WILSA Reduces Chemical Usage in East Texas Legacy Field

WILSA® technology breaks oil-water emulsion, increases the performance of original separation equipment and eliminates decades-long demulsifier program
 

 

Date: January 2015

Industry: Oil & Gas Production

Application: Chemical Reduction

Success Factors:

  • Reduced demulsifier usage
  • Cleaner water injected in disposal well
  • Ease of installation into existing piping system

WILSA® EWC Results:

  • Eliminated demulsifier at all wells and central facility
  • Lowered oil in disposed water from 19 ppm to 6 ppm
  • Increased efficiency of original separation equipment to 99.4%

 

 

An East Texas operator’s field has experienced fluid separation problems for over six decades, caused by heavily emulsified production fluids. Achieving efficient oil-water separation became even more difficult when submersible pumps were installed to increase production rates.

As a result, the operator injected a common demulsifier at all of the field’s 9 wells, as well as at its central facility (processing around 20,000 bpd). Without chemical treatment, the facility’s 3-phase separator lacked the retention time needed to effectively separate the 26° API oil forming a consistent rag layer of emulsified oil and water.

In an effort to generate cleaner water and eliminate their costly chemical program, the operator installed WILSA® ElectroWave Conditioning (EWC) directly upstream of the separator. Over a one-month period, the rate of demulsifier injection was reduced until it was completely removed from the production process.

In addition to eliminating all demulsifying chemicals from the field, utilizing the WILSA® EWC increased the efficiency of the operator’s separation equipment to 99.5% and improved oil skimming from the water tank, lowering the oil in disposed water from 19 ppm to 4 ppm.

WILSA® conditioning enhances recovery at varying oil concentrations. Despite a drastic fluctuation in production fluid, WILSA’s EWC was able to consistently enhance separation efficiency, resulting in improved oil recovery as well as reduced oil in disposed water. While chemical injection systems are adjusted for average flow and fluid concentrations (making them susceptible to over & under dispensing of chemicals when production rates fluctuate), WILSA® technologies are indifferent varying oil-in-water levels, pressures and flow rates, leading to improved recovery and % effectiveness.
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