Polymer flooding using low salinity water has been shown to improve oil reservoir recovery rates, by altering the reservoir characteristic from an oil-wet state to a water-wet state.

It has also been shown to be cost competitive with other Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes. The combined cost savings and increased recovery rate have prompted a lot of attention in the polymer flooding process with low salinity water in recent years.

However, as with any offshore water flooding process, dissolved oxygen in the injection water may cause unwanted effects in the reservoir, such as souring and bacteria growth.

Therefore, it is common practice to remove oxygen from water before injection. In cases where polymers are added, oxygen removal is critical to prevent a reduction in the polymer's effectiveness.

Weight can also be a critical factor for offshore installations, especially on existing platforms. If no vacuum tower or similar equipment is already in place on the platform, a deaeration process must be installed.

For these reasons, RO Solutions was asked to evaluate the feasibility of using Liqui-Cel® Membrane Contactors in an offshore polymer flooding plant before the design was finalized.

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