Gathering Pipeline System Research Articles

Application of simulation to optimize the oil-gathering system of the “N” oil field

Background: In the period of 20122021 456 wells were drilled in the western, northern and central sections of the N oil field. The construction of additional wells in the coastal zone (western part) will increase the volume of liquid entering the Group Metering Plant (GMP) -A, which is already operating above designed capacity. Given the above, it was decided to build a new GMP-P on the western section.
 Aim: The purpose of this work was the need to determine the optimal option for placing the designed GMP-P.
 Materials and methods: A hydraulic calculation of the Oil Production Shops oil gathering system (OPS) of the N field was carried out by simulating a multi-phase steady flow in a specialized software package with conversion using a geographic information system for reference to the terrain.
 Results: For the first time, the OPS-1 oil gathering pipeline system of the N field was completely digitized. In the course of the work, 4 options for optimizing the OPS-1 gathering system with different locations for the construction of the GMP-P were considered.
 Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, option 2 of the GMP-P construction location was selected and justified.

Primary Growth Behavior of Sulfur Particles through the Throttle Valve in the Transmission System of High Sulfur Content Natural Gas

The deposition of sulfur particles in gathering and transportation pipeline system can cause serious safety problems and economic losses. When the high sulfur content natural gas (HSCNG) flows through the throttle valve of the gathering and transportation system, it will cause the supersaturation of elemental sulfur in the gas phase, and then the sulfur crystal nuclei and sulfur particles will appear in the pipeline system. Studying the initial growth behavior of sulfur crystal nuclei and sulfur particles can lay a necessary prerequisite for the accurate prediction of sulfur particle deposition in high sulfur content natural gas gathering and transportation (HSCNGGT) pipelines. Based on the homogeneous nucleation theory in crystallization kinetics, a mathematical model of elemental sulfur nucleation was established. Taking the throttling condition in the process of HSCNGGT as an example, the effects of temperature, pressure and H2S concentration in HSCNG on the critical nucleation radius and nucleation rate of elemental sulfur were explored. The results show that: (1) after the supersaturation of elemental sulfur, sulfur crystal nuclei with nanoscale radius will be precipitated. The temperature and pressure after throttling have great influence on the nucleation radius, and the influence of H2S concentration on the nucleation radius is more complex. (2) The temperature, pressure and H2S concentration after throttling also have great influence on the nucleation rate. By solving the growth kinetics model of sulfur particles based on Brownian condensation, it is found that the nano-sized sulfur crystal nuclei can grow into micron-sized sulfur particles in a very short time.

Constraining natural gas pipeline emissions in San Juan Basin using mobile sampling

Quantifying methane (CH4) leaks of pipeline systems is critical to ensure accurate emission factors in regional and global atmospheric models. The previous emission factors in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI) are from 1996 and do not reflect the modern gathering pipeline system. Additional data from different basins across the United States are urgently needed to improve the emission factors. The National Energy Technology Laboratory conducted a ground-based vehicle survey at Carson National Forest in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, in September 2019. 187 km of natural gas gathering pipeline systems were surveyed. The mobile CH4 survey system was efficient in identifying CH4 plumes and pinpointing the leak sources. Gaussian dispersion modeling suggested our survey system had a minimum detection limit of 1.5 LPM. No leaks were found from the pipelines while a leak of 7.1 +/− 0.2 LPM was on a pig launcher door and another leak of 0.7 +/− 0.1 LPM on a block valve. Limited access to the gathering pipeline system prevented us from quantifying all potential leaks detected by the CH4 sensors. The low leak frequency phenomenon was also observed in the sole existing study of natural gas gathering pipelines in the Fayetteville Shale.

