Point 1 : Financial fence

Many platforms are busy on the offshore crude production area. Production platforms, living quarters, utilities center, storage barge, loading facilities…

A theoretical fence round all these busy places is of great importance for the oil company financial manager:

Any service or product imported towards through the fence means a cost.

Any barrel of crude exported outside of the fence, through the commercial products flowmeter means a profit.

The company financial manager is happy when the profits out the fence are increasing and when the costs inwards through the fence are decreasing.

He does not care at all about those negligeable details called operations inside the fence: pumping out from reservoir, pumping back to reservoir, desalting, dewatering, mud, water treatment, losses, evaporation, spills, operating storages…

Point 2 : Diesel for Kw generation is onboard platform

Inside the fence the power generator diesel engine or gas turbine is often fueled with diesel oil.

There are still places where that diesel-oil is imported from far away to the fence, inwards.

The company financial manager would be very happy if that cost was purely eliminated. He is not understanding that with so much oil flowing here and there inside the fence limits some extravagant thinks his generator set will produce better KW if fed with imported diesel-oil from competitor TM.

Point 3 : $ waste through diesel fuel import

Presently, the difference is quite significant between diesel-oil extracted inside the fence from margin free crude not yet in the commercial circuit, and imported diesel-oil with associated transport cost, storage cost, financial immobilization cost…

That difference is above 300 US$ / Ton

Point 4 : Fuel quality flexibility

The "Diesel-oil Extractor" or "diesel oil production unit" is a small skid mounted topping unit.

It is designed in accordance with the fuel quality requirements of the diesel engine or gas turbine manufacturer.

The extracted cut from the crude feed may be heavy diesel, light diesel or a large cut including part of kerosene.

The by-products (heavy residual fuel and light distillates) are pumped back to the crude feed source

Point 5 : Less space and weight needed

On offshore platforms space and weight are quite valuable parameters.

When importing costly diesel-oil, it is necessary to store it in a large tank to cover a week or a month or more consumption.The volume and weight of tank may be quite significant.

When producing diesel-oil on the platform, storage can be minimized. Space necessary on the platform for "Diesel-oil Extractor" or "diesel oil production plant" is quite less than a weekly consumption tank.

Point 6 :

"Diesel-oil Extractor" Pay-out : < 6 months