OIL AND NATURAL GAS CORPORATION LTD

SURFACE TEAM
AHMEDABAD ASSET

16th May 2022 – 28th June 2022

Training/Internship Report
Submitted by Mentor
Aman Kumar Maurya Shri Pranav Anand

B.Tech (Petroleum Engineering) EE(Production)

Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technoloy , Jais.

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Contents:
Sr. No. Description
01) Acknowledgement
02) About ONGC
03) Ahmedabad Asset
04) Wadu Installation
05) GGS (Group Gathering Station)
06) GGS operating systems & manifolds
07) Separators
08) Heater Treater
09) Bath Heater
10) Pipeline Pigging
11) OCI/GCI (Oil/Gas Corrosion Inhibitor)
12) Desalter Plant
13) ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant)
14) GCP (Gas Compression Plant)
15) Artifical Lift
16) References

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 Acknowledgement
The summer training opportunity I got with ONGC was a fantastic opportunity for
me to learn and grow professionally. As a result, I consider myself really fortunate
to have been given the opportunity to be a part of it. I'm also glad for the
opportunity to meet so many helping people and professionals who assisted me
during my summer training.

Many experienced people assisted me during my training, and I would like to take
this opportunity to convey my gratitude and thanks to those whose assistance was
most significant.

I offer sincere thanks to Shri. Pranav Anand, EE (P), Surface Team, and Shri. Bhushan
Thul, GM (P), Surface Team & all the in-house training staffs for the continuous
support throughout the training period. The dedicated teams whichever plant I
visited have provided me with valuable guidance and knowledge in technical skills
without which this training would have been incomplete.

This opportunity represents a significant step forward in my professional

development. I will make every effort to put my newly acquired skills and
knowledge to the best possible use, and I will continue to enhance them in order
to achieve my desired career goals. I look forward to working with all of you in the
future. I am grateful to RAJIV GANDHI INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY
(RGIPT) JAIS for providing me with this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Aman Kumar Maurya.

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 About ONGC
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is an oil and gas exploration and
production company based in India. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, as
well as the Government of India, own it. Its headquarters are in New Delhi's
Vasant Kunj. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is in charge of the
operations. It is the country's largest government-owned oil and gas exploration
and production business, producing over 70% of India's crude oil (equal to around
57 percent of total demand) and 84 percent of the country's natural gas.

ONGC was founded on 14 August 1956 by the government of India. It is involved in

exploring for and exploiting hydrocarbons in 26 sedimentary basins of India and
owns and operates over 11,000 kilometers of pipelines in the country.

ONGC has achieved many milestones in its 50-year history, helping India realise its
energy goals. ONGC's outstanding efforts have resulted in the creation of new
hydrocarbon provinces in formerly border areas. ONGC has risen from a small start
to become one of the world's largest E&P businesses in terms of reserves and
output.

Today, oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) is the leader in Exploration &
Production (E&P) activities in India having a 72% contribution to India’s total
production of crude oil and 48% of natural gas.
Some key points about ONGC-
 ONGC has discovered 6 out of the 7 producing basins in India.

 It has 7.59 billion tons of In-place hydrocarbon reserves. It has to its credit more
than 320 discoveries of oil and gas with Ultimate Reserves of 2.69 Billion Metric
tons (BMT) of Oil plus Oil Equivalent Gas (O+OEG) from domestic acreages.

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 It has cumulatively produced 851 Million Metric Tons (MMT) of crude and 532
Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) of Natural Gas, from 111 fields.

 ONGC has won 121 out of a total 235 Blocks (more than 50%) in the 8 rounds of
bidding, under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) of the Indian
Government.

 ONGC's wholly-owned subsidiary ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) is the biggest Indian
multinational, with 30 Oil & Gas projects (9 of them producing) in 15 countries.

 Produces over 1.24 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, contributing over
64% of India's domestic production. Of this, over 75% of crude oil produced is Light
& Sweet.

 The Company holds the largest share of hydrocarbon acreages in India (51% in
PEL Areas & 67% in ML Areas).

 ONGC possesses about one tenth of the total Indian refining capacity.

 ONGC has a well-integrated Hydrocarbon Value Chain structure with interests in

LNG and product transportation business as well.

