Downhole oil/water separators - What's new?

The US Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Petroleum Technology Office is interested in new technologies that can bring oil to the surface at a lower cost or with less environment impact. DOE is particularly interested in technologies that can accomplish both of these goals, and downhole oil/water separators (DOWS) seem to achieve that. They have the potential to reduce operating costs while providing a greater degree of environmental protection. DOE learned of the innovative DOWS technology and funded a team from Argonne National Laboratory, CH2M Hill (a private-sector consulting firm), and the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (a state agency) to conduct an independent evaluation of the technical feasibility, economic viability, and regulatory applicability of the DOWS technology. The results of that investigation were published in January 1999 and represent the most complete publicly available reference material on DOWs technology (the full text of the report can be downloaded from Argonne's website at www.ead.anl.gov). Other abbreviated versions of this information have been published during the past year. Last January, in the 1999 Produced Water Seminar, the author provided an overview of the DOWS technology. For the 2000 Produced Water Seminar, the author is providing updated information on DOWS and related technologies. To set the stage for the new information, the next few sections provided a review of previously reported information.