INTRODUCTION TO FLOW ASSURANCE

What can stop or reduce the production ?

•Blockage of pipe by
– Hydrates
– Wax

Flow Instabilities

Accidents
and Disasters
Hydrates are

• Crystals of water and

gas molecules.
Or more simply: ice of
water and
hydrocarbons
 Hydrates continued

• Hydrates form (and

melt ) at elevated T at
high P – thus they
can block wells and
pipes.
Predicted hydrate curve
for gas-condensate with
water cut of 5%
200

P (bara)
100
0
Prediction of formation 0 20 40
T (C)
in real fluids are
uncertain.

They can take many

forms- from slushy,
sticky lumps to a fine
powder
Hydrate wheel – operated by SINTEF

Used for hydrate predictions for real

fluids at real P and T

wheel is rotaded

Video camera is
fixed on the wheel
SINTEF hydrate wheel
Inhibition

• Common inhibitors are:

“Thermodynamic” i.e. they move the melting curve
of the hydrates towards lower T:
• Alcohols (MeOH)
• Glycols (Mono Ethylene Glycol – MEG)

• New inhibitors LDHI (Low Dosage Hydrate Inhibitors)

modify crystal growth or crystal structure to avoid
blockage.
 Hydrate curves with MEG - inhibition

200

175

150

125
P (BARA)

100 0 MEG
0.33 kg MEG/kg H2O
75
0.67 kg MEG/kg H2O
50

25

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
T (C)
Example: gas condensate:
Flow rate 200 MMScfd,
Saturated with water at 160 bara and 95 C
WC = 0
GOR ≈ 1300 Sm3/Sm3

Pipe not insulated

Effect of MEG-inhibition

0 kg MEG/kg H2O
0.33 ”
0.67 ”
Wax
• Solid paraffins from hydrocarbon fluids.
 WAT and Pour Point
• When the fluid is cooled wax will form at the Wax
Appearance Temperature (WAT)

• When further cooled wax increase the viscosity to

the point where the oil forms a gel i.e. reaches its Pour
Point.
An example

Oil pipeline: 142 km long, ID = 0.32 m

Inlet flow: 69 kg/s, Tinlet = 55 C
T ambient: 4 to 5 C
Wax deposit on pipe wall (mm)

after 14 days
FLOW ASSURANCE OIL PRODUCTION
our example :

outlet

-1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

500
0
-500
gas inj. Well
-1000
-1500 Flowline-Riser
-2000
Pres 150 bar
Terrain slugging (zero gas injection)
Well gas lift can help (ca. 72 600 Sm3/d )
Effect of insulation during cool-down

50 mm insulation
No insulation
Effect of insulation during blow-down

Blow-down starts at 4 h
Blow-down starts at 8 h

50 mm insulation
No insulation
Start-up with gas-lift – with and without insulation

50 mm insulation
No insulation
Start-up with well gas lift - with insulation
Start-up with well gas lift - with insulation
Close-up of the start-up trends

critical period
Can the Flowline/Riserbase be inhibited ?

critical part of flowline-

during start-up
FLOW ASSURANCE GAS-CONDENSATE TRANSPORT
 Examples:
Scarab-Safron
Ormen
Lange

Snøhvit
Gas-Condensate Pipelines
Main concerns are:

•Production capacity

•Liquid surges

•Inhibitor supply
Production capacity

•Maximum production with minimum pipe diameter

 Maximum capacity
• high flowrates - high pressure loss
– friction dominated flow
– wall friction is most important

Inlet Pressure

Friction dominated

Flow rate
Liquid surges
Restart after turn-down and liquid inventory build-up
sweep out of liquid by rate increase
Pigging
inspection and distribution of inhibitor
liquid inventory adjustments

Initial
amount
Liquid Content

Amount
removed Final
amount

G as P roduction R ate
Liquid hold-up as function of
pipe inclination and flow rate

exiperiments
from IFE
 Pipe profile is very important
accuracy
computing time
Length of pipeline (m)

Inclination of basic pipeline, Deg

Profiles can be simplified

Pipeline 70 km long - 19” ID– very hilly terrain

1.5
elevation (K m )

1.25 Real
Simplified
1

0.75
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
horizontal length (Km)
Check sensitivity of liquid inventory to pipe
inclination

Liquid inventory as function of pipe

test with OLGA of a
inclination to horizontall 2000 m straight pipe, 19 ” ID
160
Flowrate 150 MMScfd
140
120 Inclination angle varied from
100 -5 to 5 degrees
m3

