Oil & Gas
Building & Facility Management
Manufacturing
BrightShield Enhances Oil Removal Filter (ORF) Performance Without Caustic
At a glance
An oil sands facility needed a safer way to clean ORF walnut shell media and after media filters to avoid caustic-related damage. Through the BrightShield Process, a custom chemical solution that improved performance without pH risk, mechanical intervention, or disposal issues.
Key metrics
ENHANCED
ORF Performance
IMPROVED
OIL REMOVAL
ELIMINATED
DAMAGE FROM HIGH/LOW PH CLEANING AND CAUSTIC
Why caustic is hard on walnut shell filter media
Oil removal filters (ORFs) in SAGD and oil sands water treatment use crushed walnut shell media to catch oil from produced water. Over time, the media loads with oil and has to be cleaned so the filter keeps working.
Caustic backflushing is a common method. It can remove oil, but its high pH is hard on the media and can damage it over repeated cleanings. Damaged media filters less effectively and has to be replaced sooner.
This oil sands facility had been cleaning its ORF walnut shell media with caustic. Results were below expectations, and the high pH was damaging the media.
Challenges
This oil sands facility was using caustic to backflush and clean the walnut shell media (nutshell media) in their oil removal filter (ORF). Previous caustic cleaning did not meet expectations and the extreme pH damaged the filter media.
Solutions
Using the BrightShield Process, Guardian combined lab testing with system review to design a safe, effective cleaning program for the ORF walnut shell media.
A 7.5% Hydrosol and 0.9% Bright Restore solution, totaling 20 cubes of fluid, was circulated for 4 hours using a chem unit.
This approach removed oil fouling without pH damage or media degradation. The spent solution was safely flushed downstream with no disposal concerns.
Results
Enhanced ORF Performance
Walnut Shell Media was successfully cleaned and oil removed, enhancing performance of the ORF.
Improved Oil Removal
Walnut Shell Media cleaning was improved over the previous caustic cleaning. No high/low pH cleaning required.
No Disposal Issues
After cleaning, treatment solution was flushed down stream for processing.
Data
LAB TESTING
Pictures demonstrate the effectiveness of the BrightShield process in cleaning SAGD ORF samples received ‘as-is’. Before: Fouled Walnut Shell Media (Nutshell Media). After: Walnut Shell Media cleaned using the BrightShield process.
ORF WALNUT SHELL MEDIA CLEANING
Fluid samples were collected before (Sample 1), 30 minutes into cleaning (Sample 2), and after cleaning was complete (Sample 3). High solids and high oil & grease values prove cleaning effect of the chemical combination.
HYDROSOLย is a low foaming, concentrated blend of dispersants and surfactants in an aromatic solvent system. ย Itย has been specifically formulated using an innovative surfactant blend for enhanced deposit penetration and surface wetting. These properties allow it to quickly and effectively remove crude oil, heavy oil, and bitumen from a wide variety of surfaces.ย HYDROSOLย is also effective on asphaltenes and paraffin deposits.
TW PREMIUM is a highly concentrated powdered alkaline detergent, formulated without sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), for use in hot tanks and mechanical recirculating spray wash systems and processes for the cleaning of aluminum parts.
Frequently asked questions
What cleaning solution was used?
7.5% Hydrosol and 0.9% Bright Restore, 20 mยณ in total, circulated for 4 hours with a chem unit.
Was the program tested first?
Yes. Guardian combined lab testing of fouled media samples with a system review before the field clean.
Did it damage the media?
No. Oil fouling was removed without high or low pH cleaning, so there was no pH damage or media degradation.
How was the spent solution handled?
It was flushed downstream for processing, with no separate disposal needed.