Gathering Pipeline Methane Emissions in Utica Shale Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Ground-Based Mobile Sampling

The United States Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Inventory only recently updated the emission factors of natural gas gathering pipelines in April 2019 from the previous estimates based on a 1990s study of distribution pipelines. Additional measurements are needed from different basins for more accurate assessments of methane emissions from natural gas midstream industries and hence the overall climate implications of natural gas as the interim major energy source for the next decade. We conducted an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey and a ground-based vehicle sampling campaign targeting gathering pipeline systems in the Utica Shale from March to April in 2019. Out of 73 km of pipeline systems surveyed, we found no leaks on pipelines and two leaks on an accessory block valve with leak rates of 3.8 ± 0.4 and 7.6 ± 0.8 mg/s. The low leak frequency phenomenon was also observed in the only existing gathering pipeline study in Fayetteville Shale. The UAV sampling system facilitated ease of access, broadened the availability of pipelines for leak detection, and was estimated to detect methane leaks down to 0.07 g/s using Gaussian dispersion modeling. For future UAV surveys adopting similar instrument setup and dispersion models, we recommend arranging controlled release experiments first to understand the system’s detection limit and choosing sampling days with steady and low wind speeds (2 m/s).

An integrated MILP model for optimal planning of multi-period onshore gas field gathering pipeline system

Onshore gas field gathering pipeline system (GPS) plays a key role in the onshore gas field production and is often constructed in stages due to the phased development of the gas field. However, the influence of phased development on the optimal design of GPS has been neglected in previous studies. Although some research on the optimization of gas field development strategy involves the multi-period construction of GPS, they simplify the characteristics of the gathering network and ignore some very important parameters.This study develops an integrated mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model for optimizing multi-period GPS to determine the central processing facility (CPF) location, pipeline (routes and diameters) installation and expansions, well site-CPF connections, the flowrate of each pipeline, and the operating pressure of each node in each time period simultaneously. Taking minimum total construction cost as the objective function, the proposed model considers various operational and technical constraints related to multi-period construction and hydraulic characteristics, such as obstacles, three-dimensional terrain, pipeline topological structures, pipeline diameters, and wellhead pressure. Ant colony optimization is used for route optimization to provide parameters for the proposed model. A piecewise approximation method is employed to deal with the nonlinear terms of hydraulic equations. Therefore, the MILP model can be solved by the branch-and-bound algorithm to obtain the global optimal solution integrally. Finally, the model is successfully applied to three real-world gas fields. Compared with the actual construction scheme and other literature methods, the results prove the superiority of multi-period planning considering time.

The geoecological substantiation of pipelines to collect associated petroleum gas

Construction and exploitation of the gas pipeline is associated with seriously geoecological risks. The magnitude of risks depends on the kind and value of the impact of influencing factors. The factors of geoecological risk mean to the natural and technical conditions, which influences to probability of occurrence, the value of processes with adverse geoecological consequences, also the size of the expected geoecological damage during the transportation of associated petroleum gas (Gubaidullin and Korobov 2005). Territory near shore of Pechora sea between Bolvanskaya bay and Khaypudyrskaya bay is modern promising center of oil production in region. Ricing of oil production connect with ricing of associated petroleum gas (APG) production and searching of ways of effective utilization APG (instead of burning on torch) is actual challenge. The most promising way is common gathering pipeline system with one center of preparing and utilization of APG. Building and exploitation of pipelines connected with high gejecologilal risks. Evaluation and minimization of geecological risk is actual task. It is necessary to plan steps to minimizing risks (Day et al. 1998) to design stage to reduce the impact on the environment. The factor`s indicators of geoeological risk are distributed unevenly along the gas pipeline. Zoning should help to analyze the distribution of geoecological risk factors and determine territories for activities.

A methodology for the optimal design of gathering pipeline system in old oilfield during its phased development process

In the later period of oil field development, new blocks or filled-in wells would be added to enhance the production capacity during the phased development process and thus some abandoned manifolds, wells and pipelines would be recycled. Hence, a practical and economic scheme to optimize the improvement of pipeline network is necessary. A model aiming at optimization of improved pipeline network layout is proposed considering the newly-tied-in wells, the newly-constructed pipelines, and the newly-developed blocks including wells and metering manifolds. The reliability of the pipeline network and the recycling of the occupied old manifolds and pipelines are also taking into account. Implementing the construction cost and the reliability as objective functions, the models seek to define: the number, location, and capacities of newly-developed manifolds; the affiliation of wells; the number of recycled manifolds, wells, and pipelines; the interconnection between all the workable wells and manifolds. This model is solved by the simulated annealing genetic hybrid algorithm. Two real cases based on two oil fields are given in detail, which includes the optimized topological structure of the pipeline network layout, corresponding pipeline parameters, overall investment and the reliability of the optimized pipeline network. Meanwhile, the sensitivity factors including reliability, investment, upper metering limits of the manifolds are analyzed. In conclusion, the manifolds governing few wells are recycled and new manifolds are set up in the new block. The specifications of new pipelines, phased development costs, and the reliability of the optimized pipeline network are obtained. Thus, this research is able to estimate the investment and reliability when improving the pipeline network and to provide guidance for the management of the whole phased development process of old oilfields.

