TOPICS OF INTEREST
FLOW ASSURANCE
New Innovations Enable Autonomous Pipeline Inspections
As companies look to reduce the time it takes to inspect a subsea pipeline, as well as the costs involved in the operation, autonomous systems have become a more desirable option. How close are they to becoming the norm?
SPE Launches Flow Measurement Technical Section
Approved in October, the Flow Measurement Technical Section will help engage the greater SPE technical community in flow-measurement-related issues and technologies. It will cover the full spectrum of flow measurement, including single-phase and multiphase flow.
SwRI Develops Superhydrophobic Coating for Offshore Drilling Pipes
A newly developed superhydrophobic coating keeps offshore drilling pipes from being clogged by various substances. R&D Magazine recently recognized the coating and the unique process to apply it to pipes as one of the 100 most significant innovations of 2019.
Ingu Raises Capital To Scale Miniature Pipeline Screening Tool
The funding from Chevron Technology Ventures and Energy Innovation Capital will help scale Ingu’s data collection platform and analysis for its Pipers technology, a pipeline screening tool launched last year.
Bandwidth of Nanotechnology in the Oil Field Widens
Nanotechnology has great potential to reduce cost, increase production, and even improve the sustainability of E&P operations. But, where do we stand in terms of potential vs. reality? And, is the industry ready and willing to use the technology?
HDPE Liner in Carbon Steel Pipe Manages Flowline Corrosion in Giant Onshore Field
Internal corrosion has caused ADNOC to suffer loss of containment in oil flowlines in a giant onshore field. This paper describes the successful 5-year field trial program and confirmation that HDPE liner application in carbon steel pipe can be a cost-efficient way to mitigate internal corrosion.
Artificial Pipeline Model Enables Comparison of Biocides in a Dynamic System
To facilitate testing and comparison of products that attenuate microbially influenced corrosion under field conditions, a method using microorganisms from a low-tide, anoxic North Sea sample was developed that allows corrosion measurements to be made for corroding biofilms grown on steel surfaces.
Addressing the Gaps in Subsea Produced Water Treatment
Operators are looking for ways to better handle water coming from subsea wells, which is typically treated at topside facilities. Subsea separation systems are not equipped to discharge water back into the reservoir, so how do companies close the gaps?
Neural Networks Plus CFD Speed Up Simulation of Fluid Flow
High-fidelity 3D engineering simulations are valuable in making decisions, but they can be cost-prohibitive and require significant amounts of time to execute. The integration of deep-learning neural networks with computational fluid dynamics may help accelerate the simulation process.
Greedy Pursuit: Algorithms Show Promise in Measuring Multiphase Flow
“Greedy pursuit” in the realm of algorithms is a good thing. Saudi Aramco studied such algorithms to produce images simulating the flow inside a pipe’s cross section, possibly reducing the need for separator-based multiphase flowmeters.
Testing of New Pipeline Inspection Device Begins in Bakken
These balls have the potential to alter how pipeline inspections are done, and a consortium of pipeline operators and industry experts in North Dakota is examining just how well this emerging technology can handle the small-diameter pipelines in the area.
Shell/BHGE Study Paraffin Inhibitor Testing Techniques
Cold finger tests are a standard method for testing paraffin inhibitors, but there is no standard testing protocol, and sometimes different labs can see inconsistent results. Shell and BHGE studied the root causes of these issues.
Executing Offshore Projects More Efficiently
Offshore project execution enhancement ideas are highlighted for debottlenecking, gas-hydrate-induced pipeline vibration, and the design of subsea systems for efficient startup.
Hydrate-Induced Vibration in an Offshore Pipeline
A computational fluid dynamics model is proposed to analyze the effect of hydrate flow in pipelines using multiphase-flow-modeling techniques. The results will identify the cause of pipeline failure, regions of maximum stress in the pipeline, and plastic deformation of the pipeline.
Managing the Risk of Hydrates Offers Alternative to Avoidance Strategy
The 9th International Conference on Gas Hydrates featured discussions on key advancements in flow assurance, including the concept of risk management and anti-agglomerates being applicable strategies in transient operations.
GATE Energy Joins Ranks of Contract Awardees for Noble’s Leviathan Project
GATE Energy is the most recent contract awardee for Noble Energy’s Leviathan project offshore Israel. It will provide the commissioning of the production platform for the megaproject.
Understanding Risk in Flow Assurance Management
A BP flow assurance manager explains a methodology for determining and mitigating flow assurance risks.
