• Expands SLB's production and recovery portfolio with electrostatic separation technology that helps customers optimize production from aging oil and gas assets
• Enables more efficient oil-water separation to increase processing capacity, improve hydrocarbon recovery and lower treatment costs across onshore and offshore operations

SLB has completed the acquisition of Sulzer’s Vessel Internal Electrostatic Coalescer (VIEC™) technology, strengthening its production technologies portfolio.  VIEC is used to enhance oil-water separation efficiency in production systems, helping operators manage increasing water volumes and sustain performance as assets mature. 

“In today’s capital-disciplined environment, every barrel of recoverable oil matters,” said Patrick Bauer, business line director of Process Technologies & Solutions, SLB. “This acquisition is a targeted step to strengthen our production and recovery capabilities as customers seek to maximize output from existing assets.”

As water cut rises in producing assets, conventional separation systems can become less effective, reducing throughput, increasing treatment costs and creating operational challenges. With a growing share of global oil production coming from aging assets, effective separation technologies are critical to sustaining output and improving recovery.

VIEC helps operators debottleneck surface facilities and improve separation efficiency without significant modifications to existing infrastructure. The system uses an insulated electrode installed within the separator vessel to generate high-frequency electrostatic fields that destabilize emulsions and improve oil-water separation. In a single treatment stage, VIEC can reduce water content to below 1%, contributing to improved processing efficiency, higher hydrocarbon output, and lower overall operating costs.

Suitable for both new and retrofit applications, the technology has been deployed globally across onshore and offshore applications in high water cut environments, with a proven track record in these conditions.