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 Ahmedabad Asset

In 1961, the Ahmedabad oilfield began production. Ahmedabad Asset has

produced about 489 million metric tonnes of oil and 158300 million cubic metres
of gas since its start. This asset operates out of 63 manufacturing facilities
distributed across 6200 square kilometres in Gujarat's four districts. It has a 6250-
kilometer pipeline network. The Asset has a long history of using environmentally
friendly operations and labour methods. All of the asset's rigs and installations have
been approved and accredited by international accrediting authorities, which gives
it a significant advantage.
Ahmedabad is one of the company's most important oil-producing assets, with 1420
wells supplying over one-third of the crude refined by the Gujarat refinery of the
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). The Gujarat refinery processes approximately 18,000
tonnes of crude per day, with 6500 tonnes per day coming from ONGC's Mehsana-
based wells and 4500 tonnes per day coming from the company's Ahmedabad
facility. The refinery meets the remaining crude requirement for IOC through
imports.
The Crude oil produced from various oil fields, are being transported through
pipelines to the Group Gathering Stations.From here produced gas is transported
to Gas Compressing plant, which converts gas from low pressure of about 2-5
kg/cm2 to high pressure of about 40-45 kg/cm2 to be used for gas injection.
Liquid is sent to CTF (Central Rank Form) and from here to Desalter Plant which
basically lowers the water cut to around 0.2 percent. And then the oil is sent to
Koyali Refinery Vadodara and The waste water collected from all separation
processes is being sent to Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) where the trace oil is being
recovered from waste water. The treated water is being sent to a Water Injection
Plant (WIP) which is being pumped to various wells so as to enhance the oil recovery
process.

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To date i.e. date—there are about 2282 drilled wells in four major onshore fields as
per geographical area for better administration and management of these fields:

i. Kalol, Wadu, Paliyad, Motera : Area-I

ii. Nawagam, Ramol, Wasna, Nandej : Area-II

iii. Sanand, Jhalora, S.Kadi, Viraj, Wadser : Area-III

iv. Limbodra, Gamji, Halisa : Area-IV

Presently around 1420 wells are flowing & producing more than 3600 tonnes of
crude oil per day. The average production of gas is 9.5 lacs cubic meter/day which
feeds the Power plants, fertilizer, and other chemical industries around
Ahmedabad. The surface Team is responsible for production management.
The broad functions of the surface team:

1. Production of crude oil and natural gas to meet asset annual targets.

2. Reservoir health management to optimize hydrocarbon recovery.

3. Well servicing and minimizing non-flowing wells to improve productivity.

4. Augmentation of surface facilities for the development of new and existing

fields.

5. Health, safety, and environment management.

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 Wadu Installation
Wadu Installation consists of GGS (Group Gathering Station), GCP (Gas
Compression Plant), and WIP (Water Injection Plant).

• GGS comissioned in 1991(Early Production System before that)

• WIP comissioned in 2000

• GCP comissioned in 2018 (in collab with Siemens)

GGS
New and ancient technologies are used to extract crude oil and natural gas from
subterranean reserves in oil fields. To efficiently exploit the hydrocarbons, wells are
drilled in a haphazard manner over the oil fields. Before being delivered to
customers, the well fluids (oil, gas, and water) must be separated and treated.
To segregate and process the Well fluids produced by the oil field, one or more
central collection stations of Well fluids are required. In the Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation Limited, this type of structure is known as a Group Gathering Station,
or GGS (ONGC).
Wadu GGS total wells 67
Flowing wells 35
Water injection 3
Abandoned wells 14
Non-flowing wells 15
Average depth 1300m - 1500m
Production 430m3 - 450 m3
Net value 260m3 - 265 m3

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 OPERATING SYSTEMS
VALVE MANIFOLD:
Purpose-
1) Sort the wells into groups based on their pressure.
2)To categorise the wells according to the oil quality, such as pure or emulsion.
3)To isolate any well for the purpose of testing.
4)Through the use of valves, divert any well to the needed header.Oil is received in
GGS from the wells through pipelines into the following headers
1. Group header
2. Test header
3. LP header.
Group Header:- Well fluid is sent from the wells to the header, then to the bath
heater for preheating before being routed to the group separator. After gas
separation in the group separator, the oil-water combination is sent to the heater-
treater for emulsion treatment.
Oil from HT is transported to an oil storage tank, from where it is pumped to CTF
(K) via oil dispatch pumps. The gas from the group separator is compressed by the
booster compressor and then sent to GCP, where it is measured by the flow
recorder.
Test Header: Individual well testing is made easier with the use of a test header
with a section valve. One at a time, each well can be tested. The liquid and gas
separated from the well to be tested is routed to the test separator. Gas is delivered
to the gas grid, while liquid is distributed to two TCS tanks. Oil and gas have their
own metering system.
Low Pressure Header: If there is a leak, pressure must be released to return the
system to atmospheric pressure, therefore the low-pressure header is connected.
The pressure is the same at the group header and separator, which is 6 kg/cm2.

