The incoming solution enters into the Filter Press via a diaphragm pump that is plumbed to the center feed pipe. When the plates are closed, the sludge accumulates in the cavity between the plates. The filtered water exits through the filter cloth and works its way through the stack alternating between the left upper and lower corners and right upper and lower corners, due to the porting differences on the on button and three button plates.
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Before the operator can begin filling the filter press, it should be confirmed that the plates are in the 1-3-1-3 button alignment. (This alignment is critical in the air blow-down process.) The unit then needs to be completely closed and all valves should be in the appropriate position. This is accomplished by pushing all them in place by extending the hydraulic cylinder and attaining the recommended PSI. ( for automatic and for manual)
As the filter press fills, it is recommended to begin the feed at 25 PSI and to gradually ramp up the pressure at steady intervals (25, 50, 75) to the maximum pressure of 100 PSI. Upon initial filling of the filter press, the pump will thrust at quick intervals. Conversely, as the press fills, the diaphragm pump will slow down significantly. The easiest way to tell that the press is full is, to listen to the diaphragm pump once it hits 100 PSI. It will dramatically reduce to 30 seconds to 1-minute intervals between thrusts or it may deadhead (stop) altogether. This is your indicator that the cycle is complete. Cycle time can vary from as little as 30 minutes to over 4 hours depending upon what is being filtered. When the filter press is full, all of the chambers will be filled with sludge.
Once the press is full, it is time to operate the Air Blowdown. When the three ball valves on the outlet manifold are closed, and the inlet center feed ball valve is closed, the air that enters the filter press via the small ball valve on the upper left-hand corner of the manifold is forced through the filter press.
Because of the porting denoted by the one button or the three button plate, the air enters into the sludge chamber via the upper left-hand corner of the three button plates and exits via the bottom right-hand corner of the one button plates. This process will push excess water out through the outlet manifold. This process allows for a better cake release and a drier filter cake. Think of this a wringing out the sponge. This is why it is imperative to maintain the 1-3-1-3 alignment of the plates.
Once the Sludge Blowndown Process is complete, the filter press is ready to be opened so that the plates can be cleaned. To open the automatic filter press, reverse the air valve on the automatic hydraulic pump to allow the cylinder to slowly pull open the steel pusher plate. On the smaller manual units, release the ram pressure by simply opening the release valve and the pusher plate will retract via an internal return spring.
Now that the plates are released, pull apart the plates one by one. Most of the sludge will fall into the sludge dumpster on its own. A sludge spatula is provided on new Filter Presses to aide in the sludge removal. Sometimes it is necessary to scrape the residual sludge from the cloths. However, care should be taken to ensure that the cloths are intact and the o-ring and O-ring sealing surfaces are in position and free from obstructions.
Once all plates are clean, the filter press is ready to be closed hydraulically. The three outlet manifold ball valves should be opened, the center feed pipe should be opened and the pump is ready to be switched to the on position. Once the diaphragm pump is reset to 25 PSI, the unit is ready to resume the next fill cycle.
With oil and gas reserves around the world declining and the energy transition to alternative energy sources increasing, it is vital that oil companies extract as much product as possible from each well. Not only must the amount of hydrocarbon produced be maximised, in a way that is safe for the environment and humans, but it is also crucial that production costs are reduced, reservoir life extended as much as possible and hydrocarbon recovery optimised.
Completion fluids play a vital role in the productivity of oil and gas wells. The use of completion fluids facilitates final operations before production starts, can increase well capacity, alleviates problems with well repair, and facilitates cleaning and shutdown of the well when the time is right.
Completion fluids could in theory be any fluid that has the proper density and flow characteristics required for the job. However, completion fluids are typically specially prepared brines (concentrated salt solutions) also known as well bore clean out fluids, work over fluids. They are formulated for the particular job by specialized chemical manufacturers and comprise chlorides, bromides and formates (a class of salts made from the neutralization of formic acid).
The completion fluid should be chemically compatible with the reservoir formation (a general term for the rock around the borehole). Matching the density, flow and pH content to the unique characteristics of the well will lengthen the life of the well production zone.
Formulation, manufacturing and selection of the right completion fluid for a particular well is a skilled activity. Fluids can be bought ready for the job or custom made to meet specific needs. It is often believed that in the oil and gas industry a custom made completion fluid, while initially an additional cost, will save money and increase production in the medium to long term, paying for itself throughout the production life of the well.
The useful life and efficiency of completion fluids can be extended by ensuring that they are clean and solids free – this can be effectively achieved by filtration.
Any solids and contaminates in the completion fluid will reduce its effectiveness and an efficiently filtered and completely solid free completion fluid will add to both the productivity and the dependability of a well over the long term.
Filtration provides clean fluids that will prevent damage to the formation, the reservoir and its ability to transmit fluids (its permeability or measurement of the formation ability to transmit fluids). It does this by the removal of solids and particulates from the fluid that may otherwise block the open space within the rock formation that holds the hydrocarbon fluid (known as porosity) within the production zone.
