MicroSilicon Inc Completes The First Middle East Deployment Of An Asphaltene Measurement System

Quantum-RF* instrumented wellhead monitoring demonstrated sufficiently high resolution to identify changes in asphaltene levels during and after cleanouts

Houston, TX (PRWEB) - MicroSilicon announced today successful completion of its first Middle East deployment of its Quantum-RF instrumented wellhead monitoring system. This groundbreaking combination of electron paramagnetic sensing combined with real-time dielectric and conductivity measurement enables the operator to monitor dynamic changes of well fluid chemistry as the fluid exits the wellhead and enters surface production systems.

The proprietary components of the monitoring system streamline the detection and quantification of the asphaltene percentage within the well fluid, as well as providing ancillary information important to chemical management, (e.g. for gas/water/oil ratios and for onboard diagnostics). The simplified process dramatically reduces analysis time compared to traditional gravimetric techniques and makes feasible monitoring an entire field or series of wells.

“The Quantum-RF system answered a major uncertainty we had with real-time chemical analysis for flow assurance, namely whether a field-deployed device could have the resolution needed to see small changes in asphaltene,” said Dalia Abdallah, Upstream Flow Assurance R&D Manager, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. “By taking data every day over a series of wells, we could also validate the device’s responsiveness to naturally changing fluid conditions.”

The innovative design of the Quantum-RF sensors had been extensively tested previous to its Middle East deployment, with operations in over 300 US and Canada wells, as well as with accuracy comparisons from an independent third-party organization. In Abu Dhabi, the Quantum-RF system was used on a total of 15 wells over the course of a month for a total of 120 samples. On two of those wells, data was recorded before, during and after a naphtha soak enabling the operator to better understand the mechanism of asphaltene redeposition post clean-up.

Operational issues traditionally related to fluid sampling can be minimized by plumbing the Quantum RF device directly into the production line, with readings that continuously taken from a side stream, thereby avoiding the inconvenience, cost and potential risk of repeated fluid handling. Real-time data can be transmitted to cloud-based storage.

For more information on the Quantum RF system, visit http://www.microsilicon.io/QuantumRF.