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 Separators

It's mostly utilised to separate a mixed liquid-gas well stream into individual
components Separator is the name given to the vessel used in the field to separate
oil and gas coming directly from a well or set of wells.

Process- Fluid enters tangentially and is divided into liquid and gases due to a
quick pressure drop to the predetermined level. Inside the separator, baffles are
installed to aid in fluid separation. To allow for better separation, the fluid is given
more residence time.

There are two types of separators-

1)Group Separator
2)Test Separator-to test for individual well
Group separators having a designed capacity to handle well fluid are provided.

Through a 4" line, feed enters the separator from the valve manifold. The
separator's working pressure is 6 kg/cm2. The separator is a vessel that can
separate liquid and gas in two stages. The vessels have been developed and hydro-
tested to withstand a pressure of 9kg/cm2. To measure the amount of gas
produced, flow recorders are provided. A heater treater transports the divided oil
from the separator to oil storage tanks.

On the separators, pressure gauges are installed to monitor the working pressure.
As the gas passes through the separators, a pressure relief valve PSV (Pressure
Safety Valve) is installed to protect the vessel from overpressure. For the group
separator, the valves are set at a pressure of 6.6 kg/cm2 . 6.7 kg/cm2 for the test
separator.

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 Heater Treater

The front or heating section, the rest or oil surge chamber, and the electrical or
coalescing section make up the horizontal heater-treater. Differential pressure and
a static head work together to govern fluid movement.

The heating section : Made out of a 180-degree bent fire tube (U-tube). The weir
height keeps the level consistent. Oil enters this part from the bottom of the
degassing section, travels through the heater at the bottom, and is washed out of
the oil stream, resulting in the removal of free water and solids. A weighted,
displacement-type interface control valve regulates the water level in this segment.
From the distributors, oil and entrained water travel upwards around the fire tubes,
where the desired temperature is obtained. As the temperature of the oil rises,
more gas is released. After joining the free gas from the inlet section, the heat-
released gas is expelled from the Treater through a gas pressure control valve.
Burners are designed to provide maximum heat output while using the least
amount of fuel possible, and maintenance is simple. Plots are fixed types that don't
need to be adjusted. Fuel gas supply must be modified and regulated to ensure that
it is free of liquid and solid particles. If the water level falls too low, the front part
of the treater will be unable to water-wash the entering oil and emulsion, reducing
the treater's efficiency. As a result, precise regulation of the oil-water interface in
the front portion is critical.The oil-water interface is controlled by an interface level
controller, which operates a dump valve for the free water.

Differential Oil Control Chamber: The heated fluid is transferred from the heating
section to a differential oil control chamber with a liquid level control float via a
fixed weir. The fluid goes downward to the holes of the coalescing section
distributors near the bottom of the oil control chamber.

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 Coalescing section (Electrical Chamber): Heater Treater uses a high voltage
potential on the electrodes for coalescing of water droplets in the final phase of
processing. The electrodes are suspended on the insulated hanger from the upper
portion of the vessel. The ‘Ground’ electrode is furnished with solid steel hangers
to ensure grounding with the steel of the Treater. An externally mounted, oil-
immersed high voltage transformer is furnished to provide the power to the
electrodes. The transformer uses 240 volts in primary and supplies about 16500
volts in secondary. The high voltage secondary is connected to the charged
electrode through a specially designed high voltage entrance. The secondary is also
connected to a voltmeter and external pilot indicating a lamp. The oil and entrained
water enter the coalescing section from the differential control chamber through
multiple, full-length distributors. As the oil and entrained water come into contact
with the electrical field in the grid area, the final coalescing of water takes place.
The water falls back to the water area at the bottom and the clean oil continues to
rise to the top, where it enters collector and is discharged through the clean oil
outlet control valve. The Heater Treater Safety valve pops up at 3.5 kg/cm2. Its
working pressure is around 1.5-2 kg/cm2 if it exceeds it goes in the pressure safety
valve.