Caltech Spin-Out Develops Molecules To Improve Pipeline Flow
Fluid Efficiency and Rhapsody Venture will partner to refine and launch a new molecular technology to improve the flow in pipelines.
New Chevron Venture Program Selects Pipeline Inspection Technologies
Sensor systems for pipeline inspections from Ingu and Rheidiant are among the initial selections to receive funding under Chevron’s CTV Catalyst Program.
DNV GL Adds a UK Research and Testing Facility
The expanded research and testing capabilities offer the only vertical test rig for subsea safety valves and one of the largest high-pressure natural gas test facilities in the world.
SwRI Adds Outdoor Flow Component Test Facility
A new complex at Southwest Research Institute will support fluid dynamics research and the development testing of flow components.
Paraffins and Hydrates: Overcoming the Hurdles in Subsea Tiebacks
As operators rely on longer subsea tiebacks, an upward trend in the number of plugs caused by paraffins and hydrates has been seen. New prevention and remediation methods are discussed to help solve these challenges.
New Tool Developed To Test Paraffin Deposition
A test method is being developed to screen paraffin chemistries in the presence of brine, closer resembling dynamic field conditions.
Gas Hydrates: A Matter of Risk?
A BP flow assurance engineer discusses the shift in hydrate management strategy from complete avoidance to risk mitigation for an offshore dry tree facility.
ROVs Used To Determine Macondo Flow Rates
An investigator from the US National Energy Technology Laboratory examines the role remotely operated vehicles played in flow rate estimation from the Macondo well.
Managing the Effects of Sand Erosion
A look at techniques and technologies aimed at mitigating erosion issues from produced sand.
The Importance of Inhibitor Analysis in Scale Management—An Overview
The accurate and precise analysis of scale inhibitors—in conjunction with other field data such as ion analysis, total suspended solids, and productivity index—plays an important role in making decisions about the efficiency of scale squeeze and continuous chemical injection treatments.
Past Experience Drives Petrobras Flow Assurance Strategy
A former technical manager with Petrobras discusses the development of the company’s flow assurance philosophies and strategies.
Solid-Particles Flow Regimes in Air/Water Stratified Flow in a Horizontal Pipeline
The understanding of solid-particle flow regimes in pipelines for any operational conditions is important for identifying the nature of particle interaction and movement. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis of solid-particle flow regimes in stratified flow in a horizontal pipeline is presented.
Field-Scale Testing Vital To Understanding Gas Hydrate Behavior
Replicating field conditions for flow assurance experiments at a reasonable cost often presents many challenges, particularly when it comes to designing an experiment with appropriately scaled geometry, an expert said.
Three Key Principles To Solving Operational Flow Issues
When the underlying cause of flow-related issues on offshore projects is unknown, an expert said an investigation of fluid flow behavior based on an understanding of the first principles of flow assurance is necessary.
A New Method To Detect Partial Blockage in Gas Pipelines
Natural-gas-infrastructure reliability is critical for the energy sector. When capitalizing on old pipelines to transport natural gas, operators run the risk of partial blockage. In this study, the authors develop a multirate test method to detect partial blockage in a gas pipeline.
Cold Finger Method Effective at Testing Paraffin Inhibitors
A presentation from the 2016 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Technical Symposium examines a testing strategy to determine the effectiveness of paraffin inhibitors.
Experimental Investigation of Three-Phase Low-Liquid-Loading Flow
An experimental study was conducted by use of a 6-in.-inner-diameter facility to analyze three-phase stratified wavy flow in horizontal pipelines.
Improved Models May Help Multiphase Flow Conditioning
In trying to reduce the footprint of facilities, operators often select the wrong piping components, hampering the performance. Selection of the right piping can avoid separation issues.
Solving Deepwater Challenges in a Low Price Environment
Construction costs, contractor involvement, flow assurance, and the integration of new technologies created to improve production are some of the deepwater challenges exacerbated by the current low price environment.
Feasibility and Evaluation of Surfactants and Gas Lift in Combination as a Severe-Slugging-Suppression Method
Use of surfactants and gas lift in combination to suppress severe slugging were tested. Surfactants were able to suppress severe slugging for most of the cases, and gas lift helped significantly.
Tamar Startup Provides Lessons Learned
The Tamar deepwater gas development offshore Israel experienced a short 4-year gap between discovery and startup, but doing so required the tough decisions in handling significant flow assurance issues.