INVESTIGATION OF PETROLEUM PIPELINES EMERGENCY

The Russian Federation is one of the leaders in the extraction, transporta- tion and refining of oil. A significant part of the hydrocarbon raw materi- als is concentrated in the northern regions of the country, where the cli- matic conditions of production are severe, besides the situation is aggra- vated by the complicating conditions due to the presence of various aggressive impurities causing the internal corrosion of pipeline systems. The targets include maintaining production at the level of 500 million tons per year until 2020 and increasing gas production from 600 billion cubic meters per year to 1 trillion cubic meters per year in the short term to 2040. Implementation of the mentioned plans will require the use of innovative technology solutions from the oil and gas industry, the use of new mate- rials with improved hydraulic characteristics and increased resource. At the same time, the tasks of maintaining and improving the operational reliability of pipelines and oilfield equipment in the fields in general are coming to the fore. The solution of such tasks should be made taking into account the requirements in the field of industrial and economic security. The technical strategy of oil and gas companies in terms of occupational health and industrial safety is aimed at preventing emergency and fire and explosion hazard situations, for this purpose the tasks of ensuring continuous monitoring of the technical condition of production facilities are systematically solved. The article is devoted to the analysis of the current situation regarding the accident rate of oil gathering pipeline systems. The work provides recommendations for improving the performance of existing oil-gather- ing pipeline systems through the use of preventive measures to reduce the process of streaking corrosion of the internal surface of pipelines.

A methodology to restructure a pipeline system for an oilfield in the mid to late stages of development

One important issue in the mid to late development stages of oilfields is maintaining stable production, especially when the existing gathering pipeline system cannot fully satisfy the development of low pressures and low production rates. In these cases, it is necessary to restructure the original gathering pipeline system. In this study, an optimal design method is proposed to restructure a pipeline system in an oilfield in the mid to late development stages. Based on the demand of stable production and the existing structure of the pipeline system, a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model with an objective function that minimizes the total cost is developed. Hydraulic, technical and economic constraints are considered. The model is linearized based on a piecewise method and solved by the branch-and-bound algorithm. This method is applied to a real case study of a pipeline system in an oilfield.

Numerical simulation study on the influence of incident position on erosion characteristics of gas-particle two-phase flow in 90° elbow

In gas gathering pipeline system, 90° elbow suffers constant and severe collision of gas-carrying particles, which causes serious erosion on the inner wall. In this study, models of standard elbows (carbon steel with 210 GPa in elasticity modulus and 8300 kg/m3 in density) whose diameter varies from 65 to 200 mm with curvature ratio 1.5 are established to predict erosion rate causes by silica sand (100 μm in diameter, 1550 kg/m3 in bulk density) under gas gathering operating conditions (5.0 MPa, 10 m/s). Unlike most of the previous studies which only focus on erosion result on the wall, in this article, author extracts sample particles as research objects and studies the motion of every single particle. It has been found that there are three typical types of particle motion patterns in the elbow, and a part of sand particles released from lower area of incident plane will not even cause erosion.