Filtration of a completion fluid is necessary during:
A fluid used to force another fluid or cement slurry out of the well borehole casing into the surrounding area known as the annulus.
A cleaning process carried out after holes (perforations) are made in the well bore casing or liner to achieve efficient ‘communication’ between the reservoir and the wellbore.
This is a control method used to prevent production of formation sand. The primary objective is to stabilize the formation while causing minimal impairment to well productivity.
Processes carried out to enlarge a wellbore past its original drilled size or during maintenance operations.
Chemical agents added to fluids to slow or prevent an undesirable reaction occurring within the fluid or to other materials in the surrounding environment.
A process of pumping fluid through the whole active well bore and surface fluid system.
Specialist fluids used to carry out specific tasks at different times during the drilling and well completion process. Such procedures are to help lift cuttings out of a vertical wellbore, to dissolve invasive salt formations, to destroy caking/coating and relieve differential sticking forces and lost circulation, and to free a differentially stuck drill pipe.
In all of these applications clean solids-free fluids are absolutely necessary if the oil or gas well borehole, the surrounding formation and production zone are to be maintained in a clean and efficient condition. The removal of solids and particulates from the brines and completion fluids ensures oil and gas well productivity.
Because there are a number of different completion fluids used over the life of an oil or gas well, each with different characteristics, the filtration system must be able to cope with this variation.
The well completion fluid filtration system must be designed to cope with a relatively high level of solids in a wide range of particle sizes, as well as handle high flow rates and fast throughputs during ongoing operation.
A number of filtration technologies are available for the filtration of completion fluids. These include:
Diatomaceous Earth [DE] is a naturally occurring, siliceous sedimentary rock formed from the fossilized skeletal remains of diatoms, a type of microscopic hard-shelled algae. They have a particle size ranging from less than 1 micron to more than 1 millimeter, but typically between 10 to 200 microns. Diatomaceous Earth is used as a filter aid to improve filtration efficiency and extend the life of the filtration system.
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In both FP and VPL systems prior to running a filtration duty, the filter aid, Diatomaceous Earth is introduced into the system where it is circulated until a filter cake builds up on the surface of either the filter media of the FP or the stainless settle mesh grid of the VPL filter.
Prior to start filtration of dirty fluids the Press filter unit must have a pre-coat of Diatomaceous Earth [DE] filter aid. During filtration of the dirty brines DE is added continuously (body feed).
The DE is held in stainless steel tank with an air agitator for homogeneous mixing within a unit called the slurry mixing skid. It is then fed with an air driven diaphragm pump into the FP unit and circulated back to the mixing unit; here it is progressively removed from the fluid flow until a cake is built up on the filter cloth inside the FP unit to form a pre-coat. This process is also known as precoating. Once the pre-coat layer of DE has built up, another low dose of DE is introduced to the system known as the body feed together with the dirty fluid. The body feed of DE keeps the filter cake porous and extend the lifetime of the filtration cycles.
Fluid from the Clean Brine Tank is fed into the Well, after use and prior to filtration is it sent to a Dirty Brine Tank where a robust Self-priming Pump then transfers it to the filter press unit which removes the bulk solids and contamination. Downstream of the FP system the fluid is passed through a Dual Vessel Cartridge Filter Unit where a final polish and cleaning of the fluid is carried out prior to retuning it to the Clean Brine Tank for re-use in the Well.
Features of a FP system:
Initially the DE is held in a mix tank that is mixed by using compressed air to agitate. It is then fed into the Vertical Pressure Leaf filter vessel and circulated; here the DE is progressively removed from the fluid flow until a cake is built up on the surface of the filter leaves (stainless steel leaves with polypropylene filter cloth) inside the VPL unit to form a pre-coat.
Once the pre-coat layer of DE has built up on the vertical pressure filter leaves, the dirty brines can be pumped into the filter with a low continuous dose of DE is introduced to the system known as the body feed.
This combination of pre-coat and body coat is the most effective filtration medium for the removal of high volumes of solids. This makes the VPL/DE and Dual Vessel Filter system an ideal solution for high flow rate and throughout applications allowing the system to cope with the demands of high speed processing where continuity of filtration is important.
Over time, flow rate reduces as solids are removed by the VPL filter and the differential pressure [dP] builds up across the filter system. Eventually the fluid flow is reduced, when this happens, the filter needs to be cleaned (wash down).
The advantage of the VPL system is that cleaning can be achieved by a semi-automatic process where a high pressure water wash-down system cleans the vertical pressure leaves. Used DE and the removed solids are disposed through the dump line and a new pre-coat of DE will be applied. The VPL filter is then brought back into service with this process taking approximately 15 minutes.
Each filtration system has its unique application in a particular field of work. Important is the lifetime of a filtration cycle with the pressure difference and the time of cleaning.
