the WKO vessel.
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The water outlet from the TST-CFU and oil outlet from the WKO vessel was routed together at a tie in on the top
of the pig launcher and routed to closed drain. Reject from the compact flotation unit was routed to oil drums and
manually pumped to closed drain.

The WKO vessel operated at approximately 20 barg to verify the performance at the same operation pressure as a
full scale unit will operate. There was no additional gas added to the WKO, which normally will increase the
separation efficiency for OIW outlet. The reject (oil outlet) flow on the WKO vessel was controlled by a ball valve.
This is not the best solution for flow control at pressure drop of 20 barg which gave some minor variation in the
water content at the oil outlet. The water outlet from the WKO to the CFU was controlled by a gate valve with a
pressure drop of 16-17 bar. This high pressure drop across such valve will normally create small oil droplets
caused by shearing forces in the valve. A proper valve for this function should be used for the best performance of
the CFU.
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The test included flow rates between 40 and 100 % of design for both the WKO and the CFU without any changes
in performance.

Figure 2 .Test Configuration

Demulsifier injected at the production manifold and REB (reverse emulsion breaker) was injected upstream of the
WKO vessel during the whole test period. It was also tested with and without water clarifier upstream of the CFU
with different hose length from the injection point to the compact flotation unit to identify any increase in
performance caused by increased retention time for the chemical.

The compact flotation unit operated with constant gas injection (Nitrogen) in all three stages during the test
period. The reject rates were optimized for each flow change.

8.2. SAMPLING PROGRAM

The sampling program included frequently sampling for OiW upstream and downstream the test skid and
occasionally outlet from the hydro cyclones and surge vessel. This was done in order to obtain comparative data
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between the TST-CFU and the existing system. The sampling points in and out of the compact flotation unit were
located at the tie in point and at the test-skid. Most samples were taken from the 1st and 4th stage, but also one
series from all stages were taken to confirm the individual efficiency for all stages.

At the tie-in point, the sampling point from the produced water system was also used for flocculant injection
purposes. This limited the possibility for sampling inlet fluids. The outlet quality was reasonably stable during the
test. Sampling was done by our personnel and many parallel samples were taken by the Client’s chemist for
verification.

8.3. ANALYSES

The samples analysed were analysed using the Arjay Fluorecheck instrument. The instrument was calibrated
against result of one analyses done by the Chemical Supplier. Samples from outlet of the WKO vessel, outlet from
the hydro cyclones, outlet from the surge vessel, outlet from the 1st stage compact flotation unit and outlet from the
4th stage compact flotation unit with and without additional chemical were taken to a third party in Norway for
analyses of TSS.
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Figure 3. WKO Inlet/ CFU Outlet samples

8.4. TEST RESULTS

The results from the test showed that the WKO vessel and CFU are fully capable of removing water from the bulk
fluids and treat the produced water from the WKO vessel to a very low level.

The oil content at the inlet to the WKO was +/- 10% during the test period. The WIO (water in oil) level in the oil
outlet from the WKO was easily controlled down to 20% and the OIW content at the water outlet was 500-600 ppm.
The OIW outlet from the 3 stage compact flotation unit was down to around 20 ppm with Clarifier and around 50
ppm without Clarifier. To achieve these results the process was dependent of Chemicals. Demulsifier was already
injected to the manifold upstream the tie in point, REB (reverse emulsion breaker) was injected upstream the WKO
vessel and Water Clarifier was injected in the water outlet from the WKO vessel.

8.5. CHEMICALS

All chemical injection was taken care of by the client’s Chemical supplier including selection of type of Chemicals,
injection points and injection rates.

9. PILOT TEST SUMMARY


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The test showed that the WKO and TST-CFU Technology are well suited to remove water from the bulk fluid and
treat the water from the WKO vessel and a 3 stage CFU down to 20ppm or lower with use of Water Clarifier and
down to 40 ppm without Water Clarifier.

10. CONCLUSION
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The multi-stage single vessel design of the TST-CFU Compact Flotation technology is very effective in treating
produced waters with high oil concentrations and reducing the outlet OIW to very low discharge levels. The
technology has been proven to handle small oil droplets. The vertically oriented multi stage compact flotation
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vessel design of the TST-CFU can combine several technologies into one and offer significant weight and space
reductions. The 100% liquid filled compact flotation design is well suited for high oil separation efficiencies on
floating platforms.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful diagnostics and design tool that allows equipment designers to
understand the system performance. The CFD analyses helped in upgrading the existing design and improve
performance for larger flow rates.

Thus far this next generation compact flotation technology has been installed at several sites and is performing
satisfactorily. Other operating companies have also shown an interest in applying this compact flotation unit design
in their produced water treatment systems. As feedbacks from existing and new field installations are received,
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additional enhancements will be made to the compact flotation unit design.

11. NOTATION

ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers


CFD Computational fluid dynamics
CFU Compact Flotation Unit
IGF Induced Gas Flotation
MS3 Multi Stage 3
OIW Oil in Water
WIO Water in Oil
WKO Water Knock Out Vessel
μm Micro meter

12. REFERENCES

1. TS-Technology AS Presentation, Jorn Folkvang, Terje Kornberg, December, 2010.


2. Advantages with the flotation technology of TS – Technology, Per Gramme, 2011.
3. Results from tests with TS Technology CFU for produced water treatment, Aquateam – Norwegian Water
Technology Centre A/S, Eilen Arctander Vik, February 2009
4. Compact Induced Gas Flotation As An Effective Water Treatment Technology On Deep Water Platforms,
OTC, T. Frankiewicz, C.-M. Lee, and K. Juniel, NATCO Group Inc., May 2005, Houston, Texas
5. J. Veil, Produced Water Management training course, TUV NEL, Aberdeen, April 2009
6. Developing Vertical Column Induced Gas Flotation for Floating Platforms using Computational Fluid
Dynamics, Chang-Ming Lee, Ted Frankiewicz, NATCO Group Inc., September 2004

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