Control of inorganic sulphate and carbonate scales with polymer, phosphonate and phosphate ester scale inhibitors is well established within the oilfield service industry. Less well understood is the potential for synergistic interactions with blends of polymers/phosphonates/phosphate esters to give reduced treatment rates, lower chemical discharge volumes and potentially lower treatment cost specifically for carbonate scale control. In this paper selection and field trial application of such a synergistic blend is presented to control severe scaling within produced fluid heaters on a North Sea platform. Dynamic scale loop (DSL) tests were carried out to evaluate inhibition of a range of single component inhibitors before blends of these chemicals including biopolymer/phosphonate and carboxylic acid functionalized polymer/phosphonate were evaluated to try to reduce the inhibitor concentration required to control both calcium carbonate (saturation ratio, SR 550, mass 1100mg/l) and barium sulphate (SR 55, mass 450mg/l) scale formation. For this challenging carbonate (milder sulphate) scale environment at high temperature (105°C), it was observed that a blend of a polymer (carboxylic acid functionalized polymer) and currently applied low molecular weight phosphonate was more effective than either of the components by themselves, suggesting synergistic interaction. Results from the initial field trial of the synergistic blend are presented with monitoring methods outlined to confirm that the formulation is as effective as the laboratory evaluated tests suggested. The initial trial started at the incumbent products injection rate for 1 week with differential pressure across the production and test heaters carefully trended (along with fluid flow rate and fluid heating performance) to confirm scale control prior to a 20% reduction in treatment rate being applied for 1 week with a further reduction of 40% of the incumbent being applied for another 7 days prior to the incumbent chemical being reinstated to allow review of the trial formulations performance. Along with differential pressure trending scaling ions, suspended solids assessment via environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and measurement of inhibitor concentration within the produced water was carried out to ensure scale control was effective. The current regulatory challenges with REACH (registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals) mean that the methods outlined in this study offer the potential to reduce chemical treatment rate, cost and environmental impact by evaluating the synergistic interaction of the current range of commercially available environmentally suitable scale inhibitors and therefore eliminating the very high registration costs/ time delays to the market associated with new inhibitor molecule development.
An essential part of any scale squeeze management strategy for any oilfield is the capability to accurately and precisely determine the residual scale inhibitor concentration in the produced fluids. These data in combination with ion analysis and well productivity index are essential to determine the lifetime efficiency of scale squeeze treatments. For sub-sea wells comingled in the same flowline this presents a significant challenge due to mixed brine composition in the flowline and the requirements to analyse multiple families of scale squeeze inhibitors in the same sample without interference from the continuously injected wellhead/topside scale inhibitors and any other production chemicals that maybe applied.In recent years the use of environmentally acceptable polymeric scale squeeze inhibitors has increased. The accurate and precise analysis of polymers has proved to be difficult and a toolbox of advanced scale inhibitor analysis techniques has therefore been developed to improve scale management capability in sub-sea fields. 1 This technology is based upon a range of novel analysis techniques, including Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS), which have demonstrated the feasibility to detect multiple families of scale inhibitors at low levels with improved confidence along with the potential for squeezing wells co-mingled at the same flowline with different scale inhibitors. This was not considered possible before and recent refinements have been targeted towards the specific challenges on the Norne field, where it was required to detect three different polymeric scale squeeze inhibitors in the same flow line sample in the presence of the continuously applied wellhead and topside polymeric scale inhibitor. This paper presents brief details of the progress made with new analysis techniques and highlights the application benefits of the implementation of these novel scale inhibitor analysis techniques in the Norne field. Data will be presented from a proof of concept study for squeezing three sub-sea wells co-mingled in the same flowline with three different polymeric scale squeeze inhibitors, namely, a phosphorus containing polyamine, a phosphorus tagged quaternary amine terpolymer and a phosphorus tagged sulphonated copolymer all in the presence of the wellhead/topside sulphonate/carboxylate copolymer. The implications of different detection limits for the three different polymers on the individual well treatment lifetimes and re-squeeze frequency will also be discussed.
An essential part of any scale squeeze management strategy for any oilfield is the capability to accurately and precisely determine the residual scale inhibitor concentration in the produced fluids. These data in combination with ion analysis and well productivity index are essential to determine the lifetime efficiency of scale squeeze treatments. For sub-sea wells comingled in the same flowline this presents a significant challenge due to mixed brine composition in the flowline and the requirements to analyse multiple families of scale squeeze inhibitors in the same sample without interference from the continuously injected wellhead/topside scale inhibitors and any other production chemicals that maybe applied. In recent years the use of environmentally acceptable polymeric scale squeeze inhibitors has increased. The accurate and precise analysis of polymers has proved to be difficult and a toolbox of advanced scale inhibitor analysis techniques has therefore been developed to improve scale management capability in sub-sea fields.1 This technology is based upon a range of novel analysis techniques, including Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS), which have demonstrated the feasibility to detect multiple families of scale inhibitors at low levels with improved confidence along with the potential for squeezing wells co-mingled at the same flowline with different scale inhibitors. This was not considered possible before and recent refinements have been targeted towards the specific challenges on the Norne field, where it was required to detect three different polymeric scale squeeze inhibitors in the same flow line sample in the presence of the continuously applied wellhead and topside polymeric scale inhibitor. This paper presents brief details of the progress made with new analysis techniques and highlights the application benefits of the implementation of these novel scale inhibitor analysis techniques in the Norne field. Data will be presented from a proof of concept study for squeezing three sub-sea wells co-mingled in the same flowline with three different polymeric scale squeeze inhibitors, namely, a phosphorus containing polyamine, a phosphorus tagged quaternary amine terpolymer and a phosphorus tagged sulphonated copolymer all in the presence of the wellhead/topside sulphonate/carboxylate copolymer. The implications of different detection limits for the three different polymers on the individual well treatment lifetimes and re-squeeze frequency will also be discussed.
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