Performance Analysis of Transient Pressure Wave Method for Detecting Partial Blockage of CO2 Pipeline

Abstract

As a critical part of the CCUS technology, due to the unique properties of CO2, transportation pipelines are prone to partial blockages caused by hydrates under environmental and pressure conditions, increasing the risk of potential accidents. Therefore, effective detection of partial blockages is essential for the safe operation of CO2 transport pipelines. Based on data from a 360,000 t/yr CCUS pipeline transportation project in the first phase of the Yanchang Oilfield, according to the relevant laws of transient flow in CO2 long-distance pipelines, Olga simulation was used to obtain transient pressure wave curves at different monitoring points when a blockage occurred in the pipeline. By processing the pressure wave response signals, the blockage point location, blockage section length and blockage degree parameters were obtained and compared with the characteristic parameters under actual working conditions. The results show that the transient pressure method is high accuracy in determining the blockage location and blockage length of the CO2 long-distance pipeline. The relevant data in the blocked pipeline can be obtained more accurately by setting monitoring points at the inlet and near the front of the blockage location. The study broadens the application scope of the transient pressure wave method and provides a high-accuracy and straightforward method for detecting a partial blockage in CO2 long-distance pipelines.