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M-I EPCON AS has developed its own treatment technology especially suitable for removing hydrocarbons, low water soluble substances and particles from produced water. The technology has been developed and tested jointly with oil companies in the North Sea. Today, it is considered to be a proven technology in treating produced water and one of the preferred choices of oil operators.
The Company
vM-I EPCON AS (former Epcon Offshore AS) has been fully operational since 2001 and the head office with 28 employees, is located in Porsgrunn, Norway. The company was acquired by M-I SWACO in February 2006.
With locations in more than 70 countries, M-I SWACO is a worldwide company representing a wide array of businesses involved in drilling, reservoir drill-in and completion fluids and associated services for the petroleum industry.
Compact flotation unit (CFU) technology
The EPCON Compact Flotation Unit (CFU) is a multi-phase (oil/water/gas) separator with no moving parts. With the exception of supply pressure or hydrostatic head, the EPCON CFU requires no external energy and is reliable and highly efficient in the separation of water, oil and gas to achieve a high standard of treated water. The CFU also has a smaller volume and shorter retention time than traditional flotation units currently in use offshore. Several combined processes, including gas flotation and induced centrifugal inertia forces, act on the fluid to separate the components having differing specific gravities.
The small oil droplets are made to agglomerate and coalesce, facilitating separation from the water. Internal devices in the chamber and a gas flotation effect caused by the release of residual gas from the water aid the separation process. Process optimization can also be achieved by the introduction of external gas and/or flocculants. The separated oil and gas is removed in a continual process via an outlet pipe.
The alternative to traditional waste treatment systems
Compared to traditional produced water treatment systems, the EPCON CFU provides an alternative technology with:

Low weight
Small footprint
Robustness
High operational range
Ease of operation
Performance 10mg/l oil in water
Minimum maintenance
No small bore openings
No rotating parts
Discharge directly to sea

These attributes combine to give the CFU user higher capacity and better performance at a lower cost. The single CFU separation step has been proven to reduce the oil-in-water content to below 20mg/l, while simultaneously degassing the water. Two CFUs in series have been proven to reduce the oil-in-water content to below 10mg/l.
A retention time down to below 30 seconds will achieve a sufficient performance. A vessel with an operation volume of only 2m³ will be able to treat a water flow up to 250m³/h.
The EPCON CFU can be designed to fit all pipe size capacities, and they can easily be adapted to local conditions and requirements.
Effective treatment of produced water
Since 1999 M-I EPCON AS has embarked upon a dedicated and focused effort to adapt its technology to meet the needs of the offshore industry, in a cost effective and flexible manner. Our technology has been tested and developed in cooperation with oil companies, and the independent water research institute Aquateam has verified the test results. Detailed reports and more documentation can be obtained by contacting the M-I EPCON head office.
M-I EPCON AS has developed a technology able to handle large volumes of water with treatment results for oil-in-water below 10mg/l. According to latest studies, these results will also remove 60% to 80% of the most toxic and aromatic compounds in the water, and thus significantly reduce the environmental impact of discharged produced water. From 2007 the regulations in the North Sea area is a monthly average of 30mg/l non-polar hydrocarbons in produced water discharged overboard.
The EPCON CFU Technology is a proven and cost effective solution to the problem of increasing oil production whilst at the same time working towards the zero-discharge goal.