The CANMET Hydrocyclone: An Innovative Technology for the ...

ENIVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGESReduced CO 2 emissions. Reduced heating requirements reduce CO 2 emissions.Example: For the treatment of 70% water cut production, each barrel of oil produced usingconventional gravity-based systems requires the consumption of approximately 100 standard cubicfeet (SCF) of natural gas to heat the wellhead production from ambient temperature to about 65 O C.This heating releases about 5.25 kg CO 2 to the atmosphere per barrel of treated oil. Usinghydrocyclones, the separation can be achieved at 40 O C; therefore, CO 2 emissions are reduced byan estimated 25%. For a typical 7500-bpd treatment facility, this would result in a reduction ofCO 2 emissions of nearly 10 tonnes per day.Reduced site degradation. Hydrocyclone systems have a much smaller footprint than conventionaltreatment trains and are less subject to accidental spills. For environmental and safety reasons,hydrocyclone installations include shutoffs that are automatically activated in the event of a leak or processupset. Inadvertent releases of process fluids or wash water are therefore no larger than a few litres, andthese are entirely recoverable since the hydrocyclone setup incorporates a drainage pan that drains to apumpable sump. In contrast, the potential spillage of tank volumes in conventional treatment schemesrequires large containment areas that still carry the risk of harmful seepage into surface and ground waters.Clean water. CANMET hydrocyclone systems are capable of producing oil-free water streams suitable forreuse or safe disposal, thus reducing the consumption of fresh water and the negative impacts of wastewaterdisposal.ECONOMIC ADVANTAGESJoint projects with oil industry clients demonstrated that, for the treatment of produced waters, and slop oil,and oily effluents from desalters, capital and operating costs are reduced as compared to conventionalseparators (FWKO vessels, skim tanks, etc.), which are bulky and require frequent maintenance.Capital costs. Hydrocyclone systems are relatively simple in design, require much less plant space thanthe equipment they replace, and are easily transportable.Example: For deoiling refinery desalter effluent, a CANMET hydrocyclone system with a capacityof 1000 m 3 /d and standard instrumentation, the construction cost would be approximately$300,000 CAD. This is about half the cost of a conventional separator installation of matchingcapacity. For systems with larger capacities, even greater cost savings per unit volume ofthroughput can be expected.Operating costs. Operating costs are reduced in several ways: Energy inputs are reduced, the absence ofmoving parts ensures a minimum of maintenance and downtime.Example: CANMET hydrocyclone system installed at a refinery for the treatment of 500 m 3 /d ofdesalter effluent:• Operating costs for servicing of water disposal wells were reduced by 50%.• Chemical costs were reduced by 30%.• Slop production was substantially reduced and nearly all of it was transformed intosaleable oil product.Prior to the installation of the CANMET hydrocyclone system, the total average operating cost forthe above items was approximately $300,000 CAD annually. As a result of the changeover, thiswas reduced to about $200,000.In high-water-cut oil production, the reduced operating costs associated with hydrocyclones effectivelyincrease total oil recovery by extending the economic lifetime of the production wells.The Environment & Energy 2003 Conference 469