TRACERCO and The TRACERCO Profiler are trademarks of the Johnson Matthey Group of companies.

www.tracerco.com tracerco�matthey.com

Upstream Oil and Gas

PO Box 1Belasis AvenueBillinghamClevelandTS23 1LBUKTel +44 (0)1642 375500Fax +44 (0)1642 370704

Chattan Mews OfficeSuites 1 & 218 Chattan PlaceAberdeenAB10 6RDUKTel +44 (0)1224 592527Fax +44 (0)1224 212641

1100 Hercules AvenueSuite 200HoustonTexas 77058-2759USATel +1 281 488 0039Fax +1 281 488 1646

Tracerco AsiaTracerco/Dialog Alliance109, Block G,Phileo Damansara 146350 Petaling JayaSelangorMalaysiaTel + 603 79551199Fax + 603 79546953

© 2005 Johnson Matthey GroupXM0147/0/0/JM/903/813

Contents

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Scan 2Neutron Backscatter Study

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Scan 4Pipe Study

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Tower Scan 6

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ FMI 8

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Flow Study 10

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Helium Flow Study 12

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Residence Study 14TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Distribution Study

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ in Oil and Gas Separation 16

The TRACERCO™ Advantage 18

1

Do you have problems with your tank inventory?Are the liquid interfaces where your instruments say they are?Is sludge reducing capacity?

These and other process control problems can be addressed

using the patented TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Scan technology.

This is a non-invasive, rapid, accurate and above all safe technique

usually performed without any preparation to the vessel. Results

are instantly available allowing any process changes to be made.

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Scan Neutron Backscatter Study

2

This technology has a wide range of applications in industrial

processes including:

• Level and Interfaces in Storage Tanks.

• Deposit/Vapour Profile in Pipelines.

• Foam Heights in Tower Downcomers.

• Levels in Tower Distributors/Chimney Trays.

• Interface/Emulsion band in Separators.

• Water Ingress under Insulation.

• Levels in Reboilers/Heat Exchangers.

These are only a few examples of the use of this flexible and

accurate measurement tool. All processes are different so please

seek our advice if you have a problem that appears to be suitable

for investigation.

Storage Tank Scan

Vapour

Foam

Water

Deposition

Organic

Vapour

Organic

Water

Deposition

Typical response

3

The use of TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Scan, Pipe Study technology

offers a powerful non-invasive inspection tool to examine the

operation/contents of pipelines across a wide range of process

industries.

The device is highly portable, battery operated and adaptable to a

wide range of pipe diameters, typically in the range of 2-50 inches.

The results are produced on-site and an initial report can be given

by the experienced Tracerco engineers undertaking the survey.

The device has a wide range of application to aid in inspection

and production trouble shooting. These include:

• Deposit surveys in flare and process lines.

• Scale deposits in oil production lines/manifolds.

• Ice/hydrate deposits in gas lines.

• Density determinations.

• Slugging effects.

• Liquid/gas interface detection.

These are only a few examples of the use of this flexible and

accurate measurement tool. All processes are different, we are

available to advise and offer solutions to a variety of process

problems.

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Scan Pipe Study

4

One of our customers was experiencing problems with

temperature instruments along a furnace exit header. These

instruments were inspected and found to be working satisfactorily.

As the plant had been on-line for a considerable period of time

since a shutdown, carbon lay down was suspected. Quantifying

the extent of fouling inside the pipe was the challenge set for our

Diagnostics Team.

The above graph represents the results from the examination.

Measurements were taken at various intervals along the header in

both the vertical and horizontal direction. These measurements

allowed the deposit profile inside the line to be determined.

Quantifying the amount of fouling enabled our customer to

determine the best course of action rapidly and cost effectively.

Deposit Build Up in Furnace Header

1

Inch

es o

f dep

osit

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Vertical Horizontal

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

5

6

Do you have a problem with the operation of your packed bed or distillation tower? Is this limiting production? Do you want to reduce your operating costs?Do you want to reduce your shutdown time?

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Tower Scan

East

South

West

North

Packed Tower Diagnostics

Would you like to investigate the problem using non-invasive

technology that allows for a rapid, accurate, cost effective and above

all safe method of determining a number of operational problems

that could be the cause of your mass transfer problems?

Features Identified

• Packing damage.

• Liquid maldistribution/blockages in packed beds.

• Distributor performance.

