Mubarraz area which is located in the center of the giantGhawar field in Saudi Arabia has several wet crude handlingfacilities referred to as gas oil separating plants or GOSPs.These GOSPs process Arabian Light crude and their primaryfunction is to separate oil, water and gas. In the past it hasbeen observed that the usage of demulsifier varies from GOSPto GOSP. Some GOSPs, like GOSP-2, consume higher dosageof demulsifier compared to the other GOSPs. At the request ofoperations engineering personnel, and in partnership withthem, a research study was initiated to investigate the causesof variable demulsifier usage in GOSPs, factors that stabilizethese emulsions, and to evaluate the relative performance ofdemulsifiers. The primary objective of this study was tooptimize the use of demulsifier in GOSPs while meeting crudeand water specifications.This paper provides results of an investigative studyconducted to determine the causes of tight emulsions inGOSPs. The emulsions from different GOSPs werecharacterized in terms of their tightness using EmulsionSeparation Index1. The study has also determined the causesof emulsion tightness in these GOSPs. These include crude oiltemperature at the GOSP, percentage of wells squeezed withscale inhibitor, and overall GOSP watercuts. Based on theseresults several recommendations have been made to optimizedemulsifier usage, ways to reduce emulsion tightness inMubarraz field and test promising demulsifiers that shouldresult in cost savings. The paper describes the partnership withoperations and production engineering to optimize demulsifierusage at the GOSPs.
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