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 Bath Heater
Oil is heated directly by a firebox after passing via an intake distributor. Direct-
fired heaters attain the correct temperature quickly, are 75-90 percent efficient,
and have a low initial cost. Where fuel gas is available and high volume oil
treatment is necessary, direct-fired heaters are commonly employed. They are,
nevertheless, dangerous and necessitate the use of particular safety equipment.
Only the line is under pressure in this case; the cell is not.
Storage System
Purpose-

To store oil before being pumped to CTF

To measure the oil produced.

Process-

Oil from the Heater Treater is taken into overhead cylindrical tanks and
subsequently measured. From here the oil is sent to CTF where oil from
different GGS is collected and measured.

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 Pipeline Pigging

Pipeline pigging is the technique of performing various cleaning, clearing,

maintenance, inspection, dimensioning, process, and pipeline testing operations on
new and existing pipelines utilising devices or implements known as 'pigs.' Pigging
is usually done without interrupting the flow of the product in the pipeline in
existing operational pipes. Polyurethane Open Cell Foam, Cast Polyurethane, and
Rubber are some of the materials and combinations that can be used for the pigs.
Most pigs have an exterior diameter that is bigger than the internal bore, and the
resulting 'interference' allows the pig to scrape and remove debris as it travels down
the pipeline. The type of pig used, as well as other influencing factors such as flow
rate, pig speed, pressure, temperature, the volume of debris to be removed,
pipeline length, number of pigging runs, number and type of bends, and pipeline
elevations, determine the degree of effectiveness in cleaning or clearing a pipeline.
pigging frequency, amongst other things.
When the pig reaches the other end of the pipeline it is captured in a Pig Catcher
(or 'Receiving Station') which is isolated via a shut-off valve, allowing the pig to be
safely removed. In Crude oil Pipelines, it is used for the removal of Wax, Sand,
Bacterial Formations, Chemical Residues, Scale, Rust, and other impurities.

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Types of pig-
Normal Pig
The foam pig, which is cut or poured out of open-cell polyurethane foam into the
shape of a bullet and pushed through pipelines for a variety of reasons such as to
prove the inner diameter of, clean, de-water, or dry out the line, is one of the most
frequent and versatile. Cleaning pigs come in a variety of densities, ranging from 2
lb to 10 lb foam and up to 20 lb in particular applications. To cut rust, scale, or
paraffin wax deposits off the inside of the pipe, some feature tungsten studs or
abrasive wire mesh on the outside.
Intelligent pig
Modern intelligent or "smart" pigs are very sophisticated instruments with
electronics and sensors that capture a variety of data while travelling through the
pipeline. Depending on the intended function and the manufacturer, they differ in
terms of technology and complexity.
Because pipeline products can range from highly basic to highly acidic, and can be
of extremely high pressure and temperature, the electronics are sealed to avoid
leaking of the pipeline product into the electronics. Many pigs employ
components that are specific to the product in the pipeline. Onboard batteries,
which are similarly sealed, often provide power for the electronics. Data can be
recorded using a variety of methods, including analogue tape, digital tape, or solid-
state memory in more recent machines.
PolyFoam

These open-cell polyurethane foam types have the ability to negotiate short
radius bends and multidimensional piping. These pipes come in various densities
depending upon their application and agility requirements and are often used for
sealing and light abrasion removal.

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 OCI/GCI
It stands for "oil corrosion Inhibitor" and "Gas Corrosion Inhibitor". Corrosion
inhibitors are chemicals that can significantly reduce the corrosion of metals when
applied properly into the fluids. Here GCI is basically injected in the gas going from
low pressure in GGS to GCP and in gas coming from high pressure from GCP to
GGS.GCI injection rate is around 3 liters per day.
Other than these here oil dispatch pumps are present to pump oil from GGS to
Desalter which are basically of 12m3,15m3,30m3 etc. Also Gas injection Manifold
is present to inject gas into the wells to increase its productivity which works at
around 120-135 kg/cm2 and the injection rate is around 16 sm3/day and changes
according to need.

Desalter Plant
The Desalter plant is located at Nawagam field established in 1961 and
commissioned in 1963 designed to remove the free water and salt contents from
the crude oil to make it suitable for refinery use.
Following Facilities are present at the desalter plant
1)Oil Storage tanks
A total of six storage tanks with a capacity of 30,000 m3 each are installed at the
desalter plant. One tank is used for storing the crude received from the Gujarat
field (MHN, Kalol, RNW, and Nawagam) via Nawagam CTF. Other tanks are used to
store and dispatch treated crude oil to the refinery at Vadodara.
2)Feed Pumps
Four Desalter Feed pumps with a feed rate of 330 m3/hr each are provided for
feeding crude oil for processing.
3)Chemical Dosing system
Two tanks are provided for demulsifier storage, four dosing pumps are used for
dosing the demulsifier. Two pumps have a capacity of 100 ppm and two pumps

