Decomposition of gas field chemicals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12428329-B2
Application number	US-202217967334-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2022
Priority date	Oct 17, 2022
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A system and a method for removing gas field chemicals from a feed stream are provided. An exemplary method includes performing a forward osmosis on a feed stream including gas field chemicals to form a concentrated feed stream, and treating the concentrated feed stream in an electrochemical process to form treated water.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for removing gas field chemicals from a feed stream, comprising:
performing a forward osmosis on a feed stream comprising gas field chemicals to form a concentrated feed stream, concentrated in the gas field chemicals, and a dilute draw solution; and
treating the concentrated feed stream in an electrochemical process to form treated water.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas field chemicals comprise a kinetic hydrate inhibitor (KHI).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas field chemicals comprise a hydrate inhibitor, a hydrocarbon, or a corrosion inhibitor.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising using a produced water from a gas oil separation plant as a concentrated draw solution in the forward osmosis for forming the dilute draw solution.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising injecting the dilute draw solution into an injection well.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
using a solution with osmotic pressure as a concentrated draw solution in the forward osmosis for forming the dilute draw solution; and
regenerating the dilute draw solution to reform the concentrated draw solution and a purified water stream.

7. The method of claim 6 , comprising distilling the dilute draw solution to remove water and form the concentrated draw solution and the pure water stream.

8. The method of claim 6 , comprising treating the dilute draw solution with nitrogen to change the polarity of a solvent to form the concentrated draw solution and the pure water stream.

9. The method of claim 6 , comprising performing reverse osmosis on the dilute draw stream to form the concentrated draw solution and the pure water stream.

10. The method of claim 6 , comprising using the purified water stream in a desalting process in a gas-oil separation plant.

11. The method of claim 6 , comprising using the purified water stream as wash water in a gas-oil separation plant.

12. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
performing a distillation on the concentrated feed stream to form a more concentrated feed stream; and
treating the more concentrated feed stream in the electrochemical process to form the treated water.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forward osmosis is vibrationally assisted.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical process comprises electrocoagulation.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical process comprises electrochemical oxidation.

16. The method of claim 1 , comprising performing ozone activated degradation of the concentrated feed stream.

17. A system for removing hydrate inhibitors from produced water, comprising:
a forward osmosis (FO) unit configured to receive a concentrated draw solution feed, discharge a dilute draw solution effluent, receive a water feed and discharge a concentrated water effluent, wherein the FO unit comprises a semipermeable membrane separating the water feed from the concentrated draw solution feed; and
an electrochemical purification unit to form a treated water effluent from the concentrated water effluent; and
a control system configured to:
monitor total dissolved solids (TDS) on the water feed and TDS on the concentrated water effluent to determine any ingress of salts across the membrane, and
adjust a flow rate of the concentrated draw solution feed to the FO unit based on the monitored TDS on the water feed and the TDS on the concentrated water effluent.

18. The system of claim 17 , comprising a draw solution regenerator connected to the FO unit, wherein the draw solution regenerator is configured to receive the dilute draw solution effluent from the FO unit to form a concentrated draw solution effluent to discharge to the FO unit, and a purified water effluent.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the semipermeable membrane allows water to pass while blocking solutes.

20. The system of claim 17 , comprising a distillation column configured to a receive the concentrated water effluent from the forward osmosis unit, and to discharge a bottoms feed from the distillation column to the electrochemical purification unit.

21. The system of claim 17 , wherein the electrochemical purification unit comprises an electrocoagulation system.

22. The system of claim 17 , wherein the electrochemical purification unit comprises an electro-oxidation system.

23. The system of claim 17 , wherein the electrochemical purification unit comprises a combined electrocoagulation and electro-oxidation system.

24. The system of claim 17 , wherein the FO unit comprises inlet and outlet lines, wherein the control system comprises:
sensors comprising: TDS sensors on the inlet and outlet lines to the FO unit;
flow rate (FR) sensors on the inlet and outlet lines to the FO unit;
a water concentration (WC) sensor configured to measure water concentration of the concentrated water effluent from the FO unit; and
a hydrate inhibitor concentration sensor configured to measure hydrate inhibitor concentration of the treated water effluent from the electrochemical purification unit;
actuators comprising:
a flow controller on the produced water feed to the FO unit; and
a flow controller on the concentrated draw solution feed to the FO unit;

a power supply configured to supply power to the electrochemical purification;
a power controller on the power supply; and
a processor configured to execute instructions in a machine readable medium; and the machine readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed, direct the processor to:
monitor the TDS sensor on the produced water feed to the FO unit and the TDS sensor on the concentrated water effluent from the FO unit to determine the ingress of salts across the membrane; and
monitor the hydrate inhibitor concentration sensor and adjust a flow rate of the concentrated draw solution feed to the FO unit.

25. The system of claim 24 , wherein the TDS sensors comprise:
a total dissolved solids (TDS) sensor on the concentrated draw solution feed to the forward osmosis unit;
a TDS sensor on the dilute draw solution effluent from the FO unit; and
a TDS sensor on the concentrated water effluent from the FO unit.

26. The system of claim 24 , wherein the FR sensors comprise:
a flow rate (FR) sensor on the concentrated draw solution feed to the FO unit;
an FR sensor on the dilute draw solution effluent from the FO unit;
an FR sensor on the produced water feed to the FO unit; and
an FR sensor on the concentrated water effluent from the FO unit.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Soliman Mohamed Ahmed
• Al Abdulgader Hasan
• Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed Saad
• Al Saeed Duaa J
• El Sharif Saba

Classifications

• E21B43/20

  Displacing by water · CPC title

• C10G33/00

  Dewatering or demulsification of hydrocarbon oils (by distillation C10G7/04) · CPC title

• C02F2209/40

  Liquid flow rate · CPC title

• C02F2209/10

  Solids, e.g. total solids [TS], total suspended solids [TSS] or volatile solids [VS] · CPC title

• C02F2101/32

  Hydrocarbons, e.g. oil · CPC title