Gas Pipeline Transportation Research Articles

DEFINITION OF CERTAIN INDICATORS FOR CHOOSING A METHOD OF CORROSION PROTECTION FOR UNDERGROUND PIPELINES

Pipeline transportation of natural gas, oil, and petroleum products has become widely used both internationally and within Azerbaijan, as it is the most efficient and safe method of transportation. The durability and accident-free operation of pipelines directly depend on the effectiveness of their anti-corrosion protection. Therefore, the modernization of protection technologies is of critical importance. This study examines the main methods of pipeline anti-corrosion protection, considering the advantages and disadvantages of each. Calculations are provided for the pipeline wall thickness, anti-corrosion protection, and certain parameters of cathodic protection necessary to determine the most effective method for specific operating conditions. Keywords: corrosion, pipeline, sacrificial anode, passive protection, active protection.

Study on fluid flow as well as heat transfer characteristics of high-speed solid-rotor motor cooled by natural gas based on turbulent Taylor-Couette vortex

The High-speed Solid-rotor Induction Motor Cooled by Natural Gas (HSIMCNG), is suitable for integrated compressors in natural gas pipeline transportation due to its high mechanical strength. In order to further improve the cooling effect of the motor and lighten the motor weight, it is of great significance to research on the natural gas flow, heat transfer characteristics and motor structure optimization. Firstly, the natural gas flow state characteristics in the 160 kW HSIMCNG are investigated in this article. The natural gas Taylor vortex distribution in the air gap is analyzed, and the natural gas flow as well as heat transfer characteristics are obtained. Secondly, in the cooling structure of the motor with slotted rotor, the impact of the slot on the natural gas flow state is further explored in detail by combining the mechanism of the Taylor vortex on the natural gas turbulent kinetic energy, and the natural gas heat transfer effect is clarified. Finally, the variation characteristics of the natural gas radial and tangential velocities with the spatial position in the motor with different ventilation cooling structures are compared and analyzed in depth, and the key factors affecting the natural gas Taylor vortex flow and heat transfer effect are determined.

Bottom of Line Corrosion Mechanism in Marginal Sour Environment Wet Gas Pipelines

Internal pipeline corrosion is a well-recognized issue in the oil and gas industry, especially in multiphase flow systems, such as wet gas transportation pipelines that contain mixed phases. Internal corrosion typically manifests as either top-of-the-line corrosion (TLC) or bottom-of-the-line corrosion (BLC). While corrosion mechanisms in sweet environments (dominated by CO₂) are relatively well-understood, those in sour environments (dominated by H₂S) remain less thoroughly examined. In sour environments, the primary corrosion product is iron sulfide (FeS), while in sweet environments, iron carbonate (FeCO₃) tends to form. In marginally sour conditions, FeS layers are often non-uniform, promoting localized corrosion and pitting because low concentration of H2S. It is hypothesizes that higher concentrations of H₂S reduce both the pitting rate and depth.The objective of this research is to investigate the corrosion rate, surface profile, and morphology in a marginal sour environment, using profilometry analysis (ASTM G46) to assess pitting. The experiments were conducted in a glass cell setup simulating pipeline conditions with 3 wt% brine solution and 1000 ppm acetic acid. Corrosion behavior was assessed at H₂S concentrations of 0 ppm, 30 ppm, and 80 ppm using weight loss analysis, surface morphology, and profilometry measurements. Results indicate that increasing H₂S concentration decreases the pitting rate, supporting the study’s hypothesis.

Effects of Hygrothermal Condition on Water Diffusion and Flexural Properties of Carbon-Glass Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Polymer Winding Pipes.

Carbon-glass hybrid fiber-reinforced epoxy polymer (C-GFRP) winding pipes integrated with the advantages of light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, and cost-effectiveness offer immense potential to mitigate corrosion issues in oil, gas, and water transportation pipelines. In this study, C-GFRP winding pipes underwent accelerated aging tests through immersion in distilled water at temperatures of 25 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C for 146 days. Water absorption tests were conducted to investigate the water absorption behavior of only CFRP- or GFRP-side absorbed water. Bending tests were performed to assess the evolution of the pipes' flexural properties in two directions (GFRP or CFRP in tension). The results showed that the single-sided water absorption behavior adhered to the two-stage diffusion model. The diffusion coefficient, activation energy, and 146-day water absorption were all higher for the CFRP-side absorbed water compared to the GFRP-side absorbed water. The flexural strength and modulus of C-GFRP pipes were influenced by post-curing and resin hydrolysis/debonding. Initially, the flexural strength of CFRP in tension was higher than that of CFRP in tension. After 146 days of aging, the flexural strength of CFRP in tension was lower than that of CFRP in tension. Utilizing Arrhenius theory, the long-term lives were predicted for the flexural strength at temperatures of 5.4 °C, 12.8 °C, and 17.8 °C. The predicted lives of GFRP in tension were higher than those of CFRP in tension.

