The future of separator control and optimisation

The TRACERCO Profiler™

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“You cannot control whatyou cannot measure.”Lord Kelvin

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Contents

Trust TRACERCO to bring you the complete solution 4

How The TRACERCO Profiler™ works 5

Cost effective installation, low maintenance and safe operation 6

Increase oil production, reduce chemical usage and prevent overboard spills 7

The TRACERCO Profiler™ in action 8

At last you have total control 10

The TRACERCO Profiler™ for desalter optimization 12

The TRACERCO Profiler™—unlocking subsea potential 14

Specifications 15

The TRACERCO Profiler™ customer list 16

The TRACERCO advantage 18

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Trust TRACERCO to bring you thecomplete solution

From the North Sea and North America to the South China Seas,

from the Far East to West Africa, oil companies including BP,

Chevron, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Kerr McGee, StatoilHydro,

ConocoPhillips, Talisman, ADCO, CNOOC, PetroCanada, Syncrude,

Total, Woodside, Pemex and Petrobras have all benefited in from

improved production, reduced cost and better environmental

performance due to The TRACERCO Profiler™.

Conventional separator instruments were designed to give a single

point measurement not a profile. Conventional methods cannot

register sand, emulsion or foam. Incorrect separation information can

cause a high concentration of oil to be carried through the water

outlet, overloading downstream de-oiling equipment and causing oil

to be discharged to sea. Conversely, this can allow too high a

concentration of water to be carried over with the oil phase and

hence cause downstream knock-on separation problems.

Additionally, foam carry over through the gas outlet can cause rapid

build up in downstream flare liquid knock out vessels. Sand

accumulation reduces the working volume of the vessel and

therefore its efficiency. Excessive amounts of costly and

environmentally unfriendly anti-foam and de-emulsifying agents

must be added to ensure a safe margin and generally the plant does

not operate to its design capability. All of these problems can result

in unnecessary trips, production and environmental problems.

In contrast the Profiler not only measures the interfaces but the

extent of phase dispersion, that is, the quality of the interface

between phases. It brings you the complete solution.

Over the course of 50 years, Tracerco has grown to become a world

leader in radioisotope technology to measure, diagnose and analyse

critical process parameters for the oil and gas industry. Tracerco is

part of Johnson Matthey, the global catalyst and technology

company. Today, Tracerco remains committed to its founding principle

to harness its scientific skills to provide unique solutions to its

customers. A double winner of the prestigious UK Queen’s Award for

Enterprise in Innovation and International Trade. Tracerco continues

to be a vibrant force in creating the future for process control and

optimisation.

In separator applications, the multi-award winning TRACERCO

Profiler™ supersedes the traditional methods which attempt to mimic

the interface between oil and water within vessels.

The TRACERCO Profiler™ measures in real time and high

resolution the vertical distribution of all phases within a separator.

This information gives operators the confidence to exert optimum

control, turning problems into opportunities:

• optimizing throughput

• cutting chemical costs

• eliminating maintenance

• keeping a clean environmental record.

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How The TRACERCO Profiler™ works The information is converted into serial data and sent via fibre optic

cable to the plant computer. The fluid density at each point can then

be depicted in real time on a screen in the control room..

For the first time ever you can see a complete profile of the

distribution 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-up

The image below shows The TRACERCO Profiler™ insitu in a topsides

separator vessel.

Profiler

Gas out

Weir

Water out Oil out

Inlet: oil/water/gas/sand

Foam Oil Emulsion Water Sand

Tracerco’s instrumentation had already proved its accuracy and

reliability onshore in vessels for more than 20 years when the

technology was applied to refinery separator measurement and control.

The TRACERCO Profiler™ for topside applications comprises two or

three dip-pipes installed within the separator through a single nozzle.

A narrow dip-pipe holds a vertical array of low energy gamma

emitters. The other dip-pipe(s) holds a corresponding array of

gamma detectors. Each detector is matched to the gamma emitter

in the same plane.

The emitter directs radiation to be picked up by the detector through

the fluid within the separator. Due to oil, water, sand, foam and

emulsion all having different densities, they attenuate the signal

passing through them by different amounts. The density registered

by each tube is transmitted to a signal-processing unit housed in

the dome above the dip-pipes.

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Cost effective installation, lowmaintenance and safe operation

Installation

Each system, complete with field and safe area equipment, is custom

designed to fit particular processing conditions. We will discuss with

your engineering and operations staff the protocols, displays, running

speed and all other specification details so that we can configure the

output of the Profiler to your control systems.

