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 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.

PARAFFIN TREATMENT PRODUCTS

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Benefits

  • Reduce the pour point of paraffinic crude oils
  • Reduce or eliminate paraffin deposits in vessels
  • Reduce or eliminate paraffin induced pipeline restrictions
  • Reduce or eliminate paraffin induced pads at separator interfaces
  • Reduce or eliminate downhole paraffin depositions
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Symptoms

  • Paraffin in pigging returns
  • Solids settling in production vessels
  • Reduced production throughput
  • Waxy solids at the separator interface
  • Increase in production pumping pressure
  • Complete loss of production
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Root Cause

Paraffin or wax deposits form when the temperature of the produced fluids falls below the wax appearance temperature of paraffins present in the oil. The paraffin crystals that solidify increase fluid viscosity and can form deposits on pipeline walls and settle in vessels. Paraffin crystals that accumulate in vessels form paraffinic tank bottoms and pads at fluid interfaces. If unchecked, paraffin deposition can rapidly produce plugs that will choke off production tubing or a pipeline, or slow down production.

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Solutions

Multi-Chem offers paraffin inhibitors, paraffin dispersants, and solvents to treat paraffin induced deposition problems. Solvents are used to dissolve deposits that have formed prior to chemical intervention. Paraffin inhibitors alter the wax crystal structure preventing the crystals from being able to form into a solid deposit. Paraffin dispersants keep the wax solids suspended in produced fluids, preventing the wax from settling in vessels and at interfaces. Multi-Chem will perform a system survey to determine which type of product is best suited for your application.  Multi-Chem’s paraffin treatment products can be customized to meet production challenges such as capillary/umbilical delivery, cold climates and systems requiring combination products.

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Next Steps

How can you determine if Multi-Chem paraffin treatment products can help you?

The following information will help Multi-Chem to determine the proper treatment method for your production challenge:

  • Production data
  • Temperature profiles
  • Pressure profiles
  • Crude oil analysis

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