Non-intrusive measurement of injection water in Ecuador
Katronic’s non-invasive clamp-on flowmeters were recently used in Ecuador to measure injected water in an oil well operated by Orion Oil, one of the leading oil producers in Africa and Latin America.
Clamp-on flow measurement for enhanced oil recovery under high-pressure conditions
Katronics’ distribution partner, Directmarket, supplied Orion Oil with a KATflow 100 ultrasonic flow meter to enable the flow of a saline aqueous solution to be measured at high flow rates and under high pressure, without the need for any modifications to the pipework.
In tertiary oil recovery (EOR = Enhanced Oil Recovery), additional quantities of crude oil are extracted from the reservoirs beyond what is achieved through primary and secondary recovery. Various methods are used for this purpose. In so-called water flooding, for example, aqueous solutions are forced into the rock under high pressure. If the injection water is additionally thickened with polymers, for instance, a highly viscous solution is created, which helps the oil separate more effectively from solids and has a positive effect on its mobility (polymer flooding). The injection water is corrosive and the integrity of the system must be guaranteed at all times. A clamp-on flow meter was therefore the obvious solution for determining the volume of water injected.
Katronic won the tender and was awarded the contract for the project on the basis of its cost-effective quotation and the simple, intuitive device setup, as well as the menu in Spanish. The KATflow 100, intended for permanent installation, was supplied with K1L sensors, which were fitted to a pipe with a diameter of 150 mm (6 inches) and a flow rate of 18,000 hl (15,000 barrels). To improve process control, Directmarket also equipped Orion Oil with a portable, battery-powered KATflow 200.
