CASPIAN ENERGY
QUATERLY ANALYTICAL JOURNAL
SPRING N 1(4) '2000
DEMULSIFICATION OF
OIL AT AZERBAIJAN OFFSHORE FIELDS BY EMULSION BREAKER
OF "ALKAN DE" SERRIES
Hasanov
Aydin Inshalla ogli. The chief of Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Group under the Institute of
Petrochemical Process of the Academy of Science of Azerbaijan. He is the
founder and General Director of “ALKAN Ltd”, a scientific-technological
association.
He was born in 1944. He graduated from Chemical
Faculty of the Leningrad State University (St.-Petersburg) and
post-graduate study at the Physical Chemistry institute under Academy of
Science of USSR (Moscow). He is the author and supervisor of a number of
scientific studies and technologies, which are of great industrial
importance. He is the author of more than 80 scientific studies,
publications, copyright certificates and patents.
Improvement of used technologies opens huge
opportunities for successful oil industry development, which is a key
element of Azerbaijan’s economy. Only serious scientific achievements
can retain advanced technology positions. So, today as a result of
researches our scientists could create a number of reagents, which stood
up to a severe competition of large-scale companies all over the world,
and they have been successfully used for several years in the oil
industry when producing and refining oil.
The oil demulsifiers created by “ALKAN Ltd”, a
scientific-technological association, can be considered amid such the
developments. These emulsion breakers are intended for breaking down
emulsified crude oil consisting of oil, water, different salts, sand and
mechanical impurities.
The emulsion, which is generated in the run of oil
production, is the main reason of big oil losses, environmental
pollution, rise in price for oil transportation and increase of energy
output when refining. Therefore, emulsion breaker is the core component
of oil production. At the present time, the usage of demulsifiers is the
requirement of the international standards and codes. The applying of
effective demulsifiers reduces the cost price for produced oil by
25-30%. Thus, the questions of initial oil treatment at the oil fields
are very important when developing the fields.
“CASPIAN ENERGY”
The oil-industry workers informed us about
your success in SOCAR on applying demulsifiers and what competition you
had to overcome. Could you please as a primary source inform us of that?
Hasanov Aydin Inshalla ogli:
Yes, today we can talk about our successes. Really, we
managed to create the oil emulsion breakers, which, according to their
properties, turned out the same, but, in a number of cases, even better
than the best demulsifiers known at present in the world. The most
important is the fact that we can select and make reagents as applied to
particular situations, fields, where other emulsion breakers are
powerless. Thereby, a factor of maximal possible usage of the raw
material and industrial potential of our republic was the main aim. We
managed to not only scientifically develop domestic emulsion breakers,
but also introduce them to the industry, build a multiple-stage
production and successfully use them. We could supersede famous
companies from the republic.
Mentioning our success it is necessary to underline
sincerely a role of two outstanding people, scientists and state figures
of the republic who played a key roles in our business: Mr. F.Sadikhoiv,
“Azerkimiya”’s President, holder of PhD, and Mr. R.Gurbanov, General
Director of Offshore Oil and Gas Production Department under SOCAR.
Thanks to their patriotism, understanding the essence of the problem
and, only due to them, we managed to set up industrial production of the
reagents and successfully apply our achievements.
- If you speak only about off-shore
fields it means that your reagents are not effective when applied
onshore?
We carry out practically no work onshore. However, I
would like to emphasize that in 1998 we have successfully completed
onshore tests, in particular, on “Buzovnaneft” oil field where the most
hard-to-separate oil is produced. Compared to famous demulsifiers we
have received excellent results and relevant conclusions have been made.
But why our reagents today are not used onshore and where the results of
tests and conclusions made are – this question is out of our competency
and I wouldn’t like to answer it.
- According to talks amid SOCAR oil-industry
workers, your reagent is a colossal achievement for not only our oil
industry. Are you going to export your reagents?
Since 1997 the Offshore Oil and Gas Production
Department under SOCAR has been using ALKANA demulsifiers. It refused to
use imported analogues of reagents, which had been utilised for more
than 30 years in Azerbaijan.
More than 80% of currency earlier spent for purchasing
foreign reagents now stays in the Republic. It should also be noted that
our industry is partially involved in the production of demulsifiers and
new working places are opened. Our productive capacity and raw material
base much more exceeds the amount of reagents required for our republic.
