Joint industry project to exploit heavy oil
21 Sep 2006
The UK has extensive reserves of heavy oil but technical challenges have prevented exploitation of this resource to meet national energy demands. In response, engineering technology services company TUV NEL has started a joint industry project (JIP) to bring together operators, regulators and meter manufacturers to address the challenges associated with the measurement of heavy oil.
Heavy oil has a viscosity in excess of 100cSt, so any trapped water and gas is difficult to separate and measure. However, a number of reports indicate that over 50% of known reserves are in the form of heavy oil, which has prompted a push to maximise their transportation and measurement.
Jim Holt, TUV NEL's business manager said: "There is a dearth of information on the effects of heavy oil on the performance of traditional flow measurement techniques and, with oil price at well over $70 a barrel, this could prove commercially very costly."
The first project stage will be to investigate the popular method of Venturi metering for high-viscosity oils. The project will then move on to new metering technologies, such as ultrasonic and Coriolis, with viscosities up to 600cSt . The final step will be to explore the issue of gas entrainment when transporting heavy oil.
"Participants will also have the opportunity to assist in the formation of future test regimes and, more importantly, with meter test selection," Holt explained. "This means that they can, in the future, purchase with confidence measurement systems best suited for the application."
As part of the JIP, TUV NEL will fset up a reference measurement system and test procedure using refined oils with high viscosities. This work will include a state-of-the-art facility to provide traceable measurements and understand the complexity of the fluid.
