The JIP is a big step in making produced water discharge in remote locations a reality

The project will allow more accurate measurement of oil levels being discharged into the ocean, a reduction in operating costs, and unmanned oil and gas production


TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) has launched a joint industry project (JIP) that will support regulatory authorities and industry to establish new standards and practices for the use of online oil-in-water analysers at remote locations.

The outcome from the JIP will provide the confidence needed by the oil and gas industry and regulatory authorities in using online oil-in-water analysers for produced water discharge reporting at unmanned and manned sites.

The ultimate benefits will include more accurate measurement of oil levels being discharged into the ocean, a reduction in operating costs as the need for manual sampling and the use of chemicals for laboratory analysis will be minimised, and enabling unmanned oil and gas production.

This latest JIP will build on a previous NEL initiative (2019-2020), involving six operators and the UK regulator, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

It will verify the practicality, by conducting up to three field trials, of the proposed new methodology for accepting online oil-in-water analysers for reporting, develop a way for real-time uncertainty calculation for online oil-in-water analysers, and update existing guidance from Oslo/Paris Convention (OSPAR) for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, BEIS and Norsk Olje and Gas 085.

Dr Ming Yang, a Principal Consultant at TUV SUD NEL, said: 'While online continuous oil-in-water analysers have been used by the global oil and gas industry for produced water management for many years, they have been limited to process trending for manned operations. However, industry wants to increasingly develop unmanned and subsea separation systems to further maximise oil recovery and increase cost-effective production.

He says: 'This JIP is the next big step in making produced water discharge in remote locations a reality, by establishing industry standards and practices acceptable to the regulators in relation to the use of online oil-in-water analysers for reporting.'

TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory is a global centre of excellence for flow measurement and fluid flow systems and is the UK’s Designated Institute for Flow and Density Measurement, with responsibility for providing the UK’s physical flow and density measurement standards.

TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory is a trading name of TUV SUD, a company of the TÜV SÜD Group, an international service organisation with more than 24,000 employees at over 1,000 locations in about 50 countries working to continually improve technology, systems and expertise. It contributes significantly to making technical innovations such as Industry 4.0, autonomous driving and renewable energy safe and reliable.