Installation topsides requires a single nozzle on your vessel, there are

no valves, no bridles, no stilling wells, no heat tracing, no vents or

drains. A single Profiler can replace multiple conventional

instruments, saving you space, weight, design and installation time.

Following factory acceptance tests, the Profiler is installed at a

convenient vessel outage. Our worldwide network of experienced

support engineers will carry out testing and commissioning. For a

new build application, designed for the next fifteen to twenty years,

the Profiler gives operations the complete picture and not just a

single point measurement.

Maintenance

There 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 without

depressurizing the vessel or shutting down the process. Operator

and maintenance intervention is negligible.

Safety

The Profiler is certified for use in hazardous areas where

flammable gases may occur. Each detector system is supplied

through a galvanic isolator housed in the safe area. The data signal is

via fibre optic links. The system uses a sealed radiation source similar

to that used in a domestic smoke alarm. Radiation cannot be

detected anywhere on the outside of the separator, even when the

vessel is empty. Source isolation for vessel entry is a simple external

lever operation.

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Increase oil production, reducechemical usage and preventoverboard spills

In what part of the offshore oil production process would greaterinformation yield the biggest benefits? This was the question weasked major oil producing companies.

The greatest wish was for a way to see precisely what was happening

inside the separator vessels. We responded with the greatest step

forward in separator measurement and control in 50 years:

The TRACERCO Profiler™.

The feedback identified the separation process as the key; “Let’s face

it, the basic function of an offshore installation is simply to separate

oil from the produced water and pump the valuable part back to

shore. Any advances in this process would be welcome”.

Lack of accurate measurement of the levels of oil and water—as well

as any sand, emulsion, foam, naphthenic acids, asphaltenes and

scales, meant that facilities are operated at less than their design

capability. As a result output was suffering; spend was high on effect

chemicals; maintenance was intensive; and there was a high risk of

discharging oily water to the sea.

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Chevron Kuito

The Kuito field lies within the offshore Cabinda Province in Angola’s

deep-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 oil

production trains with a throughput of 100,000 barrels of oil per day.

Horizontal, gravity separation vessels are used to separate oil and

gas from produced water and solids. Following production start-up,

separation problems began to emerge, these were manifested in

numerous process upsets and shutdowns. Kuito oil can form

emulsions quickly and calcium naphthenate, or ‘Kuito Gunk’ as it is

referred to on the FPSO, is produced at higher temperatures and if

allowed to cool, solidifies. The traditional point instrumentation was

unable to detect these emulsion and naphthenate layers resulting in

the instrumentation becoming fouled and ceasing to function.

The Profilers were retro-fitted to three vessels and operations were

then able to identify the different layers within the separators. This

enabled oil production uptime to be increased and chemicals,

emulsion breakers and de-foamers, to be pro-actively dosed before

the plant became unstable.

Feedback

“The Profilers have proved not only to be totally reliable and trouble

free but also a very important tool for managing the levels within the

process. Because the Profilers clearly identify the emulsion phase

within the vessels we are quickly alerted to any adverse shift in

chemical dosage rates and are then able to do something about it in

a proactive manner.

Prior to the installation of the Profilers, we would often find ourselves

in an unstable or trip condition before we realised there was a

problem with the chemicals. This is a huge advantage, being able to

optimise chemical injection i.e. not needlessly over-dosing expensive

chemicals. There is absolutely no doubt that we have kept the plant

running longer and have sustained fewer plant trips since installation

of this equipment.”

The TRACERCO Profiler™ in action

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Figure 1 Vessel mimic. Operator can see different phases. Note downstreamof the weir the conventional instrument does not register the foam leveland gives a slightly incorrect measurement.

Figure 2. Screen shot showing vessel ‘A’ at start up, note the large waterlayer and the small build-up of foam on top of the water.

Figure 3. 12 minutes later, note oil has been introduced and the large build-up of foam.

Figure 4. 6 minutes later, de-foamer chemical injected and foam level is falling.

Figure 5. 1 hour 39 minutes later showing foam level has gone; note thatthere is not a clean interface. The residence time or emulsion breakerdosage needs adjusting.

Figure 6. 2 hours 47 minutes later showing full production. Note the flatprofile of the water layer and oil layer. Operations can be confident that atthis residence time no more separation is taking place. There is opportunityto increase flow, or reduce chemical injection.

