MULTI-CHEM^® DEVELOPS ADVANCED ROCKING CELL SYSTEM FOR TESTING OF HYDRATE INHIBITORS UNDER BOTH SWEET AND SOUR CONDITIONS

Multi-Chem^®, a global provider of oilfield production chemicals, has developed the first system of highly advanced rocking cells for testing low dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHIs) that are designed to withstand hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas, announced Vice President of Technology Danny Durham.

The two six-cell modules are composed of the highly corrosion-resistant metal alloy HASTELLOY® so that LDHI testing can be conducted using H₂S. The system is the first of its kind and offers deepwater, ultra deepwater and land-based operators the first opportunity to properly and safely simulate the conditions in a sour system without causing damage to the equipment.

The 12 test cells feature dual sapphire viewing windows and proximity sensors, and a center-ported configuration designed to eliminate the problems associated with more traditional end -ported designs, where hydrate formation can occur in the inlet tubing causing inaccurate results. This new design gives significantly more accurate pressure readings, essential to hydrate testing, while providing a relative viscosity measurement from the proximity sensors. Each individual cell window features ultra-bright rear-mounted lighting for clear viewing of the fluids.

The system’s fully automated data acquisition and control software gives users the flexibility to pre-program various testing parameters and protocol changes, including the cells’ rocking angle and rocking rate. Two large monitoring screens help to track the conditions and progress of each individual cell during the test.

“The combination of the new design features, the data acquisition system and the quality of the materials used allows us to more accurately recreate the conditions of both sweet and sour systems as compared to other rocking cell designs,” said Zubin Patel, co-developer of the technology.

This technology was developed by Multi-Chem chemical and flow assurance experts Zubin Patel and James Russum.

Patel graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Midwestern State University and a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Southern California. He has six years of experience in the production chemicals industry where he specializes in LDHIs and flow assurance technologies; chemical development, testing and recommendations; and testing analysis.

James Russum earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering with a minor in polymer chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Russum specializes in flow assurance, gas hydrates and hydrate control.

DEFOAMERS

Benefits
Symptoms
Root Cause
Solutions
Next Steps

Contact

Benefits

Reduce oil or condensate in gas flow
Improve separator efficiency
Reduce produced water foaming
Improve pump capacity and efficiency
Improve produced fluid flow
Reduce pump noise and vibration

See All

MC DF-7120 & MC EB-1590 Used to Successfully Treat an Emulsified Tank

Producer nets 150 Barrels of clean oil and a clean system
MC MX 363-7 Defoamer Reduces Line Pressure 120 PSI

High line pressures threaten the integrity of Fiber glass flow lines
MC MX 8-1055 Eliminates operational issues

The customer was having to change valves and cleanout filters often 2 to 3 times per week. The cost for the valves was downtime and $2,500 per change per compressor. The filter cost was changing them out twice a week at $8,000 each time.
MX 363-7 and MX 426-7 Used to Defoam Heavy Crude

Treating Costs reduced 40% and Regulatory Fines Reduced

Symptoms

Pump cavitation
Fluids in gas flow lines
Reduced separator efficiency
Dirty “white rag” test
Loss of pump capacity and efficiently
Erratic produced fluid flow

See All

MC DF-7120 & MC EB-1590 Used to Successfully Treat an Emulsified Tank

Producer nets 150 Barrels of clean oil and a clean system
MC MX 363-7 Defoamer Reduces Line Pressure 120 PSI

High line pressures threaten the integrity of Fiber glass flow lines
MC MX 8-1055 Eliminates operational issues

The customer was having to change valves and cleanout filters often 2 to 3 times per week. The cost for the valves was downtime and $2,500 per change per compressor. The filter cost was changing them out twice a week at $8,000 each time.
MX 363-7 and MX 426-7 Used to Defoam Heavy Crude

Treating Costs reduced 40% and Regulatory Fines Reduced

Root Cause

The prime generator of foam in oil is the depressurization of fluids as they are produced. This pressure drop allows dissolved gases to come out of solution and form foam. Another significant cause of foam generation is the presence of contaminants in produced fluids. Contaminants such as immiscible fluids, drilling mud, sand, wax crystals, and asphaltene particles act as nucleation sites on which gas bubbles can form. Any kind of surface active compound in a fluid can cause gas entrainment and promote the generation of foam. The turbulent flow of fluids promotes the aeration of that fluid causing foam to form.

See All

MC DF-7120 & MC EB-1590 Used to Successfully Treat an Emulsified Tank

Producer nets 150 Barrels of clean oil and a clean system
MC MX 363-7 Defoamer Reduces Line Pressure 120 PSI

High line pressures threaten the integrity of Fiber glass flow lines
MC MX 8-1055 Eliminates operational issues

The customer was having to change valves and cleanout filters often 2 to 3 times per week. The cost for the valves was downtime and $2,500 per change per compressor. The filter cost was changing them out twice a week at $8,000 each time.
MX 363-7 and MX 426-7 Used to Defoam Heavy Crude

Treating Costs reduced 40% and Regulatory Fines Reduced

Solutions

Multi-Chem offers foam control products that can act as antifoam agents and defoamers for both aqueous and oil based fluids. Foam control products bind to nucleation sites of contaminants and reduce the capacity of that contaminant to generate foam. Defoamers promote small bubbles to coalesce into larger ones until these large bubbles become unstable and collapse. Foam control products displace the surface active component on a bubble surface promoting bubble instability. Multi-Chem foam control products promote the fluid component of foam to drain away from the foam further destabilizing that foam.

Multi-Chem will perform a system survey to determine which type of product is best suited for your application.