Technological Advances Needed To Combat Flow Assurance Issues
Flow assurance issues offshore fall into three main categories -- production chemistry (deposition), operational issues (sand, slugging, foaming, emulsions) and integrity (corrosion, erosion)
Cross-Industry Collaboration Ramps Up Flow of Ideas
When energy and healthcare collaborate, innovation is born. Pumps and Pipes, an unprecedented cross-industry collaboration between oil and gas exploration and production (E&P), cardiovascular medicine, aerospace, and academia, has grown into an international forum for transferable ideas and technolo
Modeling the Behavior of Asphaltenes
For many projects, asphaltene management plans are a matter of remediation or prevention. In the past decade, models have been developed to predict how asphaltene particles will behave in oil—the conditions under which precipitation and agglomeration occur.
Models for Asphaltene Phase Behavior and Deposition Evolve
Rice University has been working on effective models of phase behavior and asphaltene deposition as a path to improved design that can reduce this challenge for operators.
Simplified Dynamic Models for Control of Riser Slugging in Offshore Oil Production
Riser slugging can restrict production and cause problems for downstream equipment. This paper discusses a simplified modeling approach to control of riser slugging.
Study on Severe Slugging in an S-Shaped Riser: Small-Scale Experiments Compared With Simulations
Severe slugging is characterized by large pressure fluctuations at the base of the riser and is accompanied by fluctuations in fluid delivery from the top of the riser. This instability has negative effects on downstream equipment.
Flow Assurance Discipline Offers Career Alternatives
Flow assurance is a burgeoning field that offers many opportunities to young engineers—provided they are willing to develop expertise in a range of technical disciplines to obtain additional nontechnical skills.
An Evaluation of Risk of Hydrate Formation at the Top of a Pipeline
Water condensation and/or hydrate formation at the top of pipelines are serious design/operation considerations in pipelines. This paper reports the results of tests conducted in a new experimental setup constructed for investigating gas-hydrate risks in varied operational scenarios.
Flow Assurance -Hydrates and Paraffin Management
As environments become more challenging, the importance and complexity of flow assurance has evolved. To effectively manage flow assurance, oil and gas operators must take a holistic approach, particularly when working in deepwater offshore environments.
Improved Paraffin-Deposition-Profile Estimation in Hydrocarbon Pipelines and Effective Mitigation Review
This paper illustrates a numerical approach to estimate the deposition profile of precipitated wax crystals and its effect on flow-related parameters in pipelines. Options for avoiding these issues are also explored.
Simulation of Multiphase Fluid-Hammer Effects During Well Startup and Shut-in
In this study, software that is capable of modeling fully transient multiphase flow in wellbore and pipeline has been used to characterize the fluid-hammer effects of well shut-in and startup on the coupled subsurface and surface systems.
The Challenges of Processing and Transporting Heavy Crude
As the world's supply of crude becomes heavier, many of the world’s oil producers will have to think more carefully about heavy crudes and the challenges they pose for processing, storage, and transportation.
Experimental Study on Wax-Deposition Characteristics of a Waxy Crude Oil Under Single-Phase Turbulent-Flow Conditions
The effects of turbulence/shear and thermal driving force on wax-deposition characteristics were experimentally studied using a waxy crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico.
Case Study—Calcium-Carbonate-Scale Inhibitor Performance Degradation Because of H2S-Scavenger Injection in Semoga Field
Semoga and Kaji fields experienced reservoir souring and suffered a history of calcium-carbonate (CaCO3) -scale cases before a proper scale-inhibition program was implemented. Problems with a free water knockout discovered continued scale issues, leading to investigation of the reasons.
Hydrate Risk Assessment and Restart-Procedure Optimization of an Offshore Well Using a Transient Hydrate Prediction Model
This paper describes a gas-hydrate model for oil-dominated systems, which can be used for the design and optimization of facilities focusing on the prevention, management, and remediation of hydrates in flowlines.
Gas Hydrate Control Using Monoethylene Glycol in the Gulf of Mexico
One of the more challenging flow assurance problems in deepwater subsea gas pipelines and equipment is the formation of natural gas hydrates. Gas hydrates form under conditions of low temperatures and high pressures, such as those found in deep water.
Waxy-Crude Production Management in a Deepwater Subsea Environment
Systematic experimental and modeling approaches to designing a safe operating strategy for a 5-km deepwater-subsea-flowline case study are presented to address unplanned shutdown and restart events for waxy-crude production.
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