Upstream

Baker Hughes Defoamers

Foam, the incomplete separation of liquid and gas, is common in oil and gas production, especially in deepwater fields. Foam can result in oil droplets being carried along with the gas stream into the gas processing system, where they can fill scrubbers and ultimately foul compressors or glycol towers and cause a production shut-in. Gas carried in the liquid exiting a vessel (carryunder) is also undesirable since there is a pressure drop to the next vessel, and the amount of gas to be recompressed will be increased. Baker Hughes defoamers can help prevent foam related problems by rapidly coalescing gas bubbles and allowing more efficient separation.

The injection of chemical defoamers in the hydrocarbon stream upstream of the gas/oil separators allows:

• Smaller separators to be specified in the design phase of a project
• Increased total oil and gas throughput in existing facilities without having to retrofit equipment for higher capacity
• Reduced capital costs for deepwater producers
• Prevention of costly shutdowns

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