NITECH PROJECT PROFILE, NORTH DAKOTA

Project Description

In the Southwestern part of the state of North Dakota, producers are injecting air into oil producing reservoirs in order to increase the temperature but decrease the viscosity of the crude oil. Increased reservoir pressure facilitates increased production.

Our process was designed to remove residual amounts of oxygen coming from the reservoir that had not taken part in the combustion process. Also, there is a significant amount of carbon dioxide and nitrogen generated by the air flood process. Our process is designed to accommodate a wide range nitrogen presence due to the ongoing air injection process and subsequent increased nitrogen content. This facility utilizes the new generation Nitech™ internal condenser that provides a cleaner nitrogen vent relative to methane losses.

Due to winter temperatures reaching from -20 to -40 degrees F, the facility was designed with a small footprint. As a result the facility was installed in process buildings to protect it from the harsh winter environment.

Carbon dioxide removal is brought about by the use of conventional amine and reduces the carbon dioxide content feeding the NRU from approximately 8 percent to approximately 10 PPM. The oxygen removal system was designed to remove oxygen content to as low as 1 PPM. Nitrogen is removed from near 60% down to the specified level of approximately 10% to be used for both sales and field fuel gas.

Facility Size: 50 MMSCFD
Plant Type: Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Water and NGL Extraction/Fractionation

Inlet Gas N2 Content: 60% - 75%
Completion: August 2007

Download Case Study in PDF format