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have a capacity of 700 ppm. The chemical dosing is done at the suction of the
crude feed pumps.
4)Heat Exchangers
Three heat exchangers have nine bundles and each is connected to desalting
vessels. Heat exchange takes place between the hot crude received from the
desalting vessel and the incoming cold crude from the feed pumps. It raises the
temperature from around 30 degrees Celsius to around 60-70 degrees Celsius.
5)Heaters and Economizers
Three gas-fired flue gas recycle-type heaters are used to raise the crude oil
temperature from 70 degrees C to 95 degrees C before entering into the Desalting
Vessel.
Economizer

1. This section of the heater is situated above the heater cabinet. Its
primary purpose is to preheat the incoming process fluid and increase the
fuel efficiency of the heater.
2. The crude oil enters the process coils at the top section of the economizer
and flows downward through two banks of finned serpentine coils situated
inside of insulated economizer.
3. The preheating of oil is accomplished by heat transfer between the crude oil
in the coils and the hot air coming upwards from the heater.
4. After losing the heat the hot air is exhausted to the atmosphere from the
top of the economizer. The temp of the exhaust air is measured at
around 110-120 degrees C
Heaters

1. Hot oil leaving the economizer is around 70 degrees C, which enters the
heater and gets heated up to 90-95degree C. The crude oil flows
through the coils whereas the hot air passes through the chamber.
2. This is a gas-fired flue gas recycle type heater wherein flue gas generated in
four burners is circulated in the heater shell before leaving the stack.

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6)Desalter Vessel
A total of six desalting vessels are provided. These are having capacity of 25500
kg/hr and 2,70,000 kg/hr.
Desalter vessels are provided for removing the salt and other unwanted materials
from the crude oil. This desalter unit removes the salty water by electrostatic
means. Desalter vessels can run in series or stand-alone based on the
process equipment.
7)Desludging Pump
These pumps operate at regular intervals to remove the accumulated sludge from
the vessel. This sludge is again fed to the desalter vessel.
8)Booster Pump
Four booster pumps having a capacity of 330 m3/hr are provided at the desalter
plant for boosting up the suction pressure of crude oil dispatch pumps installed at
Nawagam CTF. The booster pump increases the pressure of crude oil up to 6
kg/cm2.
9)Air Compressors and Air Dryers
Two air compressors of a capacity of 350 m3/hr each at 6.5 kg/cm2 pressure are
provided, for supplying compressed air to the plant air system, and for Utility
purposes at the desalter plant booster pump. Two Air Dryers are provided to
supply dry and cooled air to the various instrument control systems.
10)Closed Blowdown System
A closed blow-down system has been provided to collect oil draining from various
equipment and lines into a closed blow down the vessel. From CBD oil is pumped
out through a vertical submersible pump having a discharge capacity of 10 m3/hr.
A hot effluent line is provided to CBD for heating the crude during the winters.
11)Fire Fighting System
Fire water pumps connected to the water pond are provided in the installation for
firefighting purposes.

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 Process Description
CTF Nawagam delivers crude oil from North Gujrat through a 30-inch suction
header. The feed to the desalter train is pumped using four feed pumps. In two
tanks, the demulsifier is kept. Four dosing pumps are used to deliver the demulsifier
chemical. It is combined with crude oil in the crude oil feed pump's suction line.
The crude oil is poured directly into the heat exchangers. Stack exchangers with
nine tube bundles serve as feed exchangers. The feed crude is heated to roughly
60-65 degrees C in these exchangers by exchanging heat with the desalter's
outgoing processed crude. The crude will flow via the exchanger, the economizer,
and then the heater. Before entering the desalting vessel, the temperature of the
crude is raised from 65 degrees C to around 70 degrees C in the Economizer, and
then warmed to 90-95 degrees C in the main heater. The feed crude is fed into the
desalter vessel's lower section, where it travels and separates through the
electrostatic grid. The oil will be taken out through the crude output line at the top
of the desalter once it has lost all of its water and salt. After desalination, the
processed crude oil passes through the feed heat exchanger, where the
temperature is decreased to 50-55 degrees C before being allowed to flow to the
product storage tanks.After the lab results meet the refinery parameters then, the
crude oil is sent from the storage tank to the Nawagam CTF which by booster pump
it is sent to the KT refinery at Vadodara through KNK lines. Water separated in the
form of effluent is sent to the water treatment plant. All the oil lines are provided
with electrical heat tracing for avoiding oil solidification in the line.

