The following is the full text of the interview Nasseri gave to “Iran Petroleum”:

How is MOGPC planning to enhance its oil and gas production capacity?

MOGPC which is a major subsidiary of National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) is tasked with production, processing and transfer of oil, gas and condensate from the large and complex fields of Maroun, Kupal and Shadegan. The company takes up added significance due to the complex Maroun field which is among the major four oil fields in Iran. The main task assigned to operating companies is maximum efficient recovery (MER) of oil and gas and generation national wealth for the country, and in this regard, all relevant parties are required to cooperate. The output hike plan is always affected by well conditions, especially the wells that are already operational and need remedial measures such as perforation, blocking and acidizing. The wells that are no longer productive due to pressure fall-off or downhole obstacles and require workover are also listed and introduced for necessary planning. In addition, carrying out processing modifications in operating units and pipelines are among the important strategies of this company to increase production.

How much can MOGPC increase its output?

Once all those measures carried out, the output would increase about 5%, not to mention the stability of production.

What has MOGPC done to increase output from low-yield wells?

Revival of low-yield oil wells has recently been placed on the agenda of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). In the meantime, a number of MOGPC wells have been introduced as low-yield ones, whose numbers will be announced after an expert review.

To what extent can domestic manufacturers supply necessary equipment and machinery to MOGPC?

Until a few years ago, supplying the required commodities was really considered a big challenge for operating companies. Although unjust sanctions and lack of support from foreign suppliers aimed to pin down the oil industry, we neutralized these sanctions by relying on knowledge-based companies and domestic manufacturers and, of course, the technical know-how of oil industry staff. Currently, we make almost everything we need inside the country with ideal quality. For instance, during the last 9 months, with 51 requests, we designed and manufactured 231 types of parts required for process machinery and industrial equipment. On the other hand, some time ago, the overhaul of two air compressors -Neuman & ESSER-located at gas compressor station of Bangestan Maruon3, were successfully carried out with the aim of production stability and self-reliance in the field of maintenance. Overhaul of the above-mentioned compressors is very important, because the process of transferring sour gas from the operation units combined with compression and dehumidification through the Bangestan facility and moving this sour gas for the sweetening process at the GTP of subsidiary companies require compressed air to operate the instrumentation systems of these stations, which is provided by this type of air compressors. One of these compressors with a capacity of 800 cubic meters per hour and an output of 130 pounds per square inch (psi)for the first time was repaired after 20 years by local technicians using locally manufactured parts in five days, while the overhaul of the second air compressor was under way.

Would you please tell us about MOGPC’s performance in the overhaul of processing machinery?

The reparation of processing machinery and manufacturing of the equipment needed by this company are accelerated with the participation of domestic knowledge-based companies. The oil industry never waits for the technical know-how of foreigners. The experience of the past few years shows that knowledge-based companies have significant capabilities in the field of engineering and repair of complex processing machinery and can overcome a large part of the obstacles. In the basic repair of facilities and processing machinery below 4000 horsepower, we included 530 machines and equipment in the basic repair program of 2022, of which the basic repairs of 225 machines and equipment have been completed by the end of November this year. By March 2023, we will have also repaired the remaining 305 pieces of equipment.

Would you please tell us about MOGPC’s plan to improve crude oil quality, particularly from the standpoint of desalting?

Since MOGPC delivers a significant part of its produced crude oil as feedstock to the refining sector, considering the sensitivity of the refinery equipment from the same source is on the agenda, so maintaining the quality of crude oil has a special priority in terms of salt and water content, and we pay attention to it. Due to the conditions of the reservoirs that have caused dilapidation in the desalination facilities, the process of oil desalination has been intensified slightly, but with the definition of the project to eliminate the defects of the desalination units in 28 reservoirs, the capacity of the desalination units will soon increase and the stability of the product quality will be improved. I would like to emphasize that the quality of the oil sent to the refinery sector is favorable and what was mentioned is a future-oriented plan for the sustainability of production. In desalination Unit No. 5 of Maroun, 2 salt traps with new (membrane) technology are being set up, which is the first experience of using this type of salt trap in the Middle East. Advanced reverse osmosis technology has been used for desalting crude oil in the Industrial Complex No. 5 of this company with the aim of preventing production reduction and improving the quality of sweet oil. The reverse osmosis (RO) technology will be introduced in the production process for the first time by NIOC, because due to the increasing salinization of oil in the reservoirs and the increase of water associated with oil, the optimal separation of fine particles of water from the oil has become doubly important. Among the advantages of this technology, we may mention a significant reduction in water and electricity consumption and the absence of the need for suspension-breaking chemicals in the process of desalting of crude oil. In addition, the installation and use of this technology will increase the desalting capacity to 20 kb/d, which will have a significant impact on the stability of production and increase the quality of crude oil for use in domestic and export refining industries. RO is a physical process to separate dissolved minerals from a solution using a semipermeable membrane and pressure.

Does MOGPC have any plans to construct or renovate pipelines?

The pipelines are short and long vessels of the body that keep it alive and dynamic. Without maintenance, repair and updating of pipelines, it is not possible to transfer even a single drop of liquid. Projects such as the construction of a 30-inch crude oil transmission line from Maroun Industrial Complex No. 1 to Omidiyeh compressor station, replacement of gas transmission pipelines from Maroun Industrial Complex No. 6 to NGL 400 and NGL 500 to NGL 400, replacement of the Maroun gas injection station injection network, construction of 9 km 8-inch oil transmission line from Maroun Industrial Complex No. 6 to Maroun Industrial Complex No. 1, replacement of injection well waste lines with FBE coating, replacement of internal and external waste metal pipelines with non-metallic pipelines, construction of 34 km of 20-inch pipeline from Ahvaz Unit 2 to Maroun Industrial Complex No. 6 could be considered as the major current projects of the company in the field of pipelines.

How about environmental developments following flare gas gathering?

Perhaps this plan can be called our most important action in the direction of protecting the environment and protecting hydrocarbon resources because it is a new and efficient idea that solved a significant part of the concern of the organization regarding gas flaring. With the implementation of this plan, 20 mcf of excess gas from Maroun Industrial Complex No. 6 and 8 mcf of sour gas from Maroun Industrial Complex No. 3 will be collected daily. In addition, with the announcement of the readiness of the Iranian companies in charge of this project, we are ready to help them reduce gas flaring. During another project included in the plan of 28 tanks, sour gases from the separation stages of Industrial Complex No. 5 and sour gases from Maroun Industrial Complex No. 3 will be sent to the Bidboland Gas Refinery, which make the sky clear. On the other hand, in order to maintain the safety and environment around the company’s facilities, we put the project of securing 16 kilometers of underground pipelines of 6 inches of main liquids and 14 inches of main gas of the company’s gas pressure boosting stations, which was completed on time. The mentioned line sends 40 mcf/d gas from Maroun 2 (Aghajari) and Maroun 5 complexes to NGL 700 and 800. Due to the proximity of this line to the Jarrahi River and a number of villages, its security was of great importance so that there would be no threat to the surrounding community.

Has MOGPC presented any solutions for energy efficiency?

Yes, we have established ISO 50001:2018 energy management system in the company. We have also set the foundation for implementing energy use standards at gas and liquid gas plants (Standard 19580) and at desalting units (Standard 1957) and put everything under inspection by companies approved by the National Standards Organization and we will soon receive relevant certificates.

By Mahnaz Mohammad-Qoli