Certain production regions are facing challenges with produced mercury as E&P companies drill deeper into higher temperature-pressure formations increasing the potential of encountering elevated levels of mercury in production. The concentration of mercury in natural gas and condensate is critically important to facility and process design.

The exact concentration of mercury in newly discovered resource plays is often difficult to determine.  Mercury partitioning and loss to tubing and metal process piping during well flow tests poses sampling and analytical challenges which underscores the need to collect samples that are as representative as possible.

Getting Accurate Representative Data

Collecting longer term samples using iodinated carbon sample traps which overcome mass loading limitations of gold sample traps and are less affected by wet gas streams increase sample representativeness and provide a higher level of data confidence.

For measuring mercury during Drill Stem Test ISCT offer our M4 sample systems with mobile CVAFS units and sample specialist to producers and well services companies that are looking for representative and accurate data to better manage assets.

Approach

• ISCT M4™ mercury sampling systems are deployed via HELO with sample team.

• Connect M4 to 3-phase separator for system blank with N2 followed by measurements during well flow tests.

• Setup mobile CVAFS topside in climate-controlled area for analysis of samples (ASTM D6350 or ISO 6978)

• Install chemically impregnated solid sorbent sample traps (Modified EPA Method 30B) into M4 systems for longer-term high-volume samples for offsite analysis using principals of EPA Method 1631.