Scientists of Novosibirsk State Technical University NETI have created and patented a technology to reduce the time of oil refining from water at the deposit immediately after production. The technology is based on the combination of electric and magnetic fields.
When oil is extracted from the field, it rises to the surface together with the oil waters. The amount of water and oil in the mixture may vary depending on the deposit and production conditions. With traditional refining technology, the mixture is settled, water and oil are stratified and then the oil is fed into the pipeline. However, such a natural process can take a long time.
"The settling rate is related to the water properties, such as density, viscosity and surface tension. We decided to increase the density of water, to carry out a quasi-weighting operation, which will reduce the settling time, " said Yevgeny Porsev, associate professor of the Department of Electrotechnological Units, NSTU NETI.
The essence of the technology is the combination of electric and magnetic fields. Magnetic induction is created in a magnetic field using electromagnets with cores and a winding through which an electric current is passed.
"We can direct magnetic forces downwards, and electric forces across the movement of the water. Thus, we create conditions for increasing the water density; as a result, the floating of fat balls of oil accelerates, " the scientist noted.
The increase in productivity depends on a variety of conditions at a particular deposit. According to Porsev, the technology is most expediently applied directly at the oil production site. It requires installing an electric power source and electromagnets near the deposit.
From the point of view of costs, the use of the NSTU NETI scientists’ technology is comparable or slightly more expensive than the traditional method of separating oil and water. But taking into account the gain in time from the moment of production to sending to the oil pipeline, the economic benefits of the invention for the oil production industry are evident.
The patented technology can also be used for wastewater refining from oily impurities.