Hydrocarbon Processing - November 2021 - 69

Water Management
ably has the longest commercial history.
It is a simple, well-proven, low-cost technology.
As a method, it works well when
the oil is the continuous phase and it is
also relatively insensitive to water salinity.
Most of the systems on the market at
present can measure low percentages of
water-in-oil accurately.
Density-based water-in-oil measurement
technologies may include Coriolis,
gamma-ray or x-ray, and are popular for
multi-phase flow measurement. While
they can provide additional information,
such as flow, viscosity and density in the
case of Coriolis meters, these systems are
generally affected by the presence of gas
bubbles and solid particles. They are also
sensitive to variations in process conditions.
Overall, density-based systems present
significant uncertainty when measuring
lower level water-in-oil concentration.
Infrared absorption-based technology
covers the entire water-in-oil measurement
range. Although it is also unaffected
by changes in density, salinity or entrained
gas, it is not particularly accurate at a
lower water-in-oil concentration range.
Microwave-based technology is more accurate
for lower water-in-oil concentration
range applications; however, its high
initial cost and sensitivity to salinity must
be considered, despite its robustness.
Operational, safety, financial and
environmental impact. For fiscal or
custody transfer, inaccurate measurement
of water-in-oil will directly impact revenue.
For example, oil tankers can typically
transport between 500,000 bbl and
4 MMbbl of crude oil. For a tanker with
a capacity of 1 MMbbl of oil, a water-inoil
content of 0.5% means that as much
as 5,000 bbl of water could be present in
the tanker. At $70/bbl of oil, this means a
potential financial exposure of $350,000.
Around the world, some 90 MMbpd
of crude oil are produced globally-in
pipeline transportation and allocation,
water-in-oil content can be much higher
than 0.5%. Thus, any inaccurate waterin-oil
measurement can have a significant
impact financially to all the parties involved
(i.e., production partners, oil and
gas commodity sellers and buyers).
For oil and gas transportation using
pipelines, pipeline integrity is paramount
for operators. Corrosion-related pipeline
incidents can lead to catastrophic consequences.
For example, in 2000, the Carlsbad
Pipeline explosion in New Mexico
that killed 12 people was caused by internal
corrosion to a 30-in. natural gas
pipeline. Also, the 2006 Prudhoe Bay Oil
Spill in Alaska, in which some 267,000
gal of crude oil leaked from the pipeline,
was linked to corrosion. By accurately
FIG. 3. Most commercially available online
water-in-oil measurement instruments are
designed and constructed based on four
techniques: capacitance, density, infrared
absorption and microwave.
ON DEMAND WEBCAST
Theo Maesen
Director of R&D
Chevron Lummus Global
ISOTERRA and Biofuels ISOCONVERSION:
Advanced Pathway to Renewable Fuels
Christine Conway
Senior Principal Technology Specialist
Chevron Lummus Global
This webinar will present two options off ered by Chevron Lummus Global for producing highquality
distillate fuels from renewable sources such as algal oil, vegetable oils and used cooking
oil. CLG's novel ISOTERRA process is an all-hydroprocessing route that can be operated to
maximize yields of ASTM-approved renewable diesel or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The two-step process involves hydrodeoxygenation of the feed followed by dewaxing to meet
fi nal cold fl ow property specifi cations. The ISOTERRA process is ideal for revamping existing
hydrotreaters to renewables service as the process can be implemented in either one or two
reactor stages.
Kevin Knob
Technology Manager
Chevron Lummus Global
Our jointly developed Biofuels ISOCONVERSION process employs hydrothermal cleanup,
catalytic hydrothermolysis and hydrotreating steps to produce a high yield of diesel or jet fuel
products as desired. Biofuels ISOCONVERSION can accept lower-cost unrefi ned feeds and
consumes less hydrogen compared to all-hydroprocessing routes.
Listen for Free:
HydrocarbonProcessing.com/Webcasts
Bob Valente
Principal Process Engineer
Chevron Lummus Global
Hydrocarbon Processing | NOVEMBER 2021 69

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Hydrocarbon Processing - November 2021

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