Welcome to this month’s selection of peer-reviewed papers. Many professionals in our organization have contributed time to maintain the quality of the peer-reviewed papers. Overall, the SPE peer-reviewed journals accept approximately 45% of the papers submitted for publication. The papers in this section have met the criteria of the strict review required in the selection process.
The first paper is the second in a two-part series that provides a methodology for optimizing the design of a separator using computational fluid dynamics. The paper identifies the process used and supports the modeling with a case study. The series began with a paper published in the December 2012 peer-reviewed section of Oil and Gas Facilities.
The next paper describes the impact of other chemicals—hydrogen sulfide scavengers in this case—on the effectiveness of scale inhibitors. This paper reminds us that the production system must be treated as a complete system, and that changes to one part may severely impact another.
The following paper moves to the Arctic environment and discusses the issues related to ice movement and potential impact with trenched pipelines. I was surprised by the depth of gouging that can take place in this environment and the amount of protection required for the pipelines.
The final paper discusses the design and use of gelled fluid for debris removal in subsea pipelines when standard pigging methods are not viable. This paper also highlights the need to understand the chemicals used in a pipeline system.
Thank you for taking the time to review the papers in this edition. I hope you enjoy these papers as much as I did while selecting them.
Jim Collins, Peer-Review Editor, ConocoPhillips
Associate Editors
Williams Chirinos, Inexertus
Galen Dino, AMEC Oil and Gas Americas
Sudhakar Mahajanam, ConocoPhillips
Saeid Mokhatab, Emertec R&D
Gerald Verbeek, Verbeek Management Services
