Italian oil field to recycle up to 98 percent of produced water with new technology

May 7, 2014
Up to 98 percent of produced water at the crude oil production site at the Tempa Rossa oil field in Corleto Perticara, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy, will be recycled using GE's advanced evaporator and zero liquid discharge technology.


MUNICH, GERMANY, May 5, 2014 -- Up to 98 percent of produced water at the crude oil production site at the Tempa Rossa oil field in Corleto Perticara, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy, will be recycled using GE's (GE: NYSE) advanced evaporator and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology. Total E&P Italia S.p.A. has six wells in the Tempa Rossa oil field, and GE will provide the technology to the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Maire Tecnimont S.p.A, which is overseeing the development of the project for Total E&P Italia.

As one of the most important oil fields in Italy, the Tempa Rossa project, along with the nearby Val d'Agri oil field, will create enough oil to meet approximately 10 percent of Italian oil needs. The execution of the work will comply with the most severe requirements in terms of health, safety and environment for a facility of this nature in Italy. The Tempa Rossa oil field needed an innovative and energy-efficient solution to treat the water and meet stringent discharge regulations, and GE's technology was deemed the best technology for recycling water at this facility.

The project marks the first application of GE-produced water treatment in Europe. Oil wells can produce enormous quantities of water, and this water needs to be treated or hauled away from the site. At the Tempa Rossa oil field, GE's ZLD crystallizers will demineralize the produced water, which will be available for firefighting. The remaining brine will be concentrated into solid salt crystals for disposal. Further, the ZLD technology will enable Maire Tecnimont SpA to meet new national environmental regulations governing water discharge.

GE will provide two identical produced water treatment units including de-oiling, forced circulation brine concentration, evaporation, and crystallization for ZLD. It is a complex process in which GE's multiple-effect steam-driven units will be used for concentration and crystallization. Vapors generated during the evaporation process are condensed in GE energy air condensers and air coolers to meet the required temperature for demineralized water production and firefighting reuse.

Once fully operational in 2016, Total E&P Italia's six wells in Tempa Rossa will have a daily production capacity of approximately 50,000 barrels of crude oil, 230,000 m³ of natural gas, 240 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 80 tons of sulfur. The energy-efficient technology will treat up to 52 m3/h of feedwater per line and will be able to recover up to 98 percent of produced water as distillate and solids. The delivery is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2015 with installation by the third quarter of 2015.

The entire scope of the project includes the Tempa Rossa oil field development project, as well as the central process facilities of the oil center where the crude oil is treated, along with the treatment of the associated gas and water, the LPG storage center, the surface facilities on the well pads, and the connections of the flowlines and pipelines with Snam Rete Gas and with Taranto Refinery pipeline.

See also:

"Water reuse using GE evaporators in Canadian oil sands application"

"GE solutions help reduce water, carbon footprints in Alberta"

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit www.ge.com.

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