Successful field application of chemical flow improvers in pipeline transportation of highly paraffinic crude oil in Kazakhstan

Successful field application of chemical flow improvers in pipeline transportation of highly paraffinic crude oil in Kazakhstan Michael Zettlitzer Michael Zettlitzer RWE-DEA AG Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE European Petroleum Conference, Paris, France, October 2000. Paper Number: SPE-65168-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/65168-MS Published: October 24 2000 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Zettlitzer, Michael. "Successful field application of chemical flow improvers in pipeline transportation of highly paraffinic crude oil in Kazakhstan." Paper presented at the SPE European Petroleum Conference, Paris, France, October 2000. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/65168-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE Europec featured at EAGE Conference and Exhibition Search Advanced Search AbstractIn autumn 1998, an international consortium started the continuous production of highly paraffinic crude oil in a newly developed field in Central Kazakhstan. Due to the crude s high pour point and the related high viscosity at low temperatures, intensive laboratory investigations had to be carried out before production start-up to find an effective method for flow improvement in winter conditions. Duly considering technical and economic aspects, it was decided to use chemical flow improvers for transportation through the 60 km pipeline to the neighbouring oil field and from there to the refinery 700 km away.Out of 18 flow improvers tested in the laboratory, only a handful proved to be suitable for this specific crude. The pour point was lowered from +17 to -5°C and viscosity at 10°C was reduced from several thousand mPa*s to about 14mPa*s. In spite of the significant flow improvement, yield stress remained high (~60Pa), even for properly inhibited oil whenever the crude was cooled down statically, whereas, after dynamic cooling, yield stress was nearly negligible. Thus, special precautions had to be developed for potential phases of export stops.Field application of the selected flow improver fully confirmed the encouraging lab results: the measured pressure drop across the pipeline - under laminar as well as turbulent flow conditions - very closely coincided with the values derived from calculations based on lab viscosity (and yield stress) measurements. Furthermore, pour point could be permanently kept far below zero. Regular pipeline pigging provided, uninterrupted production could be achieved without major technical problems even at surface temperatures of well below -20°C.A special task not yet fully mastered is the adaption of flow improver implementation to the standards and test procedures of the Kazakh authorities and pipeline organizations. This is especially true of pour point and viscosity measurements.IntroductionThe Akshabulak oil field is located in Central Kazakhstan. The Kazgermunai joint venture which is responsible for the field operations consists of the two German oil companies RWE-DEA and EEG, the Canadian company Hurricane and the IFC, an institution of the World Bank Group. Akshabulak oil field is located about 60 km south of Kumkol oil field which is connected to a local refinery via a 700 km long pipeline (Fig. 1). It was early on decided to build a pipeline from Akshabulak to Kumkol and enter the existing pipeline system in Kumkol in order to bring Akshabulak crude to the market. However, Akshabulak crude proved to be highly paraffinic and therefore highly viscous at low temperatures so that a thorough investigation was initiated to assure proper transport in winter conditions.Characterization of Akshabulak oil field and crudeThe Akshabulak oil field produces from relatively clean, weakly consolidated Jurassic sandstones. The main reservoir parameters are summarized in Tab. 1. Continuous production started in autumn 1998 and currently, the production capacity of the field from 8 wells (Fig. 2) is in the order of about 2,000 t/d with an expected increase to twice that number in the coming years.Akshabulak crude is a light oil with a density of 815 kg/m3 (42°API). The composition is shown in the gas chromatogram (Fig. 3). The sulfur content is comparatively low (0.11 weight %). Heavy metals are only present in very low amounts. Keywords: pour point, akshabulak crude, crude oil, application, viscosity, paraffin inhibitor, crude, chemical flow improver, successful field application, flow improvement Subjects: Pipelines, Flowlines and Risers, Flow Assurance, Precipitates (paraffin, asphaltenes, etc.) This content is only available via PDF. 2000. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.

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