Membrane Deaeration
Efficient oxygen removal for seawater injection — helping protect offshore infrastructure, reduce corrosion risk and maintain reliable injection performance.
Oxygen removal system for seawater treatment
Seawater used for injection naturally contains dissolved oxygen. If this oxygen is not removed before injection, it can accelerate corrosion in piping and equipment, which contributes to reservoir souring, and create conditions that reduce the reliability and lifetime of the injection system. 3M™ Membrane Deaeration is used to reduce dissolved oxygen to the low levels required for safe and reliable seawater injection. It provides a compact alternative to conventional vacuum deaeration towers and is particularly well suited to offshore facilities where space, weight and operational efficiency are important.
How It Works
3M™ Membrane Deaeration uses hydrophobic hollow-fiber membranes to separate dissolved gases from seawater. The membrane creates a large contact surface between the seawater and a vacuum or sweep gas without allowing the liquid phases to mix. As seawater flows through the membrane contactor, dissolved oxygen passes through the membrane and is removed on the gas side. The process can be operated using vacuum, nitrogen sweep gas, or a combination of both to achieve the required outlet oxygen concentration. Vulkan Engineering designs Membrane Deaeration systems as part of an integrated seawater treatment package, considering upstream filtration, operating conditions, oxygen targets, chemical dosing requirements and long-term system performance.
Key Benefits
- Dissolved O₂ removed to <10 ppb
- Minimizes corrosion risk
- Lowers operating costs
- Reduces environmental impact
- Improves operational reliability
- Saves offshore space and weight