GE Introduces New Membrane To Remove Seawater Sulfate From Injection Water For Offshore Oil Production

• Technology for the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry Produces Consistently Low Sulfate Water
• New Nanofiltration Membrane has Low Fouling Properties and Reduces Scale and Corrosion

Offshore Technology Conference
GE Booth #3163 - GE recently announced a new water treatment technology for the upstream oil and gas market. GE’s new seawater sulfate removal (SWSR) nanofiltration membrane eliminates almost all sulfate from injection water in offshore oil production.

GE’s SWSR membrane removes sulfate to drastically reduce scale and corrosion in the injection well, which can reduce oil recovery and plug the well. It also has exceptional fouling resistance due to its three-layer membrane design and smooth surface.

The new SWSR series is an advancement of GE's DK series nanofiltration membrane and provides a high transmission of sodium chloride into the permeate water to minimize operating pressures. It offers a physical barrier for any suspended particles including bacteria, pyrogens and colloids. Additionally, the new membrane will help prevent strontium and barium sulfate scale in injection wells and will better mitigate well souring by reducing sulfate.

“We put our 30 years of experience in nanofiltration membrane manufacturing to use in creating our latest innovation for the upstream oil and gas industry. On oilrigs, oil producers use injection water to flood the field and force oil to the producing wells, but if the water is of poor quality, it causes scale and corrosion that plugs and sours the field. GE’s new seawater sulfate removal membranes provide excellent sulfate removal and have superior fouling resistance,” said Yuvbir Singh, general manager, engineered systems—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water.

The new SWSR membrane also can be used in conjunction with GE’s existing reverse osmosis membranes in order to provide water for low salinity flooding, polymer flooding and other forms of enhanced oil recovery.

This news, released at the 2015 Offshore Technology Conference, exemplifies GE’s industry-leading technology solutions for the offshore oil and gas industry. Its commitment to operational excellence, local partnerships, capabilities building and sustainable technology solutions is designed to provide maximum value to customers, especially during challenging times. Please visit the GE OTC landing page (https://www.geoilandgas.com/otc) for videos, live updates, expert presentations and innovation deep dives.

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About GE Power & Water
GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar; biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world’s most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Power & Water’s six business units include Distributed Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation Services, Renewable Energy and Water & Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE’s largest industrial business.