Upstream

Drain water

During crude oil production and drilling large amounts of oil-contaminated drain water are inevitably generated. To protect the marine ecosystem, this water must be de-oiled to a legally specified level before it can be released into the sea. GEA plants for cleaning drain water do this reliably and are used around the world on FPSOs as well as production and drilling platforms.

Flexible systems for flexible conditions

Drain water can be formation water from below the water layers containing crude oil deposits, water from the drilling mud or cleaning processes, rain water or sea water that has spilled over. 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.

Always below 15 ppm

In accordance with the guidelines of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a purity level with a maximum oil content of 15 ppm in water must stringently be adhered to. Only then can the purified water be pumped back into the ocean without any hesitation and without polluting the environment. For this purpose, GEA plants for de-oiling drain water are equipped with a special oil monitor that monitors the aqueous phase. If the oil content exceeds 15 ppm, the water automatically circulates back into the system until the oil-in-water content meets legal requirements.

Decanter Centrifuge in Container for Drain Water Treatment

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GEA has successfully supplied first container skids
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