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ConocoPhillips – Kuparuk North Slope Alaska

Located on the Arctic Coastal Plain, the Kuparuk facility is the

second largest oilfield in North America. When ConocoPhillips

brought on a new field with viscous oil and high solids content,

the 1st Stage production separator needed upgrading. The original

separator utilised displacers and differential pressure cells for

both oil and interface measurements and had also been fitted

with guided wave radar instrumentation.

In an environment where extreme winter temperatures of minus

60°F are the norm, high reliability and maintenance-free

operation is crucial when specifying instruments. ConocoPhillips

wanted to see how various level measurement technologies

performed under these conditions while also dealing with oil

production that is difficult to separate.

Feedback

The TRACERCO Profiler™ was the only technology able to measure

interface and level reliably and accurately. The Profiler has been

extremely helpful in identifying emulsion build-up, allowing the

operator to attack the issue quickly with chemicals.

The operator has also been able to improve the interface control

tuning on the water outlet valves. Sand monitoring capability was an

unexpected benefit. Operations suspected they would be able to

see sand production, but results have exceeded expectations. The

operator anticipated sand-jetting the vessel about once per week,

but with the new viscous oil field producing more solids than

expected, knowing when to sand jet has been a huge advantage.

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Figure 1. Vessel CPF1 Primary level. Screen shot showing 12-hour trend of all phases.Note sand build-up from 0 to 15% level over this 12-hour period.

Figure 2. Screen shot showing actual levels for sand, water, emulsion, oil andfoam plus the trend from the previous hour.

Figure 3. Screen shot showing actual profile quality for separation for sand, water,emulsion, oil and foam. Note lack of defined oil / water interface causes radar to fail.

Figure 4. Screen shot showing 6 hour trend. Note sand washing is now in operationreducing the sand level to 0%.

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Within many refineries, there is a growing tendency to process

heavier crudes or blend these into lighter feedstocks. During crude

oil refining it is advantageous to optimize the blend to reduce overall

feedstock costs whilst at the same time ensuring the final mix can be

adequately processed with minimal upset. One of the fundamental

needs is the efficient separation of water from the crude using a

desalter after water washing the feedstock to reduce salt levels.

Using The TRACERCO Profiler™ within a desalter has allowed a

number of measurable benefits to be realised which include;

• The ability to process lower quality crudes with enhanced margin

for refined products

• The elimination of process upsets resulting from water carryover

or oil carry under from the desalter vessel

• Optimize upstream desalter mixing to enhance salt removal from

downstream vessels thus reducing corrosion and deposit issues

• Operator confidence to run the interface level closer to the lower

electrostatic grid thus optimizing separation of difficult blends

• Reduced production losses due to difficult to treat crude

At last you have complete control

For the first time, the operator can tell how much solid/sludge has

built up within the desalter vessel, assess what effect this is having on

throughput, and jet wash the separator to rid it of the problem.

The TRACERCO Profiler™ also makes possible the optimum use of

effect chemicals. It will not only detect the presence of emulsion but

its dispersion. Again for the first time, the operator can see the effect

of a dose of asphaltene dispersant or de-emulsifier, and therefore

add only the minimum amount to achieve the desired effect.

As well as saving money, this reduces the amounts of chemical used

and allows the choice of chemicals to be optimised.

The TRACERCO Profiler™ forDesalter Optimization

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The TRACERCO Profiler™ can handle any crude oil specification and has

provided almost immediate payback in refinery desalter applications.

Tracerco was requested to help a major oil and gas operator prevent

unplanned shutdowns during the refining of crude oil. Tracerco was

able to develop its existing Profiler unit to withstand the elevated

operating temperatures typically experienced within a desalter.

Tracerco’s in-house development capability of leading edge scientists

and physicists was used to produce, test and commission a new

instrument with suitable design specification to meet a planned

shutdown at the refinery.

To optimise the performance of a desalter, emulsion breaking

chemicals are added to the incoming crude to assist in oil/water

separation. The continuous change of oil/water concentrations make it

very difficult to optimize the process and if salt crystals reach a

distillation column, the damage could be extensive.

With the view inside the vessel, the Profiler gave the operators

confidence in the operation of the vessel and allowed the operations

team to raise the oil / water interface higher in the vessel near to

the electrostatic grid. Once this was achieved, a much smaller

emulsion layer with a clean water outlet and no process upsets were

quickly observed.