Simulation study on hydrogen concentration distribution in hydrogen blended natural gas transportation pipeline.

Hydrogen is a clean energy source, and blending it with natural gas in existing pipeline networks is a key transition solution for transportation cost reduction. However, during the transportation process, a non-uniform distribution of hydrogen concentration occurs in the pipeline due to gravity. Therefore, it is necessary to study the hydrogen concentration distribution law of hydrogen-blended natural gas in pipelines. The undulation and ball valve pipelines, which are common in transport pipelines, were constructed in this study. The effects of the undulation angle, height, pipeline diameter, ball valve opening, and temperature on the distribution of the hydrogen concentration were investigated using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) methods. The results indicated that the hydrogen concentration gradient changed gently with the larger diameter of the undulating pipeline, minimizing hydrogen accumulation. Higher undulation angle and smaller height differences reduces the hydrogen accumulation risk. Increasing vertical height difference of the pipeline from 5 m to 15 m increased the hydrogen volume fraction gradient by1.3 times. In the ball valve pipeline, the velocity fluctuation decreased as the ball valve opening increased. However, the hydrogen accumulation phenomenon was obvious. The opening increased from 25% to 100% and the hydrogen volume fraction gradient increased more than two times. Selecting delivery conditions with low hydrogen blending ratios, high temperatures, low pressures, and high flow rates reduces the occurrence of hydrogen buildup in the pipeline.

Locational marginal pricing of energy in pipeline transport of natural gas and hydrogen with carbon offset incentives

We propose an optimization formulation for locational pricing of energy transported through a pipeline network that carries mixtures of natural gas and hydrogen from distributed sources to consumers. The objective includes the economic value provided by the pipeline to consumers of energy and suppliers of natural gas and green hydrogen, as well as incentives to lower carbon emissions by consuming the latter instead of the former. The optimization is subject to the physics of gas flow and mixing in the pipeline network as well as engineering limits. In addition to formulating this mathematical program, we synthesize the Lagrangian and derive analytical expressions for the dual variables. We propose that the dual solution can be used to derive locational marginal prices of natural gas, hydrogen, and energy, as well as the decarbonization premium paid by consumers that receive hydrogen. We derive several properties of solutions obtained using the proposed market mechanism, and demonstrate them using case studies for standard 8-node and 40-node pipeline test networks. Finally, we show that optimization-based analysis of the type proposed here is critical for making sound decisions about economic policy and infrastructure expansion for blending green hydrogen into existing natural gas pipelines.

Leakage Failure Analysis of Some Gas Transportation Pipeline Girth Weld

Leakage Failure Analysis of Some Gas Transportation Pipeline Girth Weld

A novel optimization framework for natural gas transportation pipeline networks based on deep reinforcement learning

Natural gas is an emerging and reliable energy source in transition to a low-carbon economy. The natural gas transportation pipeline network systems are crucial when transporting natural gas from the production endpoints to processing or consuming endpoints. Optimizing the operational efficiency of compressor stations within pipeline networks is an effective way to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions during transportation. This paper proposes an optimization framework for natural gas transportation pipeline networks based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). The mathematical simulation model is derived from mass balance, hydrodynamics principles of gas flow, and compressor characteristics. The optimization control problem in steady state is formulated into a one-step Markov decision process (MDP) and solved by DRL. The decision variables are selected as the discharge ratio of each compressor. By the comprehensive comparison with dynamic programming (DP) and genetic algorithm (GA) in three typical element topologies (a linear topology with gun-barrel structure, a linear topology with branch structure, and a tree topology), the proposed method can obtain 4.60% lower power consumption than GA, and the time consumption is reduced by 97.5% compared with DP. The proposed framework could be further utilized for future large-scale network optimization practices.