80
60
40
20 150 MMScfd
0
-5 0 5
deg
 Phase envelope (water – free)

600 Dew
500 Bubble
-65.1 C, 238 bara
Critical
400 Pipe outlet cond.
P (bara)

300 98 vol % gas

93 vol % gas
200
100
0
-200 0 200 400 600
T(C)
Inlet pressure and liquid inventory as function of gas
rate.
150 GOR ≈ 1300 5000
Sm3/Sm3 4500
125
4000

Liquid inventory (m3)

Inlet Pressure (Bara)

100 3500
3000
75 2500
P (Bara) 2000
50 Liq Inv (m3)
1500
25 1000
500
0 0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Flow rate (MMScfd)
What limits the flow capacity:
Pressure loss or Erosion velocity ?

Erosional velocity ratio (according to API 14R)

1

0.8
400
EVR (-)

0.6
200
50 MMScfd
0.4

0.2

0
0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000
Pipe length (m)
Turn-down from 400 to 200 MMScfd
Build-up of liquid inventory
Turn-down from 400 to 150 MMScfd
results in terrain induced slugging
Pigging at 320 MMScfd (80% of max prod.)

• Pigging with a liquid inventory resulting from

320 MMScfd flow
• Rate turned down to 150 MMScfd prior to pig launch
• Flow turned up again after pig arrival
Pigging at 320 MMScfd –Liquid Surge
 Pigging at 320 MMScfd – Max Liquid Surge
Pigging at 320 MMScfd
1000.0
Max Surge Volume into Separator

900.0
Assuming constant liquid drain rates

800.0
700.0
600.0
Max Surge: 649 m3
(m3)

500.0
400.0
300.0
Max drain rate = 120 % of liquid production at
200.0
400 MMScfd = 666 m3/h
100.0
0.0
400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Drain Rate (m3/h)
Include slug catcher and level control
• Slug catcher model : L = 92 m , D = 4 m
• Max liq. drain CV : 622 (based on 120% of max liq. prod.)
• Separator pressure: ≈ 67 bara
• Drain back-pressure: 66 bara
• Set-point liquid level: 0.35
• HH liquid volume : 60% of total slug catcher volume

L
Separator liquid level during pigging
Troll gas: Onshore slug-catcher
MEG inhibition example
MEG injection line parallel with GC Pipeline

GC pipeline___ : = 19 Inches
MEG line ___ : = 3 ----”----
OLGA model
Base case

400 MMscfd of gas

GOR 1300 Sm3/Sm3
WC 0
Fluid saturated with H2O at 165 bara and 95 C
80 wt% MEG: 4 kg/h per MMScfd
Steady state: fluids are inhibited with 30 w% MEG
Pressure loss
Upset in MEG-injection rate: 50% reduction
Effect of a 50% reduction in MEG injection rate
5 0.35

0
0.3
-5
0.25
-10
DTHYD (C)

MEG fract.
-15 0.2

(-)
DTHYD pipe inlet
-20 0.15
DTHYD pipe outlet
-25
MEG mass fraction pipe inlet 0.1
-30
MEG mass fraction pipe outlet
0.05
-35

-40 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Time (h)
 Upset in MEG-injection rate: 50% reduction.

Effect of a 50% reduction in MEG injection rate

1.5
400 MMScfd
1
200 MMScfd
0.5
DTHYD (C) at outlet

0
-0.5 2 h upset
-1 1 h upset

-1.5
-2
-2.5
-3
-3.5
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time (h)
SUMMARY
 Design challenge:
Estimate operating area
1000

900

800

700
] ³]
[Sm ³/Sm
RAT IOSm³

600
OIL[Sm³/

500
Ratio

400
GAS
Gas Oil

300

200

100

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Standard Liquid
STANDARD Rate
LIQUID RATE[ [Sm³]
Sm³/d]

Hydrate Formation Temp. – 18°C Riser Stability – ΔP = 1 bar Gas Velocity Limit – 12 m/s
Wax Appearance Temp. – 32°C Riser Stability – ΔP = 6 bar Erosional Velocity Limits
Reservoir Pressure – 80 bara Riser Stability – ΔP = 12 bar Stable Operating Envelope
For operations:

E-field Dynamic Production Management

• Gas & Liquid management

• Hydrate/Inhibitor management
• Transparent pipe
• Slug mitigation & control
• Gas lift optimisation
• Leak detection
• Ramp-up management
• Operational support
• WEB-based
enables integrated operations
Take Flow Assurance to Operations !!