WABAG To Build A Produced Water Treatment Plant (PWTP) For The Suplacu De Barcau Oilfield In Romania

WABAG Water Services SRL, Romania, has established a reputation as a specialist for complex water technology solutions for the oil and gas industry. Recently, the subsidiary of the Vienna-based VA TECH WABAG GmbH received a contract from OMV Petrom SA for a new produced water treatment plant at the Suplacu de Barcau oilfield. WABAG’s experts were able to win over the customer with an innovative process design that was tailor-made for the specific requirements of the oilfield. The order volume amounts to around EUR 17 million.

With an output of up to 1,000 t/d, Suplacu de Barcau is Romania’s largest oilfield. However, a major factor in its economic success is the treatment of the large quantities of water emanating from production. Every barrel of oil that is pumped is accompanied by six to eight barrels of produced water, which among other substances contains residual hydrocarbon compounds.

The international OMV Group is dedicated to a responsible approach to the environment and has therefore implemented a series of important protection measures. These are exemplified by the decision of OMV Petrom SA to install a new treatment plant at the Suplacu oil field, where the levels of produced water are relatively high. The plant will have a capacity of 8,000 m3/d.

In response to an invitation to tender, the WABAG experts in Vienna and Bucharest prepared an advanced, multi-stage process design. This was then tested on the spot over several months using a pilot plant and demonstrated that all the required parameters could be easily maintained. As a consequence, the WABAG concept convinced the customer in both a technical and an economic regard.

The main process steps employed at the Suplacu plant consist of dissolved air flotation (DAF), biological treatment, two-layer and activated carbon filtration, and sludge dewatering. Start-up is scheduled for the third quarter of 2016.

For WABAG, this order represents an important reference in the oil production segment of the oil and gas industry that offers significant international potential. The company has already proven to be a reliable partner to OMV Petrom SA in Romania, having successfully completed projects for the modernisation of the effluent treatment plants at the PetroBrazi and Arpechimi refineries. In addition, WABAG has also been supplying the operational management for these facilities since 2008 and 2009 respectively.