Applications

• A Variety of Applications
• Installations
• Black Powder and Innopipe

A Variety of Applications

The Innopipe inline gas separator and piggable drip system is used in a variety of ways including:

• General liquid removal from gas streams.

• Black powder removal through prevention of initial formation

• Liquids protection for inlets of compressor engines.

• Liquids removal before river crossings and low points in pipelines.

• Used in hilly terrain where liquids can collect and cause slug flow.

• Managing slug flow within a pipeline gathering system.

• Cavern storage liquid removal and fill (bi-directional).

• Compressor lube oil removal to protect downstream pipeline.

• Production and well test separators.

• Liquids removal before ultrasonic gas meters to maintain accuracy.

• Steam condensate removal from steam lines.

• Mitigate upsets in processing plants due to liquid carryover.

• Small footprint – easy to install in plant upgrade systems.

Installations

Installed globally with flexible configurations – over 100 installed

Middle East

• Large gas pipeline power station gas supply. Used to remove condensate from rich gas that is produced at their refineries.
• Removes liquids from a gas stream to improve accuracy of ultrasonic gas meters.

Eastern Canada

• Bi-directional application at large gas compressor or for cavern storage.
• Remove liquids from a gas stream to improve accuracy of ultrasonic gas meters.

Western Canada (custom solutions)

• Lube oil removal after compressors.
• Removes glycol carry-over from dehydration systems.
• Flare line liquid knock-out. 
• Portable well test skids to remove liquids prior to metering.  
• Improves efficiency of large inlet separators to process gas streams.
• Removes excess MDEA prior to gas desiccant regeneration.

Eastern USA

• Remove corrosive liquids from high pressure distribution pipelines. 

Black Powder and Innopipe

“Black Powder” is a catch-all term for solids residues found in all manners of oilfield tubular materials, from casing to piping to transmission lines. Black Powder is seen as an impediment to safe and economic operations of gas pipeline operations. OilPro customer Mr. Peter van Beugen, M.Sc. University of applied Physics, Delft, the Netherlands and Managing director of Pipesurvey International, the Netherlands, identifies Black Powder issues well in his paper New Frontiers in Black Powder Removal, Causes, Consequences and Combat, including a Case Study, published in:
The Pipeline and Gas Journal, March 1st, 2006.  

Van Beugen  identifies causes of formation/ They include sour gas, liquids and just accumulations of mill-scale. Effects of black powder in pipeline systems range from:accumulations of black powder in low spots (sometimes caused by pigging, and potentially leading to false smart-pig wall thickness readings); wear on elastomers in the system or on pigs; irregular pig velocities leading to data loss and tool damage; decreased efficiency; decreased product quality; downstream equipment fouling. 

Black Powder is a problem because it can damage all sorts of components in a system. Conventional filtration, separation and magnetic solutions offer the cure while, for over 20 years, Innopipe offers the prevention of the problem in the first place by removing the liquids required for black powder formation. Innopipe  has no filters to plug, no filter element changes, no reduced production, no restrictions, less stress on interdependent systems, less horsepower losses, while remaining bi-directionally piggable.

The constituents of Black Powder range from metallic elements to bacteria-produced material to silica and calcium. These abrasive or corrosive materials tend to form in the presence of liquids and manifest themselves often as iron sulfides and iron oxides. Therefore, strategic placement of the Innopipe in your transmission system can prevent the formation of black powder before it becomes a problem.

Although Innopipe offers an excellent solution for mitigating formation of the powder, it should be understood that a while pigging intervals likely can be reduced, they will still be necessary, and Innopipe efficiency can be further enhanced by the inclusion of additional filtration systems such as magnetic solutions, integrated with our system. Your Innopipe solution provide will be glad to walk you through these available system options.

Steam distribution System phase management and Innopipe
SAGD (Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage) as well as Expanding Solvent-SAGD (ES-SAGD) and Cyclic Steam Stimulation (a.k.a. “Huff and Puff”) use steam generators to provide the steamflooding required for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)
Steam generators provide both vapor and liquids to pipelines. Producers pay particular attention to insulation of steam lines for this reason.
Steam Pressures trend in quite high pressure ranges (2,7000 psig and up) and temperature ranges. This variability can cause phase changes from vapour to liquid, resulting in what is known as “Phase Splitting”,seen in the piping’s tees and branching causing unintended separation.Phase splitting in turn results in inconsistencies in the delivery of steam to the reservoir and commensurate interference ” with the optimization of steam-injection rates, oil recovery, project economics.”  (per https://petrowiki.org/Facilities_for_steam_generation#Steam_distribution)
This variability can be dealt with using steam separators which are expensive due to their required size required for conventional 2 phase separation.
Innopipe offers an economical option due to its relatively small size and great efficiency.
Innopipe can be designed and built to match your piping’s specifications and can be built as a fitting for smaller diameters or a very economical pressure vessel for larger line sizes.
These can be built to be either piggable or non-piggable also, depending on location and preference.

We look forward to helping you optimize delivery of steam to your system.