RN-Vankor, an enterprise of the Rosneft oil production complex, is implementing an innovative approach to field development. It is based on modular, scalable solutions, the advantages of which are mobility, economic viability and speed of construction of technological equipment. One of these facilities was commissioned at the Vankor cluster an additional formation water discharge unit with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters. m per day.
The new technology allows not only to fully realize the potential of the field and involve new areas in the development, but also to rationally use water resources. As part of Rosneft’s policy of high environmental responsibility, RN-Vankor is implementing “green” closed-loop technologies and recycling of resources. At the Vankor cluster, formation waters after treatment are sent for reuse in the reservoir pressure maintenance system. At the end of 2022, more than 75 million cubic meters. m of formation water is directed back into the formation.
The unit was developed and implemented by specialists from Rosneft subsidiaries – engineers from RN-BashNIPIneft and oilmen from RN-Vankor. The equipment is installed near well pads from which well production is collected and further prepared for reinjection into the reservoir. Thanks to the early water release plant, the load on the oil gathering pipeline system of the field, as well as on the oil treatment plant, is reduced. In the future, this approach is planned to be replicated on the strategic project of the Vostok Oil Company.
Compared to more powerful oil treatment units, the new equipment is small and self-contained. For its operation, there is enough hydraulic energy transmitted from the well stock. The process of separating “free” water from the gas-liquid mixture occurs without the use of complex and expensive equipment. Among the technical innovations is a water purification unit with the help of special elements that allow, due to water-repellent materials and a variable profile, to effectively collect oil and precipitate mechanical impurities without interfering with the movement of the main flow. In the next few years, three more units of this type are planned to be built at the Vankor field.
Today, the Vankor Cluster is integrated into the most powerful production project in the world, Vostok Oil, where high environmental standards and closed-loop technologies are laid down already at the design stage.
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