The Management System Based on the Dynamic Online Simulation for the CBM Gathering Pipeline System of Northern Fanzhuang

The Management System Based on the Dynamic Online Simulation for the CBM Gathering Pipeline System of Northern Fanzhuang

Effect of flow velocity on erosion–corrosion of 90-degree horizontal elbow

Erosion–corrosion is a serious problem in oil and gas gathering and transportation pipeline systems; specifically, the elbow is the weak part. Erosion–corrosion at different locations of a horizontal steel elbow through which a sand slurry was passed at different velocities was studied using weight loss measurement. Erosion samples were characterized using three-dimensional confocal microscopy and computational fluid dynamics was used to characterize the flow patterns and distribution of sand particles in the elbow. The erosion–corrosion rate increased most as the fluid velocity increased from 3.5 to 4.0m/s. Increasing particle velocity increased the mechanical effects of the particles and induced secondary flow, leading to differing velocity contours in different cross-sections of the elbow, and thereby differing rates of erosion–corrosion. The maximum rate appeared in the outer part (annular angles φ=45, 90, and 135 degrees) and bottom of the inner part (annular angles φ=225, 270, and 315 degrees) of the elbow outlet with an axial angle between 75 and 90 degrees.

Statistical Analysis of Pitting Corrosion Field Data and Their Use for Realistic Reliability Estimations in Non-Piggable Pipeline Systems

The reliability and risk of non-piggable, corroding oil and gas pipelines can be estimated from historical failure data and through reliability models based on the assumed or measured number of corrosion defects and defect size distribution. In this work, an extensive field survey carried out in an upstream gathering pipeline system in Southern Mexico is presented. It has helped determine realistic values for the number of corrosion defects per kilometer (defect density) and obtain a better description of the corrosion defect size distributions in this system. To illustrate the impact that these new corrosion data can have on pipeline risk management, a reliability study is also presented where the field-gathered corrosion data have been used as input to a reliability framework for the estimation of the failure index of non-piggable pipelines and pipeline systems when different amounts of corrosion data are available.

Modularization Concepts For The Norman Wells Expansion Project

Abstract Esso Resources Canada Limited is currently completing an oilfield expansion project at Norman Wells, Northwest Territories. Crude oil production will be increased from 475 m3 per day to 4 800 m3 per day. Due to the remote location and harsh climate of the Norman Wells site, it was decided to modularize the Central Processing Facility to the maximum possible extent to achieve a significant cost saving. The 64 modules were built at a modularization site in Edmonton, resulting in higher labour productivity and lower on-site support costs. Virtually all facilities were modularized, including equipment, pipe racks and electrical cable tray racks. Module weights ranged up to 143 tones. Transportation of the modules involved trucking to Hay River, Northwest Territories, and barging to Norman Wells on the Mackenzie River. A novel approach was used to quickly unload, transport and set the modules in place at the site. This paper discusses some of the engineering and execution challenges encountered by the project and the lessons learned in modularization technology. Introduction Esso Resources Canada Limited is currently completing an oilfield expansion project at Norman Wells, Northwest Territories. The town of Norman Wells is located on the Mackenzie River, 156 km south of the Arctic Circle. About 60% of the oilfield lies beneath the Mackenzie River. The remainder is located under the north shore and under two natural islands in the river. Under the expansion scheme, crude oil production will be increased from 475 m3 per day to 4 800 m3 per day. The major facilities constructed for the project are six artificial islands in the Mackenzie River, 164 production and injection wells, a production gathering and injection pipeline system and a central oil and gas processing facility. Interprovincial Pipe Line (NW) Limited is building a new buried pipeline to ship the produced crude oil south from Norman Wells to Zama, Alberta. Because of the project's remote location and the harsh climate at the Norman Wells site, it was determined very early that substantial cost savings could be achieved through modularized construction, particularly for the Central Processing Facility (CPF). By transferring work from the Norman Wells site to a modularization site in Edmonton, construction could be done at a higher productivity and, therefore, cost fewer man-hours. Modularization could also save the costs of subsistence, transportation and the need to work overtime at the Edmonton site. Processing Facilities The Norman Wells CPF is designed to process 4 800 m3 of crude oil and 425 000 standard m3 of gas per day. Gas processing involves supplying lift gas and fuel gas and recovering propane and stabilized condensate. The crude oil and condensate are blended and chilled to −4 °C before entering Interprovincial pipeline for shipment to Zama. The CPF treats 7 000 m3 of water per day from the Mackenzie River for injection into the reservoir. Produced water from the formation is also treated and injected. Three 7.4 MW gas turbine generators supply the electrical power to operate the plant and to supply power to the oilfield and the community of Norman Wells.