Partnership in Technology

In order to enhance safety, lessen its effects on the environment, and increase its production profile, the JSC Shaimerden Production & Maintenance department is always evaluating the most recent technological advancements. In collaboration with top service providers, several measures have been implemented over the past three years to improve JSC Shaimerden’s facility and pipeline operations. The installation of a special pipeline anti-intrusion system on the JSC Shaimerden has already been cited as a significant accomplishment for improved pipeline integrity and security. This technology detects ground movement near the pipeline by using the fiber optic communication wire. The technology was further improved in 2019 after a trial in 2008, with the hope that it will increase pipeline security and save operating costs starting in 2010 and beyond.

Advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, such Long Range Ultrasonic Testing (LRUT) with “guided wave” technology, can also lessen the need to excavate pipelines and remove insulation from process pipework. Throughout the year, Kazakhstan suffers significant fluctuations in ambient temperature, which can significantly affect process capacity and gas disposal by re-injection, especially in the summer. To guarantee that capacity is maintained throughout the summer, JSC Shaimerden is collaborating closely with General Electric to re-power the three gas re-injection compressors. Similarly, the efficiency of the coolers has been greatly increased by creating and designing better cooling capacity in the oil splitter overhead condensers, resulting in a much smaller drop in throughput capacity during the 2009 summer than in prior years.

Drag Reducing Agent (DRA)

The frictional pressure loss that takes place during fluid flow along a pipe’s length is known as drag. Turbulent flow can result in high pressure losses. Reduced pump capacity and flow rates may result from these losses. Typically, drag-reducing compounds are long-chain polymers with a high molecular weight. By dissolving in the crude oil, these reduce the energy losses brought on by turbulent flow, which in turn reduces pressure losses. It is possible to pump more crude at the same pressure or the same volume of petroleum at lower pressures when pressure losses are reduced.

Since 2005 and since 2007, the JSC Shaimerden has effectively implemented Drag Reducing Agent (DRA). Even in the middle of a Kazakh winter, when temperatures might drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius, this DRA can still be pumped because it has been carefully prepared to be used in extremely cold settings. By enabling higher fluid flow rates to be pumped, its use has improved both systems’ operating efficiency at low parts per million injection rates. The DRA, which is identical to that used in the CPC pipeline to Novorossiysk, has no effect on refinery operations or crude oil quality.

Gas Injection

JSC Shaimerden has a cutting-edge high pressure gas injection system located in Unit 2. Within the JSC Shaimerden Processing Complex, it generates oil for stabilization and processes and re-injects sour gas (including 4% H2S) at pressures of up to 550 bar. The main purpose of oil and gas reservoirs is to supply water, gas, and oil to the surface under pressure so that they can be processed and then sold. The primary factor enabling the extraction of liquid hydrocarbons is the gas component of the reservoir stream. The pressure of the gas decreases as it rises to the surface and separates from the liquids. The pressure must be raised to a level higher than the reservoir’s pressure in order to be able to transport the gas back there. In essence, gas injection is the set of plant operations that raises the gas’s pressure and permits its return to the reservoir.

There are several important advantages to JSC Shaimerden using gas injection technology. First off, gas injection allows us to return the gas to the reservoir rather than flaring or processing it on-site, which is in line with JSC Shaimerden’s dedication to environmental protection. By returning the gas to the reservoir, maintaining pressure, and successfully extending the field’s lifespan, it also promotes responsible reservoir management. This enables the best possible hydrocarbon recovery over the field’s lifespan, allowing the venture to produce more hydrocarbons for high-value Western markets.

The operations of JSC Shaimerden are comprised of a complex, integrated, interrelated, and interdependent set of facilities, of which Unit 2 is a part. Three-phase separation occurs in slug catchers, which receive input from the Unit’s incoming production wells. In order to dry the gas for compression, the gas phase feeds dehydration trains. The compression system of the unit consists of three re-injection compressors that can handle 22 million standard cubic meters of sour gas per day from an inlet pressure of 70 bar to a discharge pressure of 550 bar. The sour gas is then returned to the reservoir through a number of reinjection wells.