Radiation Intensity (counts /3 sec)

Dist

ance

(met

res)

100000100001000100

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

5.5

6

7

8

9

8.5

7.5

6.5

East West

North South

sample

7

Features Identified

• Tray liquid loading.

• Formation/density of foam.

• Jet and liquid stack flooding.

• Tray damage.

Answer

The TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Tower scan has a proven track

record in over 40 years of operation in assisting with plant start-ups,

pre-shutdown planning and operational trouble-shooting. The scan

is generally performed without any preparation to the tower

i.e. no insulation is removed. Access is required to the uppermost

platform either at the top of the platform or above the area under

investigation. Being non-invasive there is no effect on the operation

of the tower. The results of the scan are produced continuously at

the top of the tower by the computer system so that the engineers

can see what is happening at all stages of the operation. These are

then produced on-site in graphical form so that we can discuss

them with the client’s engineer.

The results can be used to determine if a shutdown is necessary,

identify what problems need rectifying, and enable you to plan

accordingly. This saves you time and money in the competitive

environment.

We have an extensive database of projects undertaken and

reference lists of the companies that have used the TRACERCO

Diagnostics™ technology which can be supplied on request.

Don’t let the competition get ahead of you - stay on track by

keeping your process running smoothly.

Trayed Tower Diagnostics

Dist

ance

i

Tray Damage

8

The only Lloyd’s Register Approved method

Minimise time taken to inspect steel jacket members for the

presence of water ingress using the TRACERCO Diagnostics™

FMI system.

As world leaders in offshore services Tracerco have developed the

technology to rapidly screen jacket members for the presence of

water which may indicate structural problems. This allows

alternative time consuming inspection technologies to be

focussed on those areas of the jacket requiring detailed

investigation saving the operator costly subsea inspection time.

Benefits of the TRACERCO Diagnostics™ FMI system include:

• No need to remove marine growth prior to measurement.

• Speed of measurement – it only takes a few seconds per member.

• Instant diagnosis of flooded or partially flooded members.

• Adaptable to a wide range of ROV’s.

• Can be used to water depths of 10,000 feet.

• Diver operated version available.

• 20 years of operational experience has proved the system

very reliable.

• Purpose designed computer software used to generate and

present results.

• All handling and operating of the system carried out by

experienced Tracerco engineers.

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ FMI

9

Location Customer

North Sea Amerada Hess

Caspian Sea Azerbaijan International Operating Company

North Sea BP Amoco

Gulf of Mexico BP Amoco

Irish Sea British Gas

World-wide Canyon Offshore Inc.

North Sea Chevron

World-wide Dominion Diving

Mediterranean Sea Edison Gas

North Sea Enterprise Oil

Gulf of Mexico Exxon Mobil

North Sea Halliburton

World-wide Halliburton Subsea

Mediterranean Sea Impresub/Idrotech Italy

Kinsale Head Marathon

World-wide Oceaneering

Arabian Gulf Qatar General Petroleum Company

Arabian Gulf QSS

East Canada Offshore Sable Offshore Energy Limited

North Sea Shell

New Zealand Shell

Gulf of Mexico Shell USA

World-wide Sonsub

World-wide Stolt Offshore

North Sea Texaco

North Sea Total Elf Fina

North Sea Unocal

Gulf of Thailand Unocal

North West Shelf - Australia Woodside

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ FMI reference list

The measurement of flows around an oil or chemical process is

often required either to measure flows where no metering is

present or to calibrate metres that have drifted or malfunctioned

in some way.

The use of the TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Flow Study technology

offers a rapid, accurate and cost effective method of determining

flows of gas, water and organic based materials. The results from

such measurements can play a key role in:

• Predictive maintenance.

• Process optimization.

• A reduction in downtime.

The Tracerco engineer will study the process system to

determine the most suitable injection point and detector layout

in order that optimum measurements can be made.

Consideration will then be given to the choice of tracer to ensure

process compatibility and also the concentration to be used. The

tracer material is then injected into the process stream via the

identified point. Measurement of the injected pulse through the

system is then made using a combination of either external

detection or sampling with no effect on process operations.

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Flow Study

10

Typical systems that can be measured include:

• Cooling water towers and systems.

• Flare line systems.

• Compressors and turbines.

• Relief valves.

• Effluent streams.

• Process material systems for mass balances.

