Pilot Testing Of A Walnut Shell Filter For Heavy Oil Removal At High Temperature

Pilot testing is an effective way to determine the performance of produced water treatment products and solutions prior to building full-scale systems. In this case, pilot testing was performed to determine the ability of a walnut shell filter to remove heavy oil (API 13.3) at high temperature (~90° C) – conditions commonly found in heavy oil production operations.

Oil production can result in two to ten barrels of produced water per barrel of oil. This produced water requires further treatment prior to disposal/reinjection, discharge or reuse. Treatment steps for produced water typically include primary (API Separators /Hydrocyclones), secondary (Gas Flotation) and tertiary treatment (Media Filtration).