TATNEFT Uses Small-Scale Power Generation Print version

03.03.2010

At the base of NGDU (Oil & Gas Production Board) Yamashneft OAO TATNEFT completed experimental works to improve schemes and technologies generally accepted in the oil industry. The essence of these works implies an integrated approach to formation and improvement of the oil collection, transportation and treatment system at the Arkhangelskoye field, where a quarter of the NGDU's production comes from more than 400 wells.

Introduction of multiphase pumps allowed to abandon application of bulky and metal intensive facilities to collect and transport crude oil and perform combined collection and transportation of crude oil and associated petroleum gas (APG) through the existing pipeline system without construction of additional pipelines for gas gathering. In addition the NGDU started to use the APG for crude oil treatment and electricity generation. According to the calculations made by TatNIPIneft R&D Institute (a structural division of OAO TATNEFT) the construction cost of gas gathering networks for the fields of Yamashneft would have exceeded 1 billion rubles with a payback period of 20 years.

Accordingly, the production facilities operate under a new scheme which provided for extinguishing 4 out of 5 flares (the remaining one acts as an emergency flare pilot). Utilization of the associated gas in the NGDU is twofold: improvement of the crude oil preliminary treatment quality and generation of electric power with application of gas engine generation plants.

There are 5 gas electric power generation plants with total capacity over 1 MWt operating in the fields of Yamashneft at present. 130 wells with annual production volume in the amount of 135 thousand tons are connected to the plants. The volume of gas utilized here will amount to 3.2 million cubic meters per year with electricity generation in the amount of more than 6 million kilowatt-hours. The electrical power production cost is 2 times cheaper versus the one purchase from the market. The payback period is 4 years. A similar system is in operation already now at the Alexandrovskoye field in OOO Tatneft-Samara Company. Lighting of the central street in Ersubaykino village of the Almetevsk Region is also powered from such a facility.

As a result of this work more than one third of the produced gas volume is used for the needs of Yamashneft against 4.5% in 2000. Yamashneft Oil & Gas Production Board future plans provide for reconstruction work of the sludge treatment installation with application of APG in technological processes.

Today, the total gas utilization in TATNEFT is about 95%. In 2009, the Company developed and launched a comprehensive program to further improve the utilization of associated gas. Only the priority activities of this program will enhance the usage of associated gas to the target level of 95% set by the Government of Russia.

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