These are only a few examples of the use of this flexible and

accurate measurement service. We would be pleased to discuss

your operational problems and deliver a cost effective solution

tailored to your needs.

Pulse Velocity Technique

D

Detector 1

Flow

Pulseinjection

Detector 2

Mean Velocity = DT

11

12

The measurement of flows around an oil or chemical process is

often required either to measure flows where no metering is

present or to calibrate meters that have drifted or malfunctioned

in some way.

The use of the TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Helium Flow Study

offers a rapid, accurate and cost effective method of determining

flows in gas processes and, in particular, applications that are

intolerant to traditional methods.

The results from such measurements can play a key role in:

• Predictive maintenance.

• Process optimization.

• A reduction in downtime.

The Tracerco engineer will study the process system to determine

the most suitable injection and sample points in order that optimum

measurements can be made. Consideration will then be given to

suitability of the helium tracer to ensure process compatibility and

also the concentration to be used to ensure accurate detection. The

tracer material is then injected into the process stream via the

identified point. Measurement of the dilution of the injected tracer

through the system is then made by taking samples from the

downstream point over a suitable time period.

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Helium Flow Study

13

Typical systems that can be measured include:

• Process gas systems.

• Compressors.

• Instrument air systems.

• Relief valves.

• Ventilation and extraction systems.

Flow rates of up to 105 m3/hr with an accuracy of +/ - 0.5-1.0 %

are measurable with the technology.

These are only a few examples of the use of this flexible and

accurate measurement service. We would be pleased to discuss

your operational problems and deliver a cost effective solution

tailored to your needs.

Flow Determination (on-line)

Q Q + 1

Helium

Injection rate = I

Concentration = C

Sample

concentration c’

From a helium balance IC = (Q+I) c’Q = (C -c’)

c’

Usually C>>c’ therefore Q = IC

c’

14

The time and distribution of material through mixing, reaction or

separation vessels can be critical to industrial processes.

A TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Residence Study can offer a rapid,

on-line and cost effective method of determining the optimal

process parameters. It can also identify other problems such

as channelling, by-passing and internal blockage.

The requirements on site are a suitable injection point on the main

feed line to the vessel. The Tracerco engineer will survey the

system to locate the optimum position and the method of injection

to ensure all safety concerns are addressed. The tracer material

can be provided in numerous forms and careful consideration will

be made to ensure that a process compatible chemical is used. A

sharp pulse of this tracer is injected into the process and its path

through the system is measured by external detectors but in

certain cases by sampling from a suitable point on the exit line.

These samples would then be analysed for tracer content. The use

of sophisticated software and experienced interpretation allows for

precise analysis of the process to be made.

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Residence StudyTRACERCO Diagnostics™ Distribution Study

C

t

15

Residence Study

Detector

Processvessel

Injectionpoint

Detector

Flow

This is a simple example of using an array of radiation detectors.

We can observe a number of different points on the plant

simultaneously. This is valuable for determining the Residence

Time characteristics or investigating the fine detail of flow paths

through vessels.

This method has a wide range of applications as an aid to process

diagnostics and trouble-shooting including the following:

• Reactors.

• Oil/Water Separators.

• Packed Bed Distillation Towers.

• Driers.

• FCCU Systems.

The tracer is available in liquid (organic and aqueous), gas and

solid forms depending upon the duty of the vessel/process

under investigation.

All processes are different so please seek our advice if you

have a problem.

16

TRACERCO Diagnostics™ in Oil and GasSeparation

Internals integrity Carry over measurement

Oil, water and gas residence times andvessel distribution flow

Emulsion banddetection

Solids build-up assessment

Tracerco offer world leading TRACERCO Diagnostics™

technologies to ensure your oil and gas separation system runs at

maximum efficiency.

The specialist services are used on-stream to monitor

performance within the separation system giving an accurate

diagnosis of a number of operational problems and ensuring

optimal usage of effect chemicals.

A TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Separator study allows many

production parameters to be measured. Examples include:

• Detection of mist or droplet carry over into the gas phase causing

downstream mechanical problems.

• Measurement of the presence of emulsion or fluid channelling

resulting in inadequate oil dehydration.

• Tests to establish the most appropriate type and quantity of

anti-foaming or de-emulsifier chemical added to the system.

• Detection of solids build up leading to a reduced settle time.

In high throughput production systems even a small uncertainty in

monitoring any one of the above operational aspects will result in

reduced productivity.

