ON THE SPECIFICS OF ELIMINATING DEEP-SEA HYDROCARBON LEAKS ACCOMPANIED BY HYDRATES FORMATION

Abstract

The work is devoted to the features of deep-water leak elimination that occur during the development of oil and gas fields. The main ways to eliminate leaks are considered, the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches are analyzed, and special attention is paid to one of the most promising methods of mechanical collection of hydrocarbons - a dome separator that can be installed directly above the spill site. The installation of a dome separator can not only eliminate the leakage of hydrocarbons, but also continue the development of the field, pumping out the accumulated hydrocarbons using pipes. A special feature of the work is the considered case of the receipt of hydrocarbons from a damaged well or pipeline at an angle to the horizon. Previously, only the case of vertical supply of hydrocarbons was considered. For the case of hydrocarbon flow at an angle to the horizon, the thermophysical parameters of the jet and the jet trajectory are analyzed. For the considered case, the possibility of installing a domeseparator is considered. The process of accumulation of hydrocarbons in the dome is considered, and the dependence of oil temperature on time is obtained. The process of propagation of a submerged jet and accumulation of hydrocarbons is considered taking into account the possible formation of hydrates. The process of hydrate formation will be characterized by the following dynamics of changes in the bubble: first, it will be completely gas, then a hydrate shell (composite bubble) will begin to form on its surface, then the bubble will completely become hydrated, which will be the final stage. To model the dynamics of hydrocarbon jet propagation, the integral Lagrangian control volume method is considered, according to which the jet is considered as a sequence of elementary volumes. The method is supplemented with ratios corresponding to the process of hydrate formation. When modeling the jet flow, the laws of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy for the components included in the control volume are taken into account.