SECTION TITLEPRODUCTION • PROCESSING • HANDLING
Why coarse filtration is the first line of defence in protecting oil and gas processes
R.P. Adams’ coarse filtration system for the oil and gas sector
through injection wells to push residual oil to operating wells. Deepwater rigs may prefilter seawater to
remove solids before further filtration for uses ranging from enhanced oil recovery, to heat exchangers, to producing potable water. Upstream, when oil is produced liquid separation is used to separate produced water from the oil. Coarse filtration may be needed during the produced water treatment. In downstream applications, coarse filtration may be 125-3,200 microns. Refineries often prefilter raw water from lakes, rivers and aquifers to remove organic, aquatic and other solids, which allows fresh water to be used as process and cooling water. In cooling towers, filtration can improve cooling efficiency while reducing fouling and plugging. In process equipment, the removal of suspended scale and debris
from heat exchangers and cooling systems can prevent the clogging of equipment and
nozzles. “Without adequate coarse filtering
of process fluids, oil and gas systems can be susceptible to expensive damage from large particulates,” says Glenn Mountain, general manager at R.P. Adams, a US-based manufacturer of industrial filtration equipment. “Raw or produced water that is not adequately
F
or the oil and gas industry, coarse filtration of various fluids is critical to ensure reliable production, extend the life of a wide variety of upstream
and downstream equipment, and increase the intervals between backwashing or necessary maintenance. Upstream, production wells often use coarse filtration (from 30-100 microns) to remove sand, solids or debris during secondary phase waterflooding, where clean filtered water is introduced into a rock layer
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pre-filtered can cause excessive fouling, leading to decreased production as well as costly, premature replacement and unscheduled production downtime.” Fortunately, a growing number of oil and gas industry professionals are ensuring more reliable production with superior water or process fluid quality by using low maintenance, multi-element, automatic self-cleaning strainers. Tis approach provides a more effective first line of defence against equipment damage and downtime.
ADVANCED FILTRATION
OPTIMISING PROCESS RELIABILITY AND PRODUCTION Historically, the oil and gas industry has used certain types of sand or media filters, centrifugal separators and basket type strainers for coarse filtration. However, in many cases these have a number of shortcomings, including susceptibility to fouling and damage, which can require frequent cleaning, maintenance and early replacement. “Whether for upstream or downstream processes, the industry wants to keep production going 24/7,” says Mountain. “So the goal is to avoid equipment damage, process interruption and having to pay maintenance technicians to open up filters for cleaning when they get dirty.” In response, many oil and gas industry
professionals now rely on multi-element, automatic self-cleaning strainers. R. P. Adams first introduced this technology in the 1960s, and now has over 10,000 installations. Tis design provides an alternative to sand and media filters, centrifugal separators and basket type strainers. Unlike those designs, the multi-element, automatic self-cleaning strainers can provide continuous removal of suspended solids. When used as the ‘first line of defence’ for oil/gas water or fluid filtration, the strainers can reliably filter out sand, silt and other suspended solids as small as 30-100 microns in size. A significant feature of the multi- element design is in the engineering of the backwash mechanism, which enhances reliability. With many traditional strainers, the backwash mechanism comes into direct contact with the straining media. Tis can be problematic, as large, suspended solids often encountered with raw or produced water can become lodged between the straining media and the backwash assembly. Te result is straining media damage and/ or rupture that can compromise filtration and even other downstream equipment, hindering production. Instead, the multi- element design uses a tube sheet to separate the straining media from the backwash mechanism. Tis prevents the backwash
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