17

Teamwork, and some high tech detective work have combined to

enable a BP platform to increase its oil output substantially.

A central production troubleshooting team were asked to help

solve the problem of an under performing separator. With oil

production off plateau, there was increased water production but

the separators were unable to dehydrate the oil to the required

standard for export through the pipeline.

The bottleneck resulted in the platform missing production

targets. Chemicals were used to try to improve oil-water

separation but with limited success. The production

troubleshooting team analysed the chemicals to look for clues but

concluded that the answer to the problem lay elsewhere.

One of the BP engineers had previously used a TRACERCO

Diagnostics™ Separator study. He called us to carry out scanning

as well as tracer injections to establish interface and flow

properties through the system. “I had a suspicion about what the

problem might be” said the engineer, “but realized these tests

would enable us to fully understand what was actually happening

within the separator”. The results showed that the residence time

of the liquids in the separator was just 60 seconds instead of the

usual three to four minutes. “Effectively the vessel was short

circuiting”, said the engineer. The problem was traced back to a

decision to remove baffle plates in the separator to cope with the

presence of asphaltenes in the oil. A recommendation to re-insert

a baffle in the lower part of the separator was carried out.

After modifications, output was raised significantly, not only

to the target level but some 20% above. “Overall, the whole

exercise, from the first request to the carrying out of the

modifications was very rapid” said the engineer who praised

Tracerco for the speed and safe manner with which it carried out

the work. “A lot of credit for the fact that we were able to get the

job done so quickly should go to the guys from Tracerco. They

began preparation work even before the deal was signed.”

Teamwork uncorks bottleneck at bp facility

1650 30 60 90 120 150Time (minutes)

Radi

atio

n in

tens

ity

200

150

100

50

0

inlet oil water

15 45 75 105 135

10.5 21.5 2.50Distance below top of separator (m)

Radi

atio

n in

tens

ity (t

hous

ands

)

100

50

20

10

5

2

1

0.5

0.2

0.1

no antifoam4ppm antifoam 1ppm antifoam

Oil residence time measurement

Oil-gas interface scan

18

Tracerco is an international business, delivering a range of process

diagnostics services, specialist measurement solutions and

sophisticated taggant platforms to the global process industry.

With more than 40 years of experience and over 100 highly

trained and experienced personnel, Tracerco is focussed on

adding value throughout the whole hydrocarbon chain from

reservoir optimisation through to fuel brand protection solutions.

As you’d expect from a global services business, Tracerco has a

number of operational bases and offices across the world, in key

strategic locations. These bases allow Tracerco to deliver its

products and services to our customers anywhere in the world,

whilst still retaining the important aspect of local service, which

our customers demand.

Tracerco is focussed around a number of key business drivers:

• Delivering high quality diagnostic services and specialist

measurement solutions to our customers, on-time, every time;

• Ensuring all of our staff are suitably trained and carry out their

responsibilities in a safe and secure manner;

• Continuously developing and bringing to market, novel, market

driven innovations that enable our customers to operate their

processes more efficiently enabling them to optimise their

production, minimize their costs and maximize their profits.

How to find out more…If you would like further details of working with Tracerco to assist

in your production operations, please contact your local

representative.

Our sales professionals and agents will be pleased to show you how

to gain a distinctive competitive edge by working in partnership with

Tracerco. Our structure is flexible. Our approach is open, make us

aware of your needs and we will deliver.

The TRACERCO™ Advantage

19

A range of top-side andsub-sea inspectiontechnologies that areaccurate, rapidly deployedand non-intrusive

20

Environmental benefitsare a top priority for allresponsible operators

Environmental benefitsare a top priority for allresponsible operators

TRACERCO and The TRACERCO Profiler are trademarks of the Johnson Matthey Group of companies.

www.tracerco.com tracerco�matthey.com

Upstream Oil and Gas

PO Box 1Belasis AvenueBillinghamClevelandTS23 1LBUKTel +44 (0)1642 375500Fax +44 (0)1642 370704

Chattan Mews OfficeSuites 1 & 218 Chattan PlaceAberdeenAB10 6RDUKTel +44 (0)1224 592527Fax +44 (0)1224 212641

4106 New West Dr. PasadenaTexas 77507USATel +1 281 291 7769Fax +1 281 291 7709

© 2005 Johnson Matthey GroupXM0147/0/0/JM/903/813