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Downhole Oil Water separation

Innovative solution

A Downhole Oil Water separation system (DOWS) can be installed at the bottom of an oil well, it separates oil and water in the wellbore. The oil rich stream is brought to the surface while the water rich stream is pumped into an injection formation without ever coming to the surface, or lifted as a separate stream to surface ready to be pumped into an injector.

In this way it reduces the demand for surface or seafloor installation capacity. This could be essential in remote areas or for tail end production where investments must be kept low.

A DOWS system includes many components but the two primary components are an oil/water separation system which uses hydrocyclones to mechanically separate oil and water, and a pumping/injection system used to lift oil to the surface and inject the water into a deeper formation. Three basic types of pumping/injection systems are used with the DOWS technology. Hydrocyclone separators are usually used with natural lift or electrical submersible pumps.  

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