Integrity Management of Subsea Pipelines for Water and Gas Transportation in Offshore Gas Storage Facilities

Abstract In the pilot test stage of N gas storage, relying on the construction of D oilfield, the injection production operation was achieved. The D355 subsea water transmission pipeline from the old A artificial island to the B artificial island was converted into a gas transmission pipeline. To ensure the safe and stable operation of the pipeline during the test stage, the feasibility was determined through verification and analysis of the pipeline; High consequence area identification and risk assessment have been carried out on the pipeline, and the risk level is within an acceptable range; Due to the lack of internal testing conditions, a comprehensive inspection and evaluation of the pipeline was conducted, including underwater magnetic memory non-destructive testing, external testing, and pressure testing; In response to the detected problem of exposed pipelines, concrete pads were used for interlocking treatment; In response to the scaling on the inner wall of the pipeline, conservative cleaning measures have been taken, including neutral immersion cleaning and non clogging cleaning with steel wire balls. After thorough argumentation, testing, and treatment, the pipeline has operated well after being put into operation, which is a successful practice for the integrity management of old submarine pipelines. It provides valuable integrity management experience for the gathering and transformation of various offshore oil and gas fields and the construction of offshore gas storage facilities.

Flow corrosion simulation study of local defects in CO2 saturated solution

The inner walls of oil and gas transportation pipelines are prone to the formation of localized pitting defects due to the presence of solid particles in multiphase flow. The continuous flow poses a risk of perforation leakage in the pipe wall. To investigate the development of defects under flow corrosion and assess the impact of flow, a multi-field coupling finite element model incorporating fluid dynamics, reactions, and mass transfer was developed. The flow corrosion of local defects with various depths in a CO2-saturated solution was simulated. The calculation of mass transfer in corrosion is coupled with the precise flow field solved by large eddy simulation (LES) method. It has been observed that the distribution of corrosive substances is significantly affected by the flow due to local defects. Within these defects, the maximum concentration of corrosion product Fe2+ is observed on the upstream surface of defects. While the H+ accumulates at the downstream wall, which affects the corrosion rate. The local turbulent state is influenced by the depth of defects, and the interplay of the turbulence intensity with reflux velocity determines the mass transfer.

Numerical simulation of hydrate flow in gas-dominated undulating pipes considering nucleation and deposition behaviors

The distribution and deposition of hydrates in deep-water gas transportation pipelines are crucial for safety. Current simulations of hydrate flow based on the population balance model have predominantly focused on water-dominant systems and neglect the nucleation and deposition of hydrates. By establishing a model for a hydrate flow in a gas-dominant system that considers the uneven distribution of the liquid film on the wall, hydrate nucleation, gas–liquid mass transfer, particle adhesion and aggregation, and dynamic deposition, we achieved simulation of the entire process of hydrate formation, aggregation, breakage, and deposition. Simulations in undulating pipelines were carried out to investigate the effects of gas velocity, liquid injection, pressure, and pipeline structure on distribution patterns. The results showed increasing the gas velocity enhanced the dispersion of particles and increasing the pressure increased the rate of aggregation. The formation of blocky aggregates posed significant risk in the rear section of the lower-bend pipe.

Current Status and Analysis of Natural Gas Pipeline Hydrogen Blending and Transportation Development

Hydrogen doping in natural gas pipelines is one of the means to realize large-scale, long-distance and low-cost hydrogen transportation, but hydrogen doping in natural gas pipelines has brought about non-negligible impacts on pipeline operating conditions, safety and maintenance, etc., and has certain potential safety hazards. To this end, the technical research and engineering application of hydrogen doping in natural gas pipelines at home and abroad are discussed, and the main factors affecting the safe transportation of hydrogen doping in natural gas pipelines are discussed, i.e., physical changes of natural gas caused by hydrogen doping, hydrogen failure, and uneven mixing. The results show that the hydrogen doping of natural gas puts new requirements on the existing pipe materials, and relevant experiments need to be carried out in order to reveal the mechanism of hydrogen failure, and whether gas aggregation occurs after the shutdown of hydrogen-doped natural gas pipelines is closely related to whether hydrogen failure occurs in the pipelines or not. The above results clarify the risks of hydrogen-doped transportation, which can provide a reference for the promotion of large-scale hydrogen-doped mixing and transmission projects and practical operation.

