Upstream
Drain water
Crude oil production generates large quantities of oil-contaminated drain water, which must be de-oiled to legally specified levels to protect the marine ecosystem. GEA's drain water treatment systems perform this reliably and are used globally on FPSOs and drilling platforms.
Benefits of our centrifuges
- High separation accuracy for oil, solids and cleaned water
- Reliable operation despite liquid and solid material fluctuations
- Reduce residual oil content to max. 15 ppm, meeting IMO standards
- Oil-in water measuring device, monitoring the aqueous phase for purity levels
Meeting IMO regulations
Across various processes in the oil and gas industry, including the treatment of drain water, strict adherence to environmental regulations is crucial. To meet the standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), GEA offers specialized high-performance, self-cleaning centrifugal separators and clarifying decanter centrifuges. The goal is to efficiently reduce the oil content to levels below the legally specified limits, often set at 15 ppm or 5 ppm in some regions.
Continuous and reliable operation, along with cost-effective features such as reduced disposal costs and low energy consumption, makes GEA's solutions suitable for both offshore and onshore applications. The emphasis on compliance, efficiency and cost-effectiveness is a common thread in addressing the challenges posed by oil-contaminated water in the oil and gas industry.
Flexible systems for flexible conditions
Formation water from below the water layers containing crude oil deposits, water from the drilling mud or cleaning processes, rainwater, or spilled sea water can all be categorized as drain water. This means that not only the water and oil content but also the amount of solid material can vary greatly. Depending on the requirements and configuration, we will supply systems with and without centrifuges.
Effectively separating oil and solids
The core of our treatment plants is a self-cleaning separator that separates the collected drain water into solid materials, an oil phase and cleaned water with the greatest level of separation accuracy and that continues to work reliably even when the concentration of liquid and solid material fluctuates.
Additionally, it is able to compensate for the normal fluctuations on ships and platforms, has a space-saving design and is also available as an explosion-protected model. We compensate for extremely harsh working conditions by using corrosion-resistant materials, such as super duplex steel, which is just one of the reasons why our plants are most suitable for use on various installations in the oil and gas industry.
Additional components
An upstream centrifuge can be used to purify water that has a particularly high level of solid material. In addition to our centrifuges, we also equip our plants with auxiliary components such as pre-heaters and pumps.
Drain water management: Combining decanter and separator centrifuges for optimal results
First retrofit plant for the treatment of drain water
Products & Technologies
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Centrifugal Separator
GEA separators are designed for liquid-based applications. Using centrifugal force, they are used for separating suspensions consisting of two or more phases of different densities, i.e. they can be used for liquid-liquid separation, for liquid-liquid-solid separation or for liquid-solid separation. They are equally as effective at separating liq...
Decanter Centrifuge
The decanter’s hour has come as soon as the solids content in the suspension to be processed is particularly high. These machines provide the benefits of high clarifying efficiency and maximum dewatering as well as the separation of liquids with the simultaneous removal of solids. The main requirements in this respect include a high bowl speed, a...
Jet pumps
Jet pumps, also referred to as ejectors, are devices for the conveyance, compression or mixing of gases, vapors, liquids or solids and for the production of vacuum in which a gaseous or liquid medium serves as the motive force.
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