AS-Schneider valves are being successfully used at the Amal oilfield in Oman which uses steam generated at the Miraah solar thermal facility. Steam injection is a common enhanced oil recovery method.
Mature oil fields use enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to boost production. Steam injection is an EOR technique widely used in the Middle East. High-temperature steam is injected into the well to heat up the subsurface oil.
The oil production from a heated well increases due to the effects of lower viscosity, vaporisation, and thermal expansion.
Metal-to-metal seated ball valves have traditionally been used for this high-temperature application. These valves can be difficult to procure as they are made from special alloys and require a specialised coating process. AS-Schneider offers Double Block and Bleed valves with a bigger bore globe-type needle valve. These DBB valves are faster to produce as they do not require special third-party components.
Boosting recovery from aging oil fields is a major challenge in oil production. As production starts to taper off, oil companies must employ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. Using EOR technology, production can be increased to keep the field economically viable.
EOR can help extract up to 60% of a reservoir’s oil – compared to 40% using primary and secondary extraction methods. In the Middle East, the steam injection has been successfully used as an EOR technique for the recovery of heavy viscous oil. Steam is injected into the reservoir to heat up the subsurface oil. The process boosts recovery due to viscosity reduction, vaporisation, and thermal expansion of the oil.