When comparing Vertical Pressure Leaf (VPL) DE over conventional Filter Press plate (FP) systems of the same size unit the FP system has less effective flow area compared to the VPL/DE system which has a massive 90% effective flow area available for filtration duties. This is due to the need to intimately support the filtration media within the FP system compared to the robust, self-supporting structure of the leaves in the VPL filter. This is why the most common size filter press is sq.ft. and VPL is 600sq.ft.
In most operations the filter press with sq.ft. is the standard, this size of press can handle almost all fluids and is easy to operate and has a cake capacity of ltrs. Whereas a VPL need to clean at max 4 bar dP a filter press will go up to the maximum of 7 bar differential. Actually, the denser the filter cake in the filter press, the easier the release of filter cake. In general, VPL are used for light brines and small footprints, filter press is used for more heavy fluids.
A typical closed loop Completion Fluid Filtration System comprises all of the required equipment for brine storage, pumping and filtration.
Fluid from the Clean Brine Tank is fed into the Well, after use and prior to filtration is it sent to a Dirty Brine Tank where a robust Self-priming Pump then transfers it to the VPL/DE filtration system which removes the bulk solids and contamination. Downstream of the VPL/DE system the fluid is passed through a Dual Vessel Cartridge Filter Unit where a final polish and cleaning of the fluid is carried out prior to retuning it to the Clean Brine Tank for re-use in the Well.
A dual cartridge filter system is the most common filter unit present at an oil drilling site or mud plant. It is always used to polish the fluid after a filter press or a vertical pressure leaf. Usually this is a 2 or 5 micron filter cartridge. But also for small amounts of fluids often only the dual cartridge filter unit is used because of its great flexibility and small footprint. These twin pod units can be applied with filter bags and/or filter cartridges, in a range from a few mm up to 0.5 micron. The possibility of different filter elements always gives the user the choice of the most economical solution for a particular filter job. The two filter housings in parallel give the possibility of continuous filtration. In other words, filtration over one housing and changing the elements of the second housing. The manifold with 6 valves gives the flexibility to quickly switch over, use the by-pass or even use both filter vessels in series.
Quick and safe changing the filter cartridges or bags, we have 2 options:
All wetted parts of the filter unit are made of stainless steel 316 to be corrosion resistant against the aggressive fluids. It is always used to polish the fluid after a filter press or a vertical pressure leaf. Usually this is a 2 or 5 micron filter. But also for small amounts of fluids often only the dual cartridge filter unit is used because of its great flexibility and small footprint. These units can be applied with filter bags and/or filter elements, in a range from a few mm up to 0.5 micron. The possibility of different filter elements always gives the user the choice of the most economical solution for a particular filter job. The two filter houses in parallel give the possibility of continuous filtration. In other words, filtration over one housing and changing the elements of the second housing. The manifold with 6 valves gives the flexibility to quickly switch over, use the by-pass or even use both filter houses in series.
Each Completion Fluid Filtration system needs to be designed to meet the needs of the actual well, its surrounding formation and the specific fluid being used. Having said this, there are some general requirements that are true for all such systems.
Typical system requirements will include the need for overall filtration capability to remove the maximum volume of solid contaminants with a high flow rate/throughput. The system should offer an easy to operate cleaning procedure system and filter cartridge replacement procedure. Safety of operators is also a major consideration and adequate safety railings and work platforms should be an integral part of the overall design.
The advantages of a closed loop system ensure that spillages and any potential pollution of the surrounding work area and local environment are minimized.
System control required for the precoat and body feed operations, pumping and recirculation procedures, filter cartridge removal, maintenance and operation control should all be able to be carried out from one easy to manage and operate control panel. Pumps and compressors should be able to use the existing services such as being diesel driven, electric powered or air actuated.
The design of the pressure vessels needs to comply with international standards to ensure that the vessels are designed and constructed to the appropriate standards to handle high pressures and operational requirements. Because of the aggressive nature of the fluids being filtered it is best to ensure that all wetted parts are made from 316L stainless steel which ensures that then equipment offers a good service life.
Small footprint designs utilising framed and skid mounted units make transportation to site/location and installation easier. They also save on valuable space and make it simpler to integrate them into the overall scheme of the well bore and surface fluid system.
Clean fluids or brine are required for effective completion of a well bore. This will result in maximum production of oil and gas. This filtration of the completion fluids must be carried out according to the highest safety and environmental standards, in a fast and cost-effective manner. The most appropriate way for this filtration is Vertical Pressure Leaf filters (VPL) or filter presses (FP) with Dual Vessel Cartridge Filters with the corresponding absolute rated filter cartridges.
Filter Press is robust and simple in operation but requires manual operation. VPL is more advanced, closed system, small footprint, semi-automatic and designed for lighter fluids. Filter Press is more for heavier fluids and higher rates, what you see is what you get.
The dual vessel cartridge filter units with Rudi Quick Opening Closure allows the operator to open and closure the filter vessel safe and quick in a few seconds without using any tools.
A successful well bore completion with clean liquids is, in addition to proper and well maintained filtration equipment and filter consumables, in the hands of well-trained filtration operators.
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