Desludging
Desalter has bottom outlet connections for the removal of water and sediments
settled at the bottom. At regular intervals, this water and sediments are removed
from the desalter and part of the produced water is circulated back into the
desalter vessel through desludging pumps to maintain the water phase in the
desalter in the fluidized condition so that sediments do not settle down at the
bottom of the vessel and form thick mud.

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 ETP(Effluent Treatment Plant)
Surge Tank
A surge tank, also known as a surge drum, is a standpipe or storage reservoir
located at the downstream end of a closed aqueduct, feeder, dam, or barrage pipe
that is used to absorb abrupt pressure rises and to swiftly provide extra water
during a brief pressure decrease.
The surge tank's major functions are:
1) when the load falls, the water flows backward and is stored in it
2) when the load increases, the water moves forward and is stored in it.
3) When the load increases, the surge tank will offer an additional supply of water.
In a nutshell, it serves as a storage tank for the ETP and as the plant's initial feed.
Flash Mixer
After removing debris and evaluating the raw water, coagulation-promoting
chemicals are introduced to the water stream. In a procedure known as flash
mixing, the mixture is stirred swiftly and completely. Any very tiny particles, such
as silt, that do not readily cluster together will be attracted by the chemicals
injected into the water stream. These larger, heavier forms are known as floc, and
they're a lot easier to get out of the water.
Flocculation
In the instance of flocculation, the quick mixer is meant to distribute polymer in
order to improve flocculation by maximising the floc's strength, size, and weight.
Rapid mixers stir the water with the chemicals violently for a brief time before
releasing it into the flocculation basin.
Corrugated Plate Interceptor(CPI)
Separators such as CPI or TPI (Tilted Plate Interceptor) are commonly used in oily
water treatment to separate free oil from effluent water or suspended solids (oily
water system)
Gravity Separation, which is based on the basic notion of difference in gravity, is
used in an OWS to separate the two phases.
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Induced gas Flotation
IGF is a water treatment procedure that removes suspended particles such as oil or
sediments from wastewaters before they are discharged into other bodies of
water. Gas bubbles are injected into the water or wastewater in a flotation tank or
basin to remove the contaminants. The microscopic bubbles cling to the suspended
substance, allowing it to float to the water's surface, where it can be skimmed off
with a skimming equipment.
Oil refineries, petrochemical and chemical industries, natural gas processing plants,
and other industrial facilities all use industrial gas floatation to cleanse their
wastewater effluents. Dissolved air flotation, a procedure that is quite similar to
dissolved air floatation, is also utilised for wastewater treatment.
IGF units in the industry do not use air as the floatation medium due to explosion
risk. These IGF units use natural gas or nitrogen to create bubbles.

Process Description
To flocculate the suspended particles, the feed water to the IGF float tank is
frequently dosed with a coagulant (such as ferric chloride or aluminium sulphate).
An impeller, educators, or a sparger can all create bubbles. The suspended stuff
adheres to the bubbles, causing it to float to the surface and form a froth layer,
which is then removed by a skimmer. The cleared effluent from the IGF unit exits
the float tank as froth-free water. Some IGF units use parallel plate packing
material to increase the unit's separation efficiency by providing greater
separation surface.
Nutshell Filtration Systems
A nutshell filter is a device that filters oil out of water. The name "walnut shell
filter" is commonly used in the oil and gas industry because black walnuts are most
commonly utilised and have a removal effectiveness of 90–95 percent. In a vessel,
there is a bed of nutshell media. Vessels are usually vertical, although they can be
horizontal as well. As the flow passes through the media bed, particles are
collected. Although different media can be used for this, walnut and pecan shells
are the most usually employed because they have several beneficial qualities that
make them ideal for oil removal. In a vessel, there is a bed of nutshell media.