Therefore, even if this sounds arrogant, but it is
quite natural that we are interested in other oil production regions all
over the world. Of course, we will compete and participate in the
struggle for better place in the market. We have all reasons for that.
The point is that judging by the quality and commissioning parameters,
our reagents meet international requirements and are among the best
emulsion breakers. They provide full and quick separation of water,
salts, precise separation phases, enhancement of the production
reliability and improvement of ecology. The largest competing companies
in Germany and Great Britain with my personal participation have tested
our reagents.
We have been recognized, now foreign companies
cooperate with us. We have an experience in the given area, we have
production capacities, and corresponding raw materials sources and we
are ready for collaboration with interested partners to introduce new
technologies in the republic.
Besides SOCAR, significance of our reagents has
already been underlined by the Iranian oil workers who successfully
operate with our emulsion breakers. They are not only similar to the
reagents produced by world-known companies, but sometimes are even
better according to properties required: the emulsion dehydration rate
is 2-6 times as higher as of foreign reagents. Depending on a field,
consumption of our reagents is 20-60% lesser, after the treatment the
water content in oil reduces significantly, and it is very important
that our reagent are less dangerous from environmental point of view.
The efficiency of “ALKAN” demulsifiers has already
been tested on stable and hard-to-separate oils of Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE and Norway as well. We have already
started negotiations with some of these countries about large
deliveries. Such temporising in our negotiations is connected with a
lack of trust, caution, lack of sufficient expertise on marketing and
present stereotypes according to which it is not possible to achieve so
much in our republic. However, we are overcoming these stereotypes
slowly, but confidently.
- Whether your demulsifiers are delivered to
the international consortia operating in Azerbaijan, for example, to
AIOC?
Of course, we are not going to restrict ourselves by
the market with participation of SOCAR or Kazakhstan, Iran and others.
Annual production by the international consortia in the republic already
exceeds a half of Azerbaijan’s annual oil production. In the nearest
future the oil production rate by the consortia should reach 40-50m
tons. That is why, already in 1998 we informed the specialists of the
Sangachal terminal about our demulsifiers. They have been informed of
results of the work at SOCAR’s offshore fields, where consumption of our
demulsifiers amounts to just 15-35 grams per a ton of oil emulsion
breakers. We have also demonstrated experience of our work with oil
workers: use of our reagents by all offshore fields.
Due to the fact that in just developed fields there
could be water, salt and mechanical admixtures in oil only after 2-3
years of exploitation, AIOC has not yet had a need in demulsifiers.
However, despite an understanding achieved between AIOC and foreign
companies on delivery of chemical reagents, I reckon that from economic
standpoint, efficiency, as well as the fact that our demulsifiers are
environmentally friendly, we will eventually win.
- As far as I know, you are working on development
of new reagents. Could you please tell us a bit more?
As I can see, you are informed very well on our
business. Obviously you are talking about last tests performed by the
oil-industry workers – reagent called “PROGRESS-2000”. Yes, the tests
have already been completed and we can speak about this with
satisfaction.
Due to our symbiosis with oil workers, in particular,
in owing to profound knowledge of own business and colossal experience
of oil-industry worker and scientist, chief engineer of Offshore Oil and
Gas Production Department, holder of PhD Mr. G.Gumbatov, we have
succeeded in creation of “PROGRESS-2000” reagent. I can deservedly name
the effect shown by this reagent as “The Gumbatov Effect”.
What is the effect and how does it reveal itself? This
question has scientific grounds, discussions. Briefly this reagent is
intended for bottom-hole treatment, clearing the wells and increase of
oil recovery factor. Obtained results have exceeded expectations. We are
proud of the fact that our oil-industry workers have recognized these
achievements. This reagent will be of great importance for treatment of
old, exhausted fields in order to increase oil rate, as well as,
extension of wells’ overhaul life
and rapid development of the wells treated by “PROGRESS”. Its
application at the onshore fields will be very essential. A number of
foreign companies operating onshore have already applied to us in this
occasion.
- So, the technologies created by you are of
great industrial importance and contribute to the economic growth of the
country. They are necessary for maximal utilization of a potential of
petrochemical industry, which has entered a new stage in the history.
- We are glad for you and wish you and “ALKAN”
success.
