FLOW ASSURANCE IN PIPELINES

Jón Steinar Guðmundsson

TPG4135 Processing of Petroleum
March 13, 2012

– Flow assurance, recent concept

– Asphaltene, Paraffin wax, Gas hydrate, Inorganic solids
– Temperature in pipelines (drops quickly with distance)
– Hydrate in pipelines (happens when T<20 C)
– Summary
A: Drilling Unit, B: Production and Injection Wells, C: Process (Separation
and Compression etc.), D: Storage, E: Off-Loading, F: Living Quarters,
G: Riser Base, H: Template, I: Flare, J: Flowlines and Pipelines.
 Flowlines and Pipelines
Natural Gas Production

Natural gas, Sour gases, Hydrocarbon

condensate, Condensed water, Formation
water, Liquid slugging
 Flow Assurance
Flow assurance is a concept used to
describe the phenomena of precipitation
and deposition of solids (and multiphase
flow) in flowlines and pipelines. Flow
assurance offers technical solutions at
reasonable costs and without risk to
installations, operators and the
environment.
Precipitation is not the same as deposition…
 Flow Assurance Solids
• Asphaltene (due to pressure changes)
– Heavy, polar molecules, amorphous solid
• Paraffin wax (due to pipeline cooling)
– Normal paraffin C20 to C40
• Gas hydrate (due to pipeline cooling)
– Methane, ethane, propane and butane
• Inorganic scale (due to fluid mixing…)
– Carbonates and sulphates
 Hydrocarbon Solids

A: Phase envelope, B: Gas hydrate, C: Paraffin wax, D: Asphaltene, E: Multiphase flow

 Asphaltene
• Precipitates from crude oil when reservoir
pressure falls during production
• Crude oil density reduces when reservoir
pressure falls, causing precipitation
• Crude oil density increases again when light
components have bubbled out
• Precipitation envelope, light crude main problem
• Deposition prevented by additives (wells and
flowlines) to hinder agglomeration of particles
 Asphaltene Precipitation

[MPa]

[kg/m3]
Temperature in Pipelines
 Temperature in Pipelines
T1  T2
TLMTD 
q  UATLMTD T1  T
ln
T2  T
q  m C p (T1  T2 ) (T1  T2 )
m C p (T1  T2 )  Ud ( L)
T T
(T1  T )  (T2  T ) ln 1
T2  T
TLMTD 
T1  T
ln
T2  T
  Ud 
T = Constant = Sea Temperature T2  T  (T1  T ) exp  L
 mC p 
A  d (L)
Temperature and Distance
 Temperature in Pipelines

 Ud 
T2  T  (T1 T ) exp L
 mCp 

Insulated pipeline on seafloor: 1 < U (W/m2.K) < 2

Non-insulated pipeline on seafloor: 15 < U (W/m2.K) < 25
 Calculation Example
What is temperature at 20 km?
m=67 kg/s
Cp=3500 J/kg.K
U=2 W/m2.K
d=0.370 m
T=5 C
T1=86 C

  2  3.1416  0.370 
T2  5  (86  5) exp  20 103   71C 
 67  3500 
 Temperature and Distance
Åsgard Transport (69.4 vs. 76.9 MSm³/d)

Pressure Booster_press Temperature Booster_temp

210 50
200 45
190 40

Temperature (°C)
Pressure (barg)

180 35
170 30
160 25
150 20
140 15
130 10
120 5
110 0
0 200 400 600 800
Distance KP (km)

Booster compressor duty: 15.5 MW (most likely roughness)

Aamodt (2006)
Wax Appearance Temperature

Crude oil and condensate WAT (=cloud point) typically at 30-40 [C]. Pour
point typically 15 [C] below cloud point. Wax crystals in oil increases viscosity.
 Paraffin Wax
Cloud point (WAT) and pour point
 Wax Build-Up
With time and distance

dx
 k1  k2 x
dt

x  1  exp( k 2 t )
k1
k2
 Gas Hydrate
•Major obstacle to production of oil and gas through
subsea pipelines (due to cooling). Blocks pipelines.
•Forms when liquid water (condensed out from moist
reservoir gas) and natural gas are present at p & T above
equilibrium line (typically 20 C and 100 bara).
•Water molecules are stabilized by small gas molecules
such that hydrates form (physical process, not chemical
reaction).
•Antifreeze chemical used/injected to lower the T at which
hydrates form (lower “freezing” point of hydrate).
•Typically, 50 % antifreeze (in liquid phase) required to
prevent hydrate formation. Expensive.
A: Gas reservoir,
B: Oil reservoir,
C: Aquifer,
D: Cap rock,
E: Sealing fault.
A/B: Gas-oil-contact.
B/C: Oil-water-contact.
Gas in A saturated with
water vapour (condenses
out at surface).
Oil formation B contains
formation water (saline).
Gas Molecules Trapped in Cages
12-sided, 14-sided and 16-sided polyhedra

Small non-polar molecules, methane, ethane, propane and butane form gas
hydrate. Carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and nitrogen also form hydrate.
Structure II Gas Hydrate

24 X  136H 2O
Dissociation Pressure
Hydrate Equilibrium
Dissociation Pressure Gas Hydrate
45000

40000

35000

30000

25000
p [kPa]

20000

15000

10000

5000

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
T [C]

Lower line natural gas mixture; upper line with CO2 and N2
Hammerschmidt’s Equation

K x
T 
M (1 x)
Hydrate Equilibrium Midgard Field Gas

Lunde (2005): Design av flerfasesystemer for olje og gass, Tekna

 Summary
– More than natural gas flows in gas flowlines
– Asphaltene problem in oil production. Paraffin wax problem in
crude oil and condensate. Gas hydrate problem in oil and gas
production. Inorganic solids when saline water.
– Temperature drop equation does not include the Joule-
Thomson effect (small in large diameter pipelines). U values
based on experience.
– Hydrates form when liquid water and natural gas are in
contact at low temperature and high pressure, as in subsea
production of oil and gas.
– Hammerschmidt’s equation can be used to estimated the
mass fraction of antifreeze required to prevent hydrate
formation.