09-858 2753 udps@udps.com.my

Supply Integrity Chemical

Supply Integrity Chemical

SPECIALTY CHEMICALS

 

Upstream Downstream Process & Services Sdn Bhd (UDPS) has a comprehensive product portfolio to address flow assurance, integrity management, and fluid separation in the Upstream Oil & Gas industry. Reducing costs, while paying strict attention to health, safety, and environmental issues, is critical. Our product formulations are continually assessed to provide the safest products available, while ensuring that the products perform in a cost-competitive fashion.

UDPS’ product solutions leverage historical strengths, including differentiating technologies, strategic partnerships, chemical feed automation and equipment, expert service teams, remote and onsite monitoring, and complementary products and services from the larger UDPS’ portfolio.

 

Integrity Management

Corrosion Inhibitors

In oil and gas production, corrosion of flowlines and equipment ranks as the number one cost driver. There are many factors that impact corrosion – some that are easily controlled and some that are almost impossible to control. Contributing factors of corrosion include the composition of produced and injected water, bacterial by-products, gas composition, impurities in the oil, oxygen entering the system, temperature, and pressure conditions, use of dissimilar metals, fluid flow conditions, solids (abrasion), electrical charges, chemicals, and additives used to stimulate production and more.

Corrosion reduces the effective life of the equipment and can lead to Premature equipment failure, Safety hazards due to leaks and spills, EHS fines, and System shut-ins.

UDPS provides a wide variety of corrosion inhibitors that are applied based on fit-for-use within a system. These include Water or oil-soluble chemistries utilizing an extensive array of chemical types, Encapsulated products for long-life protection, Products that withstand high shear, high temperature and high pressure, Inhibitors that are certified as safe for use in deepwater umbilical injection to meet or exceed flow assurance needs, Chemicals that are applied downhole, surface or pipeline, Inhibitors designed to reduce stress-related corrosion and Lubricants to reduce friction/abrasion corrosion.

 

Biocides

Bacterial contamination of oil and gas production systems is a serious production challenge. Bacteria may have been introduced in many ways and over many years—drilling well completions, reinjection of produced waters for pressure maintenance, EOR projects, workovers, hot oil/water treatments, etc. It’s often impossible to determine the cause, but once bacteria take up residence in a reservoir or production system, they are difficult to eliminate. The good news is that with UDPS’ chemical treatments, bacteria-related issues can be controlled and production issues reduced.

It’s important to assess the locations of the bacteria in a system. UDPS’ technical teams will collect samples of fluids and conduct tests to identify and numerate the types of bacteria in a production system. Based on the finding, select chemistries and mechanical solutions are used to attack the bacteria where they reside. Some colonies of bacteria take root on the surfaces of the pipe, and over time build a protective layer that allows them to thrive. Some take root inside storage tanks, where they metabolize organic acid and inorganic ions to produce noxious gases.

Some benefits involved in biocide control include the Reduction of fouling from iron sulfide, Reduction of sour oil and gas production, and Reduced levels of H2S, which cause real safety concerns when it accumulates in equipment and ponds.

 

Flow Assurance

Scale Inhibition

Oilfield reservoirs contain brines in equilibrium at reservoir pressures and temperatures. As the reservoir is produced, the delicate balance is changed. Temperatures often drop and pressure and gases are released, often affecting pH and stability of the brines. Brines may have been saturated at initial conditions, but become supersaturated under the dynamics of production. When this occurs, the crystallization process begins, eventually forming mineral scale deposition at nucleation sites throughout the production system.

When the scale adheres, problems occur, including Producing channels in the reservoir becoming plugged, well perforations being blocked, Pumps loading with the scale and failing, Tubing becoming plugged with scale, reducing fluid flow, Valves becoming coated with scale and failure to function, Equipment and heat exchangers become scale coated, lose efficiency and eventually fail and Saltwater injection and disposal wells plug off with mineral scale.

 

Paraffin (wax) Inhibitors and Dispersants

Paraffin is an important and valuable component of oil and gas hydrocarbon production. It may be present in trace amounts (<0.5%) up to as much as 50% of the total hydrocarbon production volume in some fields. The most critical and difficult aspect of producing paraffinic crude is to keep the paraffin in solution from the reservoir to the refinery, where it can be processed into valuable petrochemical products.

Paraffin has a tendency to crystalize and form deposits after changes in pressure and temperature. Every location in the system is at risk for paraffin deposition downstream of where the oil reaches its wax appearance temperature (WAT)—the location where wax crystals first appear. The WAT could be in the reservoir, in the near wellbore area, past the perforations in the production tubing, pumps or valves, in surface flow lines and headers, in tanks and separation equipment, and so forth. When wax deposits form, they grow and grow, eventually blocking pore spaces and production tubing, plugging valves and pumps, causing separation issues.

In some instances, wax will co-precipitate with mineral scale and asphaltene, making the removal process extremely complex.

 

 

 

 

Production Optimization

Defoamers

A challenge in several areas, including separation systems, dehydration units, H2S/CO2 scrubbers, and in-water treatment systems. When foam forms, there is the potential for spills due to overflowing, process disruptions and liquid carryover, in addition to the reduction in the capacity of the treating system.

UDPS has two types of foam control agents based on the prevention of foam or actively breaking foam issues:

Anti-foamers, which work to prevent foam from forming by producing reduced surface tension at the gas/liquid interface. This helps to thin the foam and causes it to break before it becomes an issue. These products are applied ahead of the unit with the foaming issue.

Defoamers, which are applied to foam that has already formed, eliminating the foam and getting the system back to normal operations. Both of these product types are designed to disperse rapidly in the fluids and foam at a low dosage rate, providing completed control of foaming issues. They are proven effective over a wide range of system operating conditions and are compatible with other chemicals in your system. If you have foaming issues, our local field service team can help identify the threat and provide the best application method to maintain efficiency in separation equipment and scrubbers.

 

For any inquiries regarding our Specialty Chemicals Supply and Services, kindly email to udps@udps.com.my.