Amiad Filtration Systems has completed the first stage of a project to provide a salt leaching brine filtration system for an underground liquid hydrocarbon storage facility in France.
The underground facility – one of the largest and most strategic oil reserves in France – consists of stored liquid hydrocarbons (such as crude oil and gasoline) in 27 salt-leached caverns and has a capacity of 7.5 million cubic metres.
To create these underground caverns, the salt leaching brine must be filtered to meet the requirements for injection into the ocean – Amiad’s systems filter the brine to a level well within the regulations.
Amiad’s solution was also selected because it offered a chemical-free filtration solution, as the cavern is located in a protected natural forest. In addition, it is a waste-free filtration process, where the filter’s flush water is recycled during the leaching process. The system from Amiad is also highly suitable for outdoor installation. The system is able to withstand extreme temperatures (-25 °C to 40°C), and avoids the cost of erecting a facility to house it.
This installation is the third significant brine leaching solution supplied by Amiad – following installations at Pine Prairie Energy Center LLC in Louisiana, USA and SG Resources Mississippi LLC in Mississippi, USA.
