Why GEA
Precision with tradition
Meeting the challenges of the oil and gas industry
The oil and gas industry is facing new challenges. Firstly demand for energy is on the
increase, especially in the rapidly growing economies in Asia, for example. Secondly
the development and production of oil and gas reserves are becoming more and more
difficult and risky. Also new energy deposits, such as unconventional gas or the deve-
lopment of oil sands and oil shale, are becoming of greater importance.
Efficient and cost-effective energy production will be the decisive competitive factor.
At the same time the top prerogative remains safety, to ensure that personnel and
environment come to no harm. This means that all processes have to run reliably and
efficiently. Energy recovery processes using intelligent interconnection of media flows,
optimised raw materials input and processes with minimized CO2 emissions are the
key factors here. Calling for components and equipment that you can rely on absolu-
tely.
Proven reliability
Plate heat exchangers ensure low energy input, gentle product handling and an effici- The plate heat exchanger
ent process. With GEA plate heat exchangers up to 96 % of the energy used in the specialists
process can be recovered. To achieve this all materials and components must be exactly Comprehensive engineering
matched to each other. And this demands not only competence in heat transfer, but and production expertise
also an exact knowledge of the processes. GEA has been an expert in the field of heat
Know-how transfer within the
transfer for decades and is a pioneering force in plate heat exchanger development. GEA Heat Exchangers segment
The Competence and Service Center for gasketed, fully welded and brazed plate heat ensures innovative technical
exchangers obtains the optimum performance from every process. To achieve this, GEA solutions
supplies the complete range of gasketed, fully-welded and brazed units. And this
Special process knowledge
pioneering spirit is being strengthened with the integration into the GEA Heat Ex- guarantees optimum plate heat
changers Segment of the GEA Group. Every day a wealth of expertise and experience exchanger design
is processed and made available to all companies within the group, resulting in valu-
Worldwide after-sales and
able innovations. service network
Every single one of our products utilises the latest, combined process know-how and
project expertise from all heat exchanger technologies. Developed in Germany and
produced in a worldwide network of modern manufacturing facilities our plate heat
exchangers (PHEs) are individually tailored for heat exchanging processes: the size of
their heat exchanger surfaces, the selection of the plate materials, their surface profi-
les and flow control properties, the wide range of gaskets and connection variants
create an almost unlimited modular system for tailor-made heat exchanger solutions,
offering problem-free upgrading or downsizing.
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Oil & gas production – Crude oil dehydration
Dehydrated
Produced water
crude
Dehydrated
Produced water cooler
Gas crude cooler Gas
Diluted Diluted crude
crude heater
Separator Separator
1st stage 2nd stage
Dehydrated crude /
Diluted crude
exchanger
Diluted crude / Dehydrated
crude exchanger
Gasketed plate heat exchangers
Oil and gas production
Reliability without compromise
The costs for oil and gas production have been increasing for years. This is why it is
even more important to reduce these costs, and this can only be achieved if produc-
tion runs perfectly around the clock, as even the shortest production downtime can
lead to high losses for the plant operator. Maximum reliability is therefore expected
from the equipment and components used. Plate heat exchangers by GEA with their
robustness, low maintenance and efficient heat transfer play an essential role in oil
and gas production and are a decisive competitive factor.
Every reservoir is different: Whereas thicker crude oils are produced in Venezuela and
GEABloc with chevron plate geometry
– guarantees highly efficient heat ‚Tar Sands‘ in Canada, SaudiArabian crude is thinner and therefore comparatively easy
transfer
to process. However corrosive media, high temperatures and pressures, and multipha-
se material mixes are the order of the day. Plate heat exchangers by GEA feature con-
vincing process reliability and efficient heat transfer surfaces with flow-optimised chan-
nel geometry, making them perfect for oil and gas treatment, whether in gas
dehydration or product cooling using seawater.
4 www.gea.com
Gas desulphurization
Acid gas
Desulphurized gas Overhead condenser
Manufacturing qua-
Lean amine cooler
lity and production
competence
The manufacture of GEA heat
Absorber
Column
exchangers requires wide-
ranging know-how and the
Acid gas
precision of GEA welders to a
particularly high degree. Ma-
Reboiler
nufacturing quality assisted
by no-compromise quality
Lean / Rich interchanger
management ensures safe
operation in your system.
GEABloc Process example
Process reliability for the offshore industry
A great number of offshore oil fields are currently being developed, which is why crude
oil processing directly on the platform or FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Off-
loading Unit) is continually increasing. The compact plate heat exchangers by GEA are
perfectly suited for the naturally restricted space available. Reliability is absolutely
essential in the offshore sector, as spare parts or maintenance personnel have to be
flown to the platform by helicopter at great expense.
Thanks to first-class materials these plate heat exchangers are more than a match for
GEABloc with double dimple plate
even the roughest conditions at sea. High quality requirements placed on the welding geometry – for demanding
high-viscosity media or for vacuum
engineering and processing coupled with continuous design optimization ensure a condensation
long service life and maximum reliability.
The susceptibility to fouling is low, as high turbulence in the flow gap improves heat
transfer and prevents deposits being formed. This keeps maintenance expenditure to
a minimum. Plate heat exchangers generally have a completely accessible plate pack
to guarantee easy servicing.
