InLine ElectroCoalescer - FMC Technologies

FMC Technologies’ InLine ElectroCoalescer enables efficient oil/water separation and helps maximize deepwater production of medium and heavy oil. This compact, pipe-based technology uses a high-frequency, alternating current with high voltage to polarize, coalesce and enlarge water droplets, which can then be separated much faster in the downstream separation equipment.

Installing an InLine ElectroCoalescer upstream of a separator greatly increases the capacity of that separator. In older facilities, this results in debottlenecking, reduced demulsifier injection or decreased energy consumption of the heating system. For greenfield applications this means the size of the separator and the use of demulsifiers can be greatly reduced. The InLine ElectroCoalescer is compact itself — one-half to one-fourth the size and weight of other electrostatic coalescers. This reduced size and weight make it ideal for installation in deepwater subsea processing systems, and allow for hydrate-free export of crude oil through long-distance pipelines to a host facility.

Benefits of the InLine ElectroCoalescer:

•Design temperature up to 200°C
•High pressure operation: design pressure up to 100 barg
•Compact and lightweight design
•Reduced size and weight of separation equipment and offshore platform structures
•High efficiency due to unique power supply principles for oil viscosities up to 30 cP
•Easily up scalable
•Reduced demulsifier and heating requirements