Pemex extends nitrogen supply contract with Linde

The Linde Group has signed a contract with Pemex Exploración y Producción (PEP), a subsidiary of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), to extend its supply of high pressure, high purity nitrogen to Pemex’s oil reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico through 2027. Compañía de Nitrógeno de Cantarell, SA de CV (CNC), the local Linde affiliate, is now supplying a total of 1500 million ft³ (50 000 t) of nitrogen per day from its facility near Ciudad del Carmen in the State of Campeche to maintain pressure at the Cantarell and Ku Maloob Zaap oil reservoirs.

“We have been providing uninterrupted nitrogen to the Cantarell project since the year 2000 and are proud to be a trusted business partner of Pemex in one of the world's largest EOR projects,” said Tom Blades, member of the Executive Board of Linde AG.

“We’ve continually upgraded our facilities and added new capacity to keep up with PEP’s oil production demands,” said Pat Murphy, president of Linde Americas. “Our facility is now the largest nitrogen plant in the world.”

In the coming months and years, Linde plans to upgrade and improve its facilities continually. Linde’s capital investments will ensure and maintain reliability of its nitrogen supply, thereby helping Pemex to optimise oil production and meet its goal of recovering 800 million barrels of oil during the next eleven years using the EOR process.

The nitrogen at the Linde plant is produced in five air separation units, using atmospheric air as input to an ultra low temperature cryogenic process that separates the pure nitrogen from the oxygen and other minor components. The nitrogen is subsequently pressurised for delivery via steel pipelines over 60 miles (100 km) to the Pemex offshore fields.

Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/14012016/linde-to-supply-nitrogen-to-pemex-2151/