FLOW ASSURANCE & INTRODUCTION TO OLGA

Vijay Sarathy
Senior Engineer
Staff ID: 7142
Process Technologies Department
Saipem India Projects Ltd.

March, 2011
 What is Flow Assurance?

 Flow Assurance refers to successful & economical flow of hydrocarbon

stream from reservoir to the point of sale.
 Coined in the 1990’s by Petrobras as ‘Garantia de Escoamento’ meaning
‘Guarantee of Flow’.
 Broadly classified as Onshore & Offshore Flow Assurance
 Involves performing single/multiphase flow calculations to address
pipeline HC transportation problems, some of which are
 Pressure drop adequacy & pipeline velocity limitations
 Environmental effects on transported product
 Hydrate, Wax & Asphaltene Depositions
 Slugging Phenomenon
 Pipeline corrosion & Erosion
 Upsets affecting Pipeline Operation
 Why Flow Assurance?

 Necessity arose from the basis of extending multiphase flow to large

distances (~50 km & above)
 Requirement of transporting from deeper wells
 Gained importance when HC transportation became a matter of concern
due to factors such as
 Large Pressure losses causing lowered production
 Pipeline Blockages due to Wax & Hydrates stopping production
 Pipeline Rupture from corrosion
 Severe Slugging in risers destroying separators
 Oil Wells inability to lift
 Presence of Sand & Particulate causing pipeline erosion
 Pipeline Flow Behaviour

 Flow complexity depends on factors some of which are,

 Pipeline Length
 Elevation
 Geometry (e.g., Diameter, Wall Thickness, etc)
 Material of Construction
 Internal Roughness (affected by coatings, etc)
 Location (e.g. Above Ground/Buried or Subsea)
 Nature of Fluid transported (e.g., Wet Gas, Condensate, Well stream fluids,
dense phase fluids, Oil & Natural gas, etc)
 Nature of Flow (TBD in the forthcoming slides)
 Environmental Conditions (Ambient Temperature, Wind velocity, etc)
 External Insulation
 External process changers (e.g., heated pipeline, etc)
 Machinery Effects (Compressors, Pumps, etc)
 Presence of Solvents (Inhibitors, drag reducing agents, etc)
 Presence of Sand & Corroded Particulate matter
2/3 Phase Pipeline Flow Patterns

Horizontal Flow Vertical Flow

 Multiphase Flow vs. Single Phase Flow

 Phase change is the key factor determining Pipeline Design & Operations
 Single Phase Pipeline Flow is easier to manage since
 Offer Lower pressure drops compared to similar multiphase configuration
 Avoids slugging phenomena
 For liquid lines, single phase pumps can be used which are cheaper
 Multiphase flow (2/3 phase)
 Higher Pressure drops (Larger pipelines do not always lead to lower P!!)
 Affects quality of transported product
 Affects Pipeline Blow down Temperatures & Flows
 Necessity for a Slug Catcher to address possible slugging
 Multiphase pumps are needed which can prove to be relatively expensive
 Sand Laden flow cause erosion (Duplex steel might be needed)
 Existence of Hydrates problem
Two Phase P Profile for Hilly Terrain
 Typical Pipeline Activities in Flow Assurance

 Thermo hydraulic Calculations (P, Velocity & EVR Criteria, Flows, etc)
 Pipe wall thickness estimation
 Pipeline Start up
 Pipeline Shutdown
 Ramp up / Ramp Down (Turndown)
 Pipeline Pigging
 Pipeline Depressurization
 Hydrate Inhibitor Dosage Calculations
 Choke Valve Calculations
 Pipeline Surge Analysis
 Sample Pipeline Report

 Client: Kuwait Oil Company

 Scope of Work: Thermo-hydraulic Analysis for Water Injection Lines
THANK YOU