Contributed by Proflow Solutions and Jacam Catalyst USA
“The offshore production/offshore chemical market is a difficult market for new participants to enter. However, it is a very large market, characterized by some complacency with the premium pricing within it,” said Vern Disney, president of US Production Chemicals with Jacam Catalyst USA. “There is a very high threshold for getting into that market because many operators are worried about nonconformance issues that may arise. This means there is not a high degree of willingness to experiment with new products that enter the market. Historically, the market has been serviced by three primary chemical companies. When we at Jacam Catalyst acquired ProFlow, we saw it as a great opportunity to finally break in and become that fourth player in the market."
“Cost and performance are always going to be a concern to the offshore deepwater market players,” added Josh Deshotels, vice president of operations with Proflow Solutions. “We are working on raising our brand awareness based on our excellent track record and the overall support we provide, in order to work with operators looking at new products to cut costs and maintain higher performance in their applications. OTC 2023 was a key platform from which to demonstrate that Proflow is active in the offshore, deepwater market. We're still very small compared to the rest of the offshore market, but when you look at North America, we're a large player—arguably the third largest in the North America market."
Success in the field
Many players in the deepwater market are experiencing restriction on pressures and flow, and Disney said their products effectively address that.
Proflow’s DR-804 is an ultra-high molecular weight, free-flowing, uniform white slurry, which is used as a drag reducing agent. The product is designed to increase the existing flow rate for pipelines under turbulent flow conditions, reduce operating pressures, or a combination of both. The active component dissolves in the hydrocarbon phase and does not deposit on the pipeline walls. The same component is a hydrocarbon similar to the major constituents in crude oil and shear degrades as it travels downstream, becoming indistinguishable from that of the other components in the pipeline.
“One of the biggest advantages of the product is it is a very stable solution with the polymer,” Deshotels explained. “Historically, the DR products have a lot of issues with separation. This causes problems with variability of product and introduces the need to constantly stir the product to ensure its consistency. DR-804 is unique to the market because it does not require the customer to provide 24/7 circulation, and the majority of DRs in the market do need to have continuous circulation. The stability of the product is therefore a significant advantage and a differentiator within the market."
As more operators attempt to bring on additional new drills, they continue to be limited by the pipeline infrastructure that has been in place for many years. This means that DRs are going to play an increasing role in the expansion of the GoM, as fluid continues to be pushed through newbuilds with the limitations incumbent on the pressure lines.
Proflow also offers its HydraTech 710FNU, which is a high-performance, water-based hydraulic fluid used in subsea hydraulic panels. This environmentally safe fluid is designed to provide better performance, improved cost and enhanced support, Deshotels said.
Deshotels concluded, “Products for offshore deepwater applications should be fairly priced and they should be innovative. The Gulf of Mexico is still a huge portion of the overall US production, and operators want to continue to expand production. They're going to need help solving new problems and will need to ensure that they get the support necessary for existing production too.”
05.08.2023
