Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has installed a waste water evaporator at Adhi field as part of the company's drive to promote safe, healthy and environment-friendly operations.
The average daily production of the Field is more than 3,500 barrels of natural gas liquid, 1,400 barrels crude and 120 tonnes liquid petroleum gas and 40 million cubic feet natural gas. During the production of gas and condensate from wells, effluent water is produced which carries salt and oil droplets in shape of emulsion.
If drained into the ground, this effluent can contaminate the underground water and affect nearby communities as well as crops. At Adhi Field, the effluent water used to be collected in slop vessel through gravity, and then pumped into the 'burn pit', for burning the inseparable oil emulsion.
That process effectively controlled the oil contents but the untreated water had to be drained in cesspool above surface. Burning of oil emulsion, on the other hand, was a point of concern because it was producing dark smoke. To solve these issues, PPL embarked upon a project to install the waste water evaporator.
With the use of this technology, the effluent water, separated from well-feed in 3-Phase Gravity Separator, is first collected in slop vessel. This effluent is then pumped into a storage tank for further separation after which the heating system evaporates the water and the skimmed oil is pumped back into the storage tanks.
The Waste Water Evaporator evaporates the effluent water instead of draining it into the ground. "Now we have saved the underground water from being polluted and gotten rid of the carbon dioxide and smoke because the oil is not burnt anymore," Production Engineer In charge, Adhi Field Zafarullah Khan said.
The installation of the evaporator will also facilitate PPL in achieving the environmental goals set in the Clean Development Mechanism, an arrangement that deals with the reduction of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide under the Kyoto Protocol.
Health and safety of employees and surrounding community remains PPL's top priority for which it also arranges various courses and drills to spread awareness. The Company has a well-defined Health Safety and Environment (HSE) Policy to comply with relevant rules and achieve continuous process improvement.