The TRACERCO Profiler

1 The future of separator control and optimizationTheTRACERCOP rofiler You cannot controlwhatyou cannot measure. Lord KelvinContentsTrust TRACERCOto bring you the complete solution 4 How The TRACERCOP rofiler works 5 Cost effective installation, low maintenance and safe operation6 Increase oil production, reduce chemical usage and prevent overboard spills 7 The TRACERCOP rofiler in action 8At last you have total control 10 The TRACERCOP rofiler for desalter optimization 12 The TRACERCOP rofiler unlocking subsea potential14 Specifications 15 The TRACERCOP rofiler customer list 16 The TRACERCO advantage 184 Trust TRACERCOto bring you thecompletesolutionGlobally, oil companies including BP, Chevron, Shell, Exxon Mobil,Kerr McGee.

2 StatoilHydro, ConocoPhillips, Talisman, ADCO, CNOOC,PetroCanada, Syncrude, Total, Woodside, Pemex and Petrobras haveall benefited from improved production, reduced cost and betterenvironmental performance due to TheTRACERCOP rofiler .Conventional separator instruments are designed to give a singlepoint measurement not a profile. In many cases conventionalmethods cannot register sand, emulsion or foam. Incorrectseparation information can cause a high concentration of oil to becarried through with water, overloading downstream waste watertreatment systems, causing oil to be discharged to sea. Conversely,too high a concentration of water in the oil phase can causedownstream separation problems. Additionally, foam carry over withgas can cause rapid build up in downstream flare liquid knock-outvessels, affect gas scrubbing systems and possibly damagecompression equipment.

3 Sand accumulation reduces the workingvolume of the vessel and therefore its efficiency. At times excessiveamounts of expensive and environmentally detrimental anti-foamand de-emulsifying chemicals require to be added to ensure a safemargin and generally the plant does not operate to its designcapability. All of these problems can result in unnecessary trips,production inefficiencies or environmental problems. The Profiler not only measures the interfaces but the extent of phasedispersion, that is, the quality of the interface between phases. Itallows you to detect separation issues and optimize using a variety ofproduction engineering the course of 50 years, TRACERCO has grown to become a worldleader in radioisotope technology to measure, diagnose and analyzecritical process parameters for the oil and gas industry. TRACERCO ispart of Johnson Matthey, the global catalyst and technologycompany.

4 Today, TRACERCO remains committed to its founding principleto harness its scientific skills to provide unique solutions to itscustomers. A double winner of the prestigious UK Queen s Award for Enterprise in Innovation and International Trade. Tracercocontinues to be a vibrant force in creating the future for processcontrol and separator applications, the multi-award winningTRACERCOP rofiler supersedes the traditional methods which attempt tomimic interfaces between oil, water and gas within measures in real time and high resolution the vertical distribution of all phases within a information gives operators the confidence to exert optimumcontrol, turning problems into opportunities: optimizing throughput cutting chemical costs eliminating maintenance keeping a clean environmental TheTRACERCOP rofiler works The information is converted into serial data and sent via fibre opticcable to the plant computer.

5 The fluid density at each vertical point isthen depicted in real time on a screen in the control room. For the first time ever you can see a complete profile of thedistribution of fluids within the separator: the interface between water and oil or oil and gas the quality of the separation the extent of foam build-up the total liquid position the level of sand build-upThe image below shows TheTRACERCOP rofiler in situ in atopsides separator outWeirWater outOil outInlet: oil/water/gas/sandFoamOilEmulsionWaterSa ndTracerco s instrumentation had already proven its accuracy and reliabilityonshore in vessels for more than 20 years where the technology isapplied to liquid/vapor or liquid/liquid measurement and control. TheTRACERCOP rofiler for topside applications comprises two orthree dip-pipes installed within the separator through a single narrow dip-pipe holds a vertical array of low energy gammaemitters.

6 The other dip-pipe(s) holds a corresponding array ofgamma detectors. Each detector is matched to the gamma emitterin the same emitter directs radiation through the fluid within the separatordirected at any individual detector. Due to oil, water, sand, foam andemulsion all having different densities, each phase attenuates thesignal by different amounts. The density registered by each tube istransmitted to a signal-processing unit housed in the dome abovethe effective installation, lowmaintenance and safe operationInstallation Each system, complete with field and safe area equipment, is customdesigned to fit particular processing conditions. We will discuss withyour engineering and operations staff the protocols, displays, runningspeed and all other specification details so that we can configure theoutput of the Profiler to your specific control topsides requires a single nozzle on your vessel, there areno valves, no stand pipes, no stilling wells, no heat tracing, no ventsor drains.

7 A single Profiler can replace multiple conventionalinstruments, saving you space, weight, design and installation factory acceptance tests, the Profiler is installed at aconvenient vessel outage. Our worldwide network of experiencedsupport engineers will carry out testing and commissioning. MaintenanceThere are no moving parts. The working elements are inserted into titanium dip-pipes, safe from any contact with any material in the separator. Dip-pipe internals can be removed on line withoutdepressurizing the vessel or shutting down the process. Operator and maintenance intervention is Profiler is certified for use in hazardous areas where flammable gases may occur. Each detector system is suppliedthrough a galvanic isolator housed in a safe area. The data signal istransmitted via fibre optic links. The system uses a sealed radiationsource similar to that used in a domestic smoke alarm.

8 Radiationcannot be detected anywhere on the outside of the separator, evenwhen the vessel is empty. Source isolation for vessel entry is a simpleexternal lever oil production, reducechemical usage andpreventoverboard spillsIn what part of the offshore oil production process would greaterinformation yield the biggest benefits? This was the question weasked major oil producing greatest wish is a way to see precisely what is happening insidethe separator vessels. We responded with the greatest step forwardin separator measurement and control in 50 years:TheTRACERCOP rofiler .The feedback identified the separation process as the key; Let s faceit, the basic function of an offshore installation is simply to separateoil from the produced water and pump the valuable part back toshore. Any advances in this process would be welcome.

9 Lack of accurate measurement of the oil and water interface level as well as sand, emulsion, foam, naphthenate salts and asphaltenespresence mean that facilities are operated at less than their designcapability. As a result output suffers; spend is high on treatmentchemicals; maintenance is intensive; and there is a high risk ofdischarging oily water to the Kuito The Kuito field lies within the offshore Cabinda Province in Angola sdeep-water Block 14. Kuito was Angola s first deep-water oil field to come on stream in December 1999. Oil is produced via an FPSO chartered through SBM and Sonangol on behalf of operator Chevron. Kuito is a heavy oil ranging from 18 22 API. The FPSO has two oilproduction trains with a throughput of 100,000 barrels of oil per , gravity separation vessels are used to separate oil and gas from produced water and solids.

10 Following production start-up,separation problems began to emerge, these were manifested innumerous process upsets and shutdowns. Kuito oil can formemulsions quickly and calcium naphthenate, or Kuito Gunk as it isreferred to on the FPSO, is produced at higher temperatures and ifallowed to cool, solidifies. The traditional point instrumentation wasunable to detect these emulsion and naphthenate layers resulting inthe instrumentation becoming fouled and ceasing to function. The Profilers were retro-fitted to three vessels and operations werethen able to identify the different layers within the separators. Thisenabled oil production uptime to be increased and chemicals,emulsion breakers and de-foamers, to be pro-actively dosed beforethe plant became The Profilers have proved not only to be totally reliable and troublefree but also a very important tool for managing the levels within theprocess.