The field installations reviewed in the paper demonstrate that low shear valves reduce oil-in-water concentrations and thus improve the produced water quality. The results presented signify that low shear valves can be used in debottlenecking separation and produced water treatment processes, reducing the environmental influence from produced water discharges.

The reviewed low shear choke valves reduced oil-in-water concentrations respectively by 70, 45, and 60 %. In a control valve application, between hydrocyclones and a CFU, the low shear valve reduced the oil-in-water concentration by 23 %.

To read more, access the full paper at: https://doi.org/10.2118/205016-PA