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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.

Benefits

  • Reduce high viscosity of emulsions caused by interfacial stiffness
  • Reduce pressure and increase production rates when used downhole
  • Provide early phase separation
  • Lower or no chemical requirement for surface demulsifier
  • Smaller, fewer and colder separation vessels to achieve pipeline specification oil
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Symptoms

  • Production declines
  • High pressure differentials
  • Mixed production fluid has low mobility: stiff, gel-like, hard to pour
  • Emulsion pad builds in separator vessel
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Root Cause

Oil and water do not ordinarily mix. When they are mechanically or thermally forced to mix, emulsion stabilizing surfactants and solids stiffen the oil-water interface. Finely divided solids can also be mixed into the oil or the water or the emulsion interface and form a gelatinous solid. These emulsifying agents are inherent in produced oil and even gas condensate. In addition, many chemical treatments, such as surface film forming corrosion inhibitors, contain potentially stabilizing surfactants. Emulsion stabilizing surfactants collect at the boundary or interface between the oil and water and make a strong, resilient film that resists deformation. This film matrix, whether open or closed cell, prevents the bulk fluid from flowing as freely. Generally, emulsions will have a higher viscosity than either the oil or water phase alone.

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Solutions

Multi-Chem offers viscosity reducers for both water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions. These chemicals are surfactants, typically polymeric surfactants, which fluidize emulsions by weakening the resiliency of the stabilizing film. They use a variety of chemical mechanisms to accomplish this. Each formulation is made to fit the particular emulsifiers and process conditions in the field. To determine which viscosity reducer is best suited for an application, Multi-Chem performs an extensive on-site evaluation of the system, including bench scale testing of the emulsions with fresh produced fluids.

 

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  • There are no case histories for this product. Visit the case history page to search case histories.

Next Steps

How can you determine if Multi-Chem viscosity reducers 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
  • Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in water
  • API gravity of crude oil
  • BS&W of sales oil and specifications
  • Residence time of fluids
  • Current treatment regime

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