Why Temperature Based Stablisation?
This well established method developed over the last 100 years onshore, limits the production of oil by setting an upper limit on the amount of gas consumed. All gas goes either as fuel gas for engines to generate power or in boilers to heat crude in tanks. There is no flaring, but there is cold venting for emergancy over-pressurisation.
Temperature based stabilisation lends itself well to lower rates of production, which is why to date it has been overshadowed in the offshore industry by the pressure based stabilisation required to maximise expolitation of larger capital assets. The temperature method requires managing production flow, by a balance of choking back at the tree and setting the pump speed or lift rate (e.g ESP) for the given reservoir conditions.
Pressure based stabilisation requires management of large qualities of gas either as re-injection or export. However temperature based stabilisation removes the requirements of complicated gas handling. It is this simplicity of the temperature based process which allows high reliability operations to occur and is the fundamental key to unmanned operations.
Typically with mid to higher GOR gas fields, production of oil is throttled back, limited by the maximum gas consumed. With low GOR fields, any shortfall of fuel is supplemented using diesel via duel-fuel engines and heat boilers. The effect of this field management methodology is slower field expoiltation with less damage to the reservior and prolonging the lifespan of the field. It is not uncommon for onshore wells in USA and Canada, utilising the temperature based method, to still be operational after 80 years.
The UPB System is designed to have a broad hydrocardon processing operating envelope, this in turn minimises any equipment changes when re-deploying from one field to another. The systems are designed with a multiple redundancy of equipment and simplicity to produce reliable long term solutions, which can operate safely and autonomously.