Erick Wolfenberger, Vortoil Separation Systems, a Conoco/DuPont Company
With the imminent tightening of produced water discharge limitations, oil and gas companies have focused a great deal of attention on oil-water separators. With hundreds of process systems in place and plans of many more to be constructed in the near future, designers are searching for an effective way to upgrade and/or improve traditional processes in order to meet the requirements imposed. Meeting the oil content specifications in discharge water is the goal, but the methods of obtaining this goal in the most cost effective manner will ultimately determine the project's success. Vortoil Separation Systems (VSS, a division of Conoco Specialty Products Inc.) has designed, manufactured and sold Vortoil" hydrocyclone separators since 1989. There are over 7 million bpd of installed VSS process capacity worldwide. Vortoil separators (standard, high efficiency, low pressure, etc.) provide a superior separation and operating performance to other types of separators used for produced water treatment. The significant knowledge we have gained over the past years allows VSS to offer expertise in optimizing process systems through the use of hydrocyclones. While VSS aims to make the most efficient separators available, the approach to solving separation problems is not purely to build a more efficient separator. By taking advantage of the process design options offered by Vortoil separators, system designers have solved produced water disposal problems while reducing system costs and increasing operating efficiency.