Since being installed, the Profiler has eliminated all unplanned

desalter shutdowns at the refinery, enabling the company to

dramatically increase the number of barrels it can refine per day and

significantly reduce chemical usage.

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The TRACERCO Profiler™–unlocking subsea potential

The future of oil recovery lies in accessing increasingly complicated

reserves. In many applications seabed processing holds the key. This

presents many challenges including providing robust and reliable real

time information about key process parameters.

Tracerco has been involved in the revolutionary application of its

award winning Profiler technology for use in the first commercial

seabed processing plant.

Seabed processing

In the Tordis SSBI system delivered to Statoil by FMC Technologies,

Tracerco has provided six subsea Profiler instruments which give

indispensable operational information for measurement and control

of separators. Used to enable reliable two phase separation as well

as sand measurement ,the Profiler technology employed is already

capable of providing for the future needs of subsea separation. Each

Profiler supports the configuration of up to 6 specific phase

classifications which typically include sand, water, emulsion, water

and foaming measurements.

The subsea Profilers are qualified to ISO13628 and manufactured to

exacting NORSOK standards.

The benefits of the proven TRACERCO Profiler™ technology have now been taken subsea to provide the ultimate marriage betweenperformance, reliability and the environment.

Tordis SSBI delivered to Statoil by FMC Technologies

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SpecificationsModel PRI156/146 series PRI 176 series

Topsides and Onshore SubseaPerformanceLevel of accuracy +/-1% +/-1%

Density range 0-3000Kg/m 0-3000Kg/m

Max no. of density points Up to 150 Custom

Update interval 1 to 15 seconds 1 to 15 seconds

ElectricalSafety code EEx ib IIC T4 Not applicable

Operating temperature -20°C to +125°C -20°C to +125°C

Hazardous area approvals ATEX, FM, CSA Not applicable

CE standards Shock/Fire hazard conforms to BS EN 61010 Electromagnetic compatibility complies withcomplies with EMC Directive 89/336/EEC EMC Directive 89/336/EEC

Power requirement 100mA _ 10 volts DC 100mA _ 10 volts DC

Output from head MODBUS, Full duplex fibre optic communications link RS232/485 signal

Standard PLC option Allen Bradley Flexlogix Allen Bradley Flexlogix

Standard communications protocol Allen Bradley Ethernet CIP or DF1 Allen Bradley Ethernet CIP or DF1

Optional outputs Active 4–20mA analogue, digital volt free alarm Active 4–20mA analogue, digital volt free alarm

Intrinsically safe interfacesPower Galvanic isolator giving 100mA 10volts Not applicable

DC Isolator supply 14–35volts DC (24VDC nom.)

MechanicalVessel nozzle size Will fit 2” and greater Custom (retrievable or fixed)

Dip-pipe casing Titanium (suitable for sour service NACE MR-01-75) Superduplex (standard) or to customer specification

Operating pressure 115 Barg standard, 185 Barg UHP version 345 Barg standard, Water depth 3,000 m

Probe operating temp +125°C standard, +200°C with cooling jacket +125°C standard(subject to operating pressure)

Design code PD5500, ASME VIII Norsok M601, M650, ISO13628

Maximum Length Up to 20m* Up to 15m

Optional: *Bolt-on and split profiler options available for restricted access, applications over 12m FM Div 2.Please note: A Number of mechanical design and control system integration options are available. Please contact Tracerco for further information.

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The TRACERCO Profiler™ Customer ListADCO/Technip, Bab Field, Abu Dhabi

