Well Injection

Microorganism control is increasingly an important topic of discussion in the offshore petro-chemical and gas industries. Inadequate chemical/biocide disinfection threatens a range of negative consequences, including ‘souring the well' with hydrogen sulphide gas, microbiological induced corrosion and the loss of fluid stability during injection.  With stricter regulations on down-hole injection applications with regards to chemicals added to stimulation fluids, there has been an increasing effort to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals such as biocides from the extraction process.

atg UV Technology have developed a number of UV systems specifically for the offshore industry to prevent microbiological contamination.  Additionally, as UV reduces the need for traditional disinfection chemicals, which have high associated capital costs and are both highly toxic and potentially hazardous to transport and store in offshore environments, UV systems from atg UV Technology are seen as a ‘green' technology option benefiting offshore platforms and contractors worldwide.

Pictured Above: Eldfisk Platform - North Sea - UV disinfection package - 4000 m3/hr. 

Working closely with a number of offshore operators, atg UV Technology developed pilot trials to validate the effectiveness of UV disinfection on Sulphate Reducing Bacteria and verify the sizing parameters needed for a 99.9% reduction (3 log reduction) of SRB's from a range of water sources at varying qualities.

As a result atg UV Technology have provided down-hole injection systems treating over 4,000 m3/hr and other UV disinfection packages to the world's leading offshore operators including Shell, Total, BP, Texaco, Conoco Chevron and British Gas. atg UV Technology's most notable down-hole injection installation to date was the Eldfisk Platform, North Sea which treats over 4,000 m3/hr of sea water daily, and has been in operation for over 10 years.

UV disinfection, supplemented by periodic shock dosing using chemical biocides is perfectly suited to down-hole injection applications, and has proved to be both a cost effective and highly efficient method of removing harmful microorganisms such as SRB's (Sulphate Reducing Bacteria) from water sources.

A correctly sized atg UV system dramatically reduces the amount and frequency of chemical dosing and vastly reduces the associated handling / transportation costs. Estimated savings for a down-hole injection application switching to UV treatment are substantial, and could be as much as £1 million a year in chemical biocide cost savings alone.

When the West Ormikron Platform - 2,000 m3/hr daily switched to UV disinfection, the client, ‘Conoco Phillips' calculated expected savings in the region of £7,500 per day in biocide costs. 

A typical atg UV disinfection system is highly compact and easy to operate. The atg UV design utilizes an inline configuration that makes it easy to install into existing pipework with minimal disruption. Furthermore, atg UV's systems are fully automatic and unlike traditional chemical treatments, cannot be overdosed and does not increase the toxicity of the water with harmful biocides. Whilst occasional shock dosing with chemicals is still needed, this does not require the complex monitoring equipment that would be necessary if biocides were used as a primary disinfectant for everyday operation.