With decades of experience in designing and supplying process equipment to the world’s oil and gas markets, Howe Baker continues to be one of the premier choices in today’s rapidly changing market place.

Produced crude oil at the wellhead consists of a wellstream containing oil, water, dissolved salts, gas and sediment in varying quantities.  Howe Baker’s unique experience is in the design and supply of process equipment to separate the wellstream into its component phases and then to treat each phase.

Howe Baker’s process can remove unwanted salts and water from the oil stream, producing a stabilised crude within its specified Basic, Sediment and Water (BS+W) level, typically 0.1% to 0.2% by volume, and condition the gas and effluent water allowing them to be disposed of or used in other ways (e.g. fuel, reinjection etc).

Howe Baker technology and expertise has been successfully applied to all sectors of the oil industry.  From the supply of specialist internals for single vessels, up to and including the design, supply and project management of oil gathering centres onshore and process topside packages for floating offshore production systems.

The initial step in the oil treatment process is performed by a series of two or three phase separators.  Here the pressure is gradually reduced and associated gas and free water, together with the solids are separated and drawn off from the wellstream. This removes the bulk of the water and gas from the oil phase of the wellstream before it passes to the next stage of the process.

The gas stream from the separator can be further treated using Howe Baker’s range of heaters and filter separators to condition the gas to become a fuel source for turbine use.

The waterstream from the separators can also be further treated by Howe Baker’s equipment to allow it to be used for water reinjection or to be disposed of.

The next stage of the oil treatment process is to remove the dissolved salts from the oil phase.  This is achieved by using electrostatic dehydrator and/or desalter units to produce a stabilised crude oil to meet the end user’s specification.