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Vessels are typically vertical, but may also be horizontal. Particles are captured as
flow penetrates through the media bed. Although it is possible to use other media
for this purpose, walnut and pecan shells are most commonly used since they have
several desirable properties making them well suited for oil removal.
Cooling Tower
A cooling tower is a heat rejection device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere
through the cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may
either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working
fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed-circuit, dry
cooling towers rely solely on air to cool the working fluid to nearly the dry-bulb air
temperature.
Ultrafiltration
Ultrafiltration (UF) devices are used in wastewater treatment to recover and reuse
water that contains almost no physical particles. Ultrafiltration (UF) is a type of
membrane filtration in which a semipermeable membrane is used to separate two
fluids separated by pressure or concentration gradients. Water and low molecular
weight solutes flow through the membrane in the permeate, while suspended
particles and high molecular weight solutes are trapped in the retentate.
Belt filter
Filter presses are intended for the mechanical dewatering of wastewater sludge, as
well as the water conditioning sludge, and the industrial slimes. Belt filter presses
are used extensively at wastewater treatment plants due to their high productivity
and reliability.
Water draining in this zone (gravity dewatering zone 1) occurs by gravity feed.
Roughly 50% of the water contained in the sludge (filtrate) is drained during this
stage. The sludge then enters a wedge-shaped preliminary pressing zone where the
belts converge and mechanical pressing starts. To prevent sludge splashing and
extruding along the belt edges, the pressure on the sludge increases gradually. In
the preliminary pressing zone, the filtrate is separated more intensively. The first
rolls are manufactured from stainless steel and are perforated.

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 GCP (Gas Compression Plant)
The main function of GCP is to compress the gas received from GGS at around 2-
4kg/cm2 to around 42 kg/cm2 and send it for gas injection purposes. It has a total
of 5 compressors (3 water-cooled and 2 air-cooled old plants) and a water
treatment plant with a chemical treatment plant.It receives gas from GGS at 3.6
kg/cm2 and compresses it to 42 kg/cm2 in two stages in the case of water-cooled
compressors. In the first stage, it compresses the gas from 3.6 kg/cm2 to 12 kg/cm2
and in the second stage, it compresses it from 12kg/cm2 to around 42 kg/cm2 while
it also has a facility for air compressors which works in three stages from 3 kg/cm2
to 8 kg/cm2 to 15 kg/cm2 and finally to around 45 kg/cm2. This gas is then sent to
GGS where it is used for gas injection.
PLANT DESCRIPTION:
The various components of GCP are:
1. Inlet separator
2. Gas compressors
3. Discharge separators
4. Condensation drum
5. Gas coolers
6. Reverse osmosis plant (RO Plant)
7. Degasser tank
8. Cation and anion exchangers
9. Cooling towers

GAS COMPRESSORS:
Gas compressors are used to compress the gas to a high pressure of 42kg/cm2 so
as to increase the flowing pressure. The compression is done in two steps, in the
first step it is compressed from 3.6 kg/cm2 to 12 kg/cm2 and in the second step
from 12 kg/cm2 to 42 kg/cm2.

DISCHARGE SEPARATOR:
The function of the discharge separator is to separate the gas from the condensates
during the discharge stage. It has the same process as that of inlet separator.

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CONDENSATE DRUM:
This is the storage drum for the condensates which receives the condensate
(liquid hydrocarbon) from the inlet, suction and discharge separator. The liquid
hydrocarbons left at the bottom of the drum is sent to CTF (central tank farm) for
further treatment through a condensate transfer pump.

GAS COOLERS:
It is a type of heat exchanger. It contains baffles and is a shell and tube type heat
exchanger. It is used to cool the gas and is done at two points (receiving gas from
first stage compression and second stage compression). In this HE, water enters
from one side and the gas from the other side and a counter current flow takes
place and the gas gets cooled.
Here the capacity of each compressor is 50,000 SCM.

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 Artificial Lift
➢ Oil flows to the surface due to excess energy content of the well fluid in the
reservoir by virtue of reservoir pressure, GOR.

➢ When this available energy reduces over a period of time, due to decrease in
reservoir pressure, GOR or increase in water content etc., the well stops
delivering fluid to the surface on its own.

➢ In such cases, the well fluid is delivered to the surface by ARTIFICIAL

METHODS by supplying energy to the well fluid down hole.

Majority of wells in Ahmedabad asset operate on SRP and GLV

SRP 200 wells

GLV 60 wells

SRP Applications
✓ Simple & fit for purpose
✓ Suitable for Moderate to Low Flow Rates
✓ Flexibility in Handling Varied Flow Rates
✓ Comparable Capital Cost
✓ Moderate Operating Cost
✓ Excellent Reliability

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 SUCKER ROD PUMPING (SRP) SYSTEM

WELLHEAD EQUIPMENT :
The system's driving force is provided by the prime mover, which can be either an
electric motor or a gas engine. The gear reducer or gearbox decreases the prime
mover's high rotating speed to the appropriate pumping speed while also
increasing the torque available at the slow speed shaft. The pumping unit is a
mechanical connection that converts the gear reducer's rotary motion into the
reciprocating motion needed to run the downhole pump. The walking beam, which
works on the principle of a mechanical lever, is its most important component.

