SPE Forum: Steam Generation --- SPE Forum
24-29 August 2008
Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
Steam generation has a long history in the petroleum industry. In recent years, the interest in steam generation has increased due to the interest in heavy oil production. The cost of steam generation and the related water supply and treating facilities can be a significant project cost.
This Forum will include designers, operators, and manufacturers; topics to be discussed include the following:
- What new technologies are in development that will make steam generation more cost effective?
- Has superheated steam technology evolved to a point to make it a viable option for field use?
- Can produced water be used as a water source? Issues related to other water sources: sea, well, and surface (including rain)
- Is steam the appropriate method to deliver heat to the production face? How do we pick the appropriate steam pressure required? Should we consider steam compression as an alternative to superheat? What quality steam (% water) is required at the production interface?
- What new water treating technologies in development could be used? What purity is required for the water, and are there alternate technologies that should be considered?
- Can refinery/utility type boilers be modified for use in the field?
- How good are our CAPEX and OPEX models? Do we accurately consider the differences in steam quality?
- What is the reliability needed for steam generation? How does it vary by field?
- Issues related to fuels such as sour gas and emulsions. This includes fuel treating issues, metallurgy of hot path components, and burner design.
- Are current flow simulation techniques for field steam distribution adequate? Are there any new techniques in development that would improve the accuracy of the simulations?
- Are there new alloys and/or coating to improve the performance and design life of steam generators and distribution lines? What design life is realistic for current components? What design life is desired and what are the technical issues to be addressed to attain that design life?
- What is a reasonable design allowance for sizing steam generation systems?
- Issues related to central vs satellite steam generation units in terms of operational efficiencies related to size and proximity to delivery point.
- What consideration should be given to integrating waste heat steam production from power generation into the base steam production (gas turbines with waste heat recovery units - WHRU’s)?
Participants
This forum will appeal to multiple disciplines involved in the design, fabrication, and operation of steam generation equipment. This would include: mechanical engineers, process engineers, reservoir engineers, and chemical engineers. The forum should also appeal to functional or department experts from operating companies, service companies, and equipment manufacturers.
