Nitrogen low-down

The oil and gas industry's capacity to find, extract and distribute hydrocarbon products to meet energy needs is continually improving. The application of seismic imagery has led to the development of new fields, often at depths that were inconceivable only a decade ago.

Companies such as Tianjin Hi-Tech Co Ltd have developed a range of unique nitrogen-related methods to help the upstream processing of oil and gas.

These technologies include:

Nitrogen production using membranes for under-balanced drilling: High pressure nitrogen provides a low down-hole hydrostatic pressure. Mobile nitrogen membrane production units safely provide inert gas which can be boosted to the required pressure.

Nitrogen production using membranes for enhanced oil recovery applications: Nitrogen can be injected into existing wells to increase oil and/or gas recovery. Depending on the volumes and type of nitrogen required, it can be supplied either by large high pressure nitrogen production units (cryogenic technology) or by membrane modules using NPU (Nitrogen Production Unit) or NPIU (Nitrogen Production and Injection Unit). These units can also be used for coal bed methane production.

Nitrogen membranes for offshore platforms: Membranes can be used to provide nitrogen for use on offshore platforms. These membranes are highly sensitive in reducing power requirements, and since they can be very compact, they need only minimal space.

Nitrogen gas is used primarily to ensure safe processes and maintain product quality. It is typically used for blanketing storage tanks. Nitrogen gas can also be used for the pressure transfer of products between storage vessels.

(China Daily 04/07/2008 page5)