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The polished rod connects the walking beam to the sucker rod string and ensures a
sealing surface at the wellhead to keep well fluids within the well.
The wellhead assembly contains a stuffing box that seals on the polished rod and a
pumping tee to lead well fluids into the flowline. The casing–tubing annulus is
usually connected, through a check valve, to the flowline.

The downhole equipment includes the following:

The rod string, which is made up of sucker rods, travels inside the well's tubing
string. The mechanical link between the surface drive and the subsurface pump is
provided by the rod string. The rod string is directly attached to the pump plunger,
which is the moving part of a standard sucker rod pump. It contains a travelling
valve, which elevates the liquid contained in the tube during the upward movement
of the plunger. The pump barrel, also known as the working barrel, is the
subsurface pump's stationary portion (cylinder).
Another ball valve, the standing valve, is fixed to the working barrel. This acts as a
suction valve for the pump, through which well fluids enter the pump barrel during
the upstroke.
The capacity of an SRP system from a well depends on
1)Stroke length
2)Maximum rate of rod fall for a given well
3)Stroke length, Friction, Buoyancy, viscosity
4)Plunger diameter of the pump
5)Strength of the sucker rods
6)Torsional and Structural capacity of the unit

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 Gas Lift
Gas lift is an Artificial Lift technique in which a relative high-pressure gas is injected
into a fluid column to reduce the density of the fluid from the injection point to the
surface. The injection gas is used to supplement the formation gas and to reduce
the flow fluid traverse above the injection location. This allows the fluids to be lifted
to the surface at a lower reservoir pressure. It's a gas lift technique in which high-
pressure gas is injected beneath a fluid column inside tubing. The expansion of gas
causes the fluid slug to be moved or lifted from the point of gas injection to the
surface.

A gas lift is an extension of self-flow. High-pressure gas is injected from the casing
to lighten the tubing column for reducing FBHP. Ideally, the injection depth should
be as deep as possible. A deeper injection point requires higher injection pressures.
Deeper wells require higher injection pressures.

• Tubing head pressure also plays an important role.

• FBHP (Gas lift well ) –Tubing pressure up to injection depth@TGLR (IGLR +

FGLR) + Tubing pressure below in. depth @FGLR

• Lower FBHP leads to more oil production.

• Higher wellhead pressure (THP) thus increases FBHP leading to lesser oil
production.
Advantages of Gas Lift

• Offers a high degree of flexibility.

• Effectively produces high & low GOR.

• The initial cost is less if HP gas is available.

• Low operating cost and ease of operation

• Suitable for deep and deviated wells.

• Handles sandy conditions well.

• Allows full bore tubing drift.

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 • Wireline retrievable GLVs eliminate workover jobs and offer flexibility to
design changes.

• Minimum space requirement for wellhead equipment set up.

Limitations of Gas Lift

• Requires HP gas well or Compressor.

• Wet gas is subjected to freezing and hydrate formation and may require a
gas dehydration unit.
• Valve retrieval in highly deviated wells poses a problem.

• Not applicable where the casing is damaged.

• Scale, corrosive, and/or paraffin problems may increase the back pressure
& reduce efficiency.

• Become costlier if injection gas is corrosive.

• Intermittent gas lift is having lowest efficiency.

TYPES OF GAS LIFT

• Continuous

• Intermittent
CONTINUOUS Gas Lift

• Resembles Extension of self flow

• A high volume of production

INTERMITTENT GAS LIFT

• The tendency of gas breakthrough

• Liquid fallback

• Instantaneous gas injection is very high

• Efficiency low

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 • Utilized when continuous gas lift does not operate Advantages of
Packer:

• Stabilizes fluid level in the annulus.

• A must where the injection gas pressure varies.

• A must where the supply of injection gas is interrupted frequently.

• Preventing injection gas pressure from acting on the formation.

COMPONENTS OF GL SYSTEM

• High-Pressure gas Source.

• Lift gas Injection line.

• Lift gas Metering and Control units.

• Gas lift Mandrels.

• Gas lift valves.

• LP gas compressors.

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 References
I. ONGC in-house training PPT's

II. ONGC Manuals

III. Petroleum Related Books

IV. Image Source from Google

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