Generation of Sodium Hypochlorite from Produced Water

Abstract

The major process in crude oil terminal was the separation of light hydrocarbon and water from crude using heat. The daily crude output capacity of a crude oil terminal is in between 90 and 100 kbd. The produced water from the separation unit will flow into the produced water tank before being delivered to the skimmer pits for further treatment. Following treatment, the effluent will be released into the ocean in accordance with the standards set by the Department of the Environment (DOE). Approximately 1,085,681 kl of water with a high concentration of chlorine were discharged by the crude oil terminal per year. With a high chlorine concentration in place, the large amount of produced water can be used to generate chloralkaline feed. Even if it is now crucial from an environmental standpoint because generated water is regarded as the most significant waste stream, there still needs to be a plan in place for the crude oil terminal to reuse or recycle the wastewater. A baseline analysis was carried out with the present wastewater volume to confirm that water reuse and recycling may provide value, protect the environment, and help the main company to realize its sustainability agenda. Increasing the amount of produced water and wastewater in operations, lowering reliance on outside water supplies, and ensuring the commercial viability of resources are other goals of this study. In this study, electro-chlorination (ECU), a water filtering process, and a test for free and total chlorine were all used to carry out experiment work utilizing the HACH method. These tests were performed to see out how much chlorine was present in the sodium hypochlorite solution that the ECU generates. The outcome showed that the electro-chlorination process would produce a more alkaline solution the longer it operated. It results from the electrolysis process, which increases the concentration of OH- ions in the solution. Laboratory testing is done to confirm that the produced water from the crude oil terminal can be used to electrogenerate hydrogen and sodium hypochlorite. The wastewater was subjected to three (3) tests, the first of which involved water filtration to remove suspended particulates, the second of which involved electro-chlorination using an electro-chlorination unit (ECU), which produced NaOCl as a product and H2 as a by-product. Finally, a dilution experiment is conducted to lower the concentration of the NaOCl solution so that it is within the range prior to the Free and Total Chlorine test. Using a Hach DR900 machine, the solution is then tested to determine the amount of free and total chlorine present in the effluent.