Bashneft Implements Unique Oilfield Water Cleaning Technology

Basheft (a part of Rosneft) has successfully completed pilot testing of water preparation hydrocyclone unit, which is used for pressure maintenance. The new technological solution allows to extract about 90% of residual oil from oilfield water. It was impossible to achieve such high results using traditional methods of water cleaning. The unique Russian hydrocyclone unit was developed in the Republic of Bashkortostan and tested at Rosneft’s enterprises for a first time.

Technological potential development is one of the key items of the Rosneft-2022 Strategy. The Company pays special attention to innovation and breakthroughs, recognising the technological leadership as an essential element for competitive performance on the oil market.

Operating principal of the cyclone unit is based on centrifugal force, which divides water and mechanical impurities from lighter crude oil. Water and particulates are removed from the hydrocyclone through outer radius towards filter. Oil is concentrated as a solid stem in the center of rotating flow, which allows to remove it backwind from the liquid flow.

While testing the hydrocyclone unit, the significantly higher degree of water cleaning was possible to reach compared to traditional tank methods. While before the tests, the residual petroleum-based products in water used for pressure maintenance was about 50 milligram per liter, then after hydrocyclone cleaning it amounted to 23 milligram per liter. The new technology allows to increase the depth of water cleaning to lowest level - 3.6 milligram per liter.

In addition, the innovative method allows to carry deep water cleaning from particulates (sand, lime, clay and other sedimentary rocks) risen with oil from production formations. While pumping formation water in the formation, suspended particulates wear out pumping equipment, decrease the intake of injection wells and, thereby, negate the effectiveness of the whole pressure maintenance system. As a result of conducted testing, all finest particulates with size of more than 10 micrometres, that is sixfold thinner than a human’s hair, were removed from the water. Such results are the unprecedented in industry of oilfield water cleaning before pumping it in formations. 

The implementation of hydrocyclone units in brown fields in Bashkortostan will help to reduce the number of injection well retrenchments, to increase the pumpimg equipment overhaul period and to decrease energy consumption. Together, these factors will lead to an increase in the production efficiency of pressure maintenance system.

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February 21, 2020