How is Nitrogen used in oil and gas applications?

An 18^th-century discovery led the world to understand the presence of an azotic gas which is now commonly known as Nitrogen. Since time immemorial, inert gases have played on our minds through chemistry chapters as non-reacting elements present in the very air we breathe. Nitrogen which forms 78% of the atmospheric air is colorless, odorless, and non-flammable, is also widely used for a variety of applications in the drilling, workover, and completion phases of oil and gas wells, as well as in pigging and purging pipelines for oil and gas industry in Pakistan. Before we go further on how Nitrogen is used in oil and gas applications, let’s first have a look at what are the nitrogen generator technologies and their working principles. 

There are two types of technologies involved to produce Nitrogen:

1. Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA)
2. Membrane

The use of on-site Nitrogen generator systems (whether PSA or membrane type) for continuous consumption has reduced the dependency on the use & storage of nitrogen bottle racks. Throughout upstream, midstream, and downstream Oil and Gas applications, Nitrogen plays a vital role.

Nitrogen applications include well stimulation, injection and pressure testing, Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), reservoir pressure maintenance, nitrogen floods, and inert gas lift. Additionally, nitrogen can be used to help prevent flammable gases from igniting and protect tubular from downhole corrosion.

Nitrogen generation packages are often customized to meet the needs of offshore and onshore installations, especially when safe area and hazardous area classifications are required. A typical N2 generation skid package could contain a standalone PSA unit or multiple membranes installed in a bank with filtration systems that provide high-quality Nitrogen with purity varying from 95% to 99.999%.

Thinking about how to select a Nitrogen generator for your application? A few of the most pertinent tips are outlined below.

• Max. allowable Oxygen content for the application (Nitrogen purity)
• Nitrogen flow
• Nitrogen pressure
• Nitrogen dew point

• Ambient temperature conditions (min. / max.)
• Duty (continuous or intermittent), running hours, etc.
• Feed air quality
• Feed air pressure and temperature (min./ max.)

• Indoor / outdoor
• Safe area / hazardous area
• Offshore / onshore / onboard
• Remote / manned / unmanned

• Equipment specifications
• Dimensional or weight restrictions
• Legal requirements (approvals, etc.)
• Integration in the total system

Providing vast savings in comparison, onsite nitrogen generation is preferable over bulk nitrogen shipments. On-site nitrogen generators run 24 x 7 and give end users access to nitrogen any time they need it. 

Atlas Copco offers engineered compressed air and nitrogen packages adequate for the specification requirement typical for onshore and offshore applications, as well as customized to suit specific set-ups. 

If you’d like to learn more about Nitrogen generators or want to talk to an expert about how to choose a nitrogen generator based on your actual needs, feel free to reach out to our specialists at Atlas Copco.