Agip KCO, Kashagan Field Development, Kazakhstan

Aker Kvaerner, Janice Platform, UK

Albian Sands, Albian Sands Project, Canada

BHP Billiton, Stybarrow, Australia

BP, Alaska North Slope, Alaska

BP, Cherry Point Refinery, USA

BP, Clair Platform, UK

BP, Forties Delta Platform, UK

BP, Greater Plutonio FPSO, Angola

BP, Harding Platform, UK

BP, Milne Point, Alaska

BP, Saqqara Field Project, Egypt

BP, Schiehallion, UK

BP, Schiehallion FPSO, UK

BP, Texas City, USA

BP, Valhall Platform, Norway

Chevron, Alba Northern Platform, UK

Chevron, Benguela Belize CPT, Angola

Chevron, Blind Faith, Gulf of Mexico

Chevron, Frade, Brazil

Chevron/SBM, Kuito FPSO Angola

CNR, Baobab, Ivory Coast

CNR, Horizon Oil Sands Project, Canada

CNR, Ninian Southern Platform, UK

Conoco Belanak FPSO, Indonesia

ConocoPhillips, Bohai Bay CFD FPSO, China

ConocoPhillips, Bohai Bay Phase II, China

ConocoPhillips, Ekofisk, Norway

ConocoPhillips, Kuparuk, Alaska

ConocoPhillips, North Belut, Indonesia

ConocoPhillips, PengLai 2, China

ConocoPhillips, Tahiti Project, USA

CNOOC, Nan Boa FPSO, China

ExxonMobil, Ringhorne Platform, Norway

Fluor/CNR, Horizon Oil Sands Project, Canada

FMC Kongsberg, Tordis SSBI, Norway

KBR, Tombua Landana, Angola

Kerr McGee, Leadon GPIII FPSO, UK

KMG/CNOOC, Bohai Bay CFD FPSO, China

Maersk Olie Qatar, Qatar

Pemex, Chac A Platform, Gulf of Mexico

Petrobras, Cenpes, Brazil

Petrobras, P35 FPSO, Brazil

Petrobras, P37, Brazil

PetroCanada, TerraNova FPSO Project, Canada

PetroCanada/Amerada Hess, Triton FPSO, UK

Petronas, Sumandak Phase II, Malaysia

PGS/BP, Foinaven FPSO, UK

Sakhalin Energy/Shell, Sakhalin Island II, Russia

Shell PDO, Tank Terminal, Oman

Shell, Tern Alpha Platform, UK

StatoilHydro, Fram Vest Platform, Norway

StatoilHydro, Gullfaks A Platform, Norway

StatoilHydro, Heidrun Platform, Norway

StatoilHydro, Ormen Lange, Norway

StatoilHydro, Snorre TLP, Norway

StatoilHydro, Statfjord B Platform, Norway

StatoilHydro, Troll C Platform, Norway

Syncrude, Alberta Oil Sands, Canada

Talisman/Bluewater, Bleo Holm FPSO, UK

TengizChevroil, Kazakhstan

Total, Dalia FPSO, Angola

Total, Moho Bilondo FPSO Project, Replublic of Congo

Vetco Aibel, Oseberg, Norway

Woodside Petroleum, Angel Platform, Australia

Woodside Petroleum, Enfield FPSO, Australia

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The TRACERCO Advantage

For separator measurement and control

• Gives a profile of all phases, not just a single point

• Not wetted by the process, can be removed without

interrupting the process

• More cost effective to install in a new vessel than

‘conventional instruments’

• Simplify vessel design, reduction of nozzles, could justify

smaller vessel size, less possible points of leakage

• Considerable weight reduction over bridle instrumentation

• High reliability, up to 150 individual measurements.

Can be used for trip, alarm and control functions

• Suitable for SIL2 applications

• No heat tracing required

• No sand blockage

• Environmental risk reduction

• Increased production throughput with no moving parts, minimal

cost of ownership over life of asset

• Cost savings on chemical additives

• World leadership in radioisotope detection technology

• Long established understanding of the needs of the world’s

petrochemical, chemical, oil and gas industries

• Dedicated team of specialists in offshore applications

• World-wide network of sales offices

How to find out more

There is no technology available which is comparable to The TRACERCO Profiler™. If you wish to gain the competitive advantages of lower costs,

higher throughput, and clean environmental credentials we invite you to contact us for further information.

Billingham, UKTel: +44 (0) 1642 375500

Aberdeen, UKTel: +44 (0) 1224 592527

Rotterdam, The NetherlandsTel: +31 (0) 10 26 46 5 10

Oldenburg, GermanyTel: +49 441 36 11 09-0

Milan, ItalyTel: +39 02 9098997 1

Bergen, NorwayTel: +47 55 36 55 40

Perth, AustraliaTel: +61 (0) 8 9480 3718

Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTel: +603 7957 9821

Baku, AzerbaijanTel: +994 12 5141619

Shanghai, ChinaTel +86 21 57741234

Beijing, ChinaTel: +86 10 64107324 / 5

Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmeriatesTel: +971 501243144

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TRACERCO and The TRACERCO Profiler are trademarks of the Johnson Matthey Group of companies