part of Aker

Depressurisation of wet gas segment

Low temperature issues
Leif Ernstsen
Stavanger
21. October, 2010

2010 Aker Solutions

Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Background
AkerSolutions performed a tie-in study for Gudrun to Sleipner.
Static simulations indicated low fluid temperatures during
blowdown of inlet gas segment.
The project wanted to examine the low temperature issue with
dynamic OLGA simulations.

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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2010 Aker Solutions

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Field Overview
SLEIPNER
GUDRUN
BLOWDOWN LINE

FLARE

PARTIAL
STABILIZATION

PROCESS
GAS
SEGMENT

14 WET GAS
PIPELINE

Receiving conditions:

~ 55 km

90 bar
4 C
92 kg/s

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Objectives
Find locations with minimum wall temperatures.
Examine mechanism of thermal process.
Investigate effect of boiling of liquid pockets.

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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2010 Aker Solutions

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Height / Length Geometry from ISOs

Geometry of OLGA network model
6
5
4

Y [m]

3
Gas segment

Blowdown line
Drain

1
0
-1
-2
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

X [m]

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

OLGA Schematics of Simulated Network

8-12-20

12
14

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Simulated Scenarios
General sequence of events:
Normal production
Shut-in / cooldown of Gas Segment
Blowdown

Cases presented here:

Case 1: Blowdown from 142 bara, -7 C (immediate shut-in)
Case 2: Blowdown from 170 bara, -7 C (shut-in after temp.
equilization)

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Minimum Wall Temperatures Found (worst case)

2 drain pipe,
Case 1:

3 BD pipe,
Case 2:

12 main line,
Case 1:

Min. wall temp.:

-27,8 C
Concurrent fluid temp.: -28,9 C
Inner wall film HTC:
125 W/(m2*K)
Location: DRAIN, Pipe 1, Segment 2
Min. wall temp.:
-44,7 C
Concurrent fluid temp.: -45,3 C
Inner wall film HTC:
523 W/(m2*K)
Location: BLOWDOWN, Pipe 4, Segment 1
Min. wall temp.:
-37,8 C
Concurrent fluid temp.: -39,1 C
Inner wall film HTC:
137 W/(m2*K)
Location: SEG_2, Pipe 7, Segment 1

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Time Curves, 2 Drain Pipe, Case 1

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Time Curves, 3 Blowdown Pipe, Case 2

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Time Curves, 12 Main Line, Case 1

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Video Clip of 2 Drain and 12 Main Line, Case 1

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Findings: Pipe Spec. and Low Temperatures

OLGA simulations have indicated, where low temperatures occur,

and how low they go during Gas Segment blowdown.
Cost saving can be achieved by selecting pipe spec. in line with
simulation results.
In this actual case the client have chosen to maintain the
originally planned -100 C spec.
Existing pipe spec. may be kept in modification projects,
where new operating conditions indicate lower temperatures (dynamic
simulations)

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Additional Info

More simulation / modelling details in the following slides

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Modelling Premisses
Segment consists of bare pipes of duplex steel with properties:
Spec. heat capacity:
Therm. conductivity:
Density:
Inside roughness:

460 J/(kg*K)
21 W/(m*K)
7850 kg/m3
0,05 mm

Pipe dimensions, Gas Segment, spec. FS30A (-100 C, 258,6 barg):

2:
ID=49.22 mm
WT=5.54 mm
3:
ID=73.66 mm
WT=7.62 mm
12:
ID=273.1 mm
WT=25.4 mm
14:
ID=300.02 mm WT=27.79 mm

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Modelling Premisses, contd

Blowdown orifice ID = 14 mm, simulated with Cd=0,84.
In real life blowdown is initiated by opening a block valve upstream
the orifice. In the simulations, however, no block valve was included,
and the blowdown was started by opening the orifice over 2 s.
This approach is deemed to be a very close approximation to the real
life process.

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Modelling Premisses, contd

Component

Fluid: Gudrun gas, year 2013

Mole fraction

Methane

0.686732

Ethane

0.104944

Propane

0.056470

i-Butane

0.005997

n-Butane

0.015792

i-Pentane

0.003798

n-Pentane

0.004598

H2O

0.000626

CO2

0.096044

N2

0.005296

C6*

0.007196

C7*

0.005097

C8*

0.003798

C9*

0.001699

C10-C11*

0.001199

C12-C13*

0.000400

C14-C15*

0.000100

Eglycol

0.000163

H2S

0.000051

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Modelling Premisses, contd

Ambient air conditions:
Velocity:
Temperature:
Pipeline receiving conditions:
Pressure:
Temperature:
Rate:
Shut-in pressure:

0,5 m/s
0 C and -7 C
90 bara
4 C
92 kg/s
170 bara

Simulation programs:
OLGA 5.3.2
PVTsim 17.0.0
HYSYS 2006.5

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Simulated Scenarios
Case 1: Normal production at 4 C, ambient temp. -7 C, mass flow 92,3 kg/s,
outlet pressure 90 bara
Shut-in: Close outlet, maintain mass flow until 170 bara, then close inlet
Cooldown until equilibrium pressure=142 bara
Blowdown: Open blowdown valve
Case 2: Normal production at 4 C, ambient temp. -7 C, mass flow 92,3 kg/s,
outlet pressure 90 bara
Set inlet pressure to 90,4247 bara same production
Shut-in: Close outlet, set inlet conditions to 170 bara / -7 C
Cooldown until equilibrium pressure=170,1 bara
Blowdown: Close inlet, open blowdown valve

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Other Simulated Scenarios

Case 3: Normal production at -7 C, ambient temp. -7 C, mass flow 92,3 kg/s,
outlet pressure 90 bara
Shut-in: Close outlet, maintain mass flow until 170 bara, then close inlet
Cooldown until equilibrium pressure=169,7 bara
Blowdown: Open blowdown valve
Case 4: Normal production at 0 C, ambient temp. 0 C, mass flow 92,3 kg/s,
outlet pressure 90 bara
Shut-in: Close outlet, maintain mass flow until 170 bara, then close inlet
Cooldown until equilibrium pressure=170,5 bara
Blowdown: Open blowdown valve

Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010

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2010 Aker Solutions

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Gudrun Gas Segment Blowdown

Simulation Difficulties
The simulations turned out to be very prone to crash. The P/T trajectory
passes close to the critical point and through areas with steep gradients
in the properties. The following measures were employed in attempting to
avoid crash:
Selecting small time steps. However, there turned out to be a certain lower limit,
below which the algorithm became unstable.
Removing liquid water, but still simulate with 3 phases and WATERFLASH=ON:
This helped in some cases. Removal of the small trace of liquid water was deemed
to have only a marginal effect on the results.
Changing the downstream boundary pressure and temperature (!!) during the
blowdown: This clearly made the algorithm survive in some cases.
Refining the P/T grid in the PVT-table: This method had the best effect.
With P=2 bar and T=2 C in the operating region, crash were generally avoided.
The PVT-table, however, included also some extreme high and low values of
P and T to give room for algorithm excursions.
Flow Assurance and Dynamic Simulation Seminar 2010
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