The development of high-performance kinetic hydrate inhibitors by introducing N-vinyl caprolactam and vinyl ether homopolymers into PVCap

Low dosage kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are a kind of alternative chemical additives to prevent gas hydrate formation in oil & gas production wells and transportation pipelines. In this work, a series of KHIs were experimentally synthesized with N-vinyl caprolactam (N-VCap) and vinyl ether including vinyl ether, vinyl n-butyl ether, vinyl isobutyl ether, triethylene glycol divinyl ether, with the mole ratio ranging from 9:1 to 5:5. The inhibition performance of new-synthesized KHIs on the formation process of methane hydrate were examined and compared with that of commercial N-vinyl caprolactam PVCap. Several ethylenediamine reagents were used as synergists and tested to improve the inhibition capacity of new-synthesized KHIs. The experimental results demonstrate that the introduction of ether groups on PVCap improves the performance of hydrate inhibitors. PVCap-VNBE (N-VCap: vinyl n-butyl ether = 5:5) showed the best inhibition performance for methane hydrate, which could extend the TVO to 1251 min under 6 K subcooling. N,N′-dimethylethylenediamine shows the best synergistic effect for PVCap-VNBE (5:5), and extends the TVO by 2.75 times at 7 K subcooling. Additionally, the relationship between hydrate inhibition performance and interfacial tension of newly-synthesized KHIs under high pressure were studied. It shows that the lower interfacial tension of KHIs would result in longer onset time, exhibiting better inhibition performance.

Study of NO and CO Formation Pathways in Jet Flames with CH4/H2 Fuel Blends

The existing natural gas transportation pipelines can withstand a hydrogen content of 0 to 50%, but further research is still needed on the pathways of NO and CO production under moderate or intense low oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion within this range of hydrogen blending. In this paper, we present a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of hydrogen-doped jet flame combustion in a jet in a hot coflow (JHC) burner. We conducted an in-depth study of the mechanisms by which NO and CO are produced at different locations within hydrogen-doped flames. Additionally, we established a chemical reaction network (CRN) model specifically for the JHC burner and calculated the detailed influence of hydrogen content on the mechanisms of NO and CO formation. The findings indicate that an increase in hydrogen content leads to an expansion of the main NO production region and a contraction of the main NO consumption region within the jet flame. This phenomenon is accompanied by a decline in the sub-reaction rates associated with both the prompt route and NO-reburning pathway via CHi=0–3 radicals, alongside an increase in N2O and thermal NO production rates. Consequently, this results in an overall enhancement of NO production and a reduction in NO consumption. In the context of MILD combustion, CO production primarily arises from the reduction of CO2 through the reaction CH2(S) + CO2 ⇔ CO + CH2O, the introduction of hydrogen into the system exerts an inhibitory effect on this reduction reaction while simultaneously enhancing the CO oxidation reaction, OH + CO ⇔ H + CO2, this dual influence ultimately results in a reduction of CO production.

Detection of Harmful H2S Concentration Range, Health Classification, and Lifespan Prediction of CH4 Sensor Arrays in Marine Environments

Underwater methane (CH4) detection technology is of great significance to the leakage monitoring and location of marine natural gas transportation pipelines, the exploration of submarine hydrothermal activity, and the monitoring of submarine volcanic activity. In order to improve the safety of underwater CH4 detection mission, it is necessary to study the effect of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in leaking CH4 gas on sensor performance and harmful influence, so as to evaluate the health status and life prediction of underwater CH4 sensor arrays. In the process of detecting CH4, the accuracy decreases when H2S is found in the ocean water. In this study, we proposed an explainable sorted-sparse (ESS) transformer model for concentration interval detection under industrial conditions. The time complexity was decreased to O (n logn) using an explainable sorted-sparse block. Additionally, we proposed the Ocean X generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) model to achieve the online monitoring of the health of the sensors. The ESS transformer model was embedded in the Ocean X GPT model. When the program satisfied the special instructions, it would jump between models, and the online-monitoring question-answering session would be completed. The accuracy of the online monitoring of system health is equal to that of the ESS transformer model. This Ocean-X-generated model can provide a lot of expert information about sensor array failures and electronic noses by text and speech alone. This model had an accuracy of 0.99, which was superior to related models, including transformer encoder (0.98) and convolutional neural networks (CNN) + support vector machine (SVM) (0.97). The Ocean X GPT model for offline question-and-answer tasks had a high mean accuracy (0.99), which was superior to the related models, including long short-term memory–auto encoder (LSTM–AE) (0.96) and GPT decoder (0.98).

Visual study of hydrate particles agglomeration and rolling characteristic in gas-oil-water phase using a flow loop

Natural gas hydrate blockage always leads to safety problems in oil and gas transportation pipelines. It is important to look for the characteristic of hydrate blockage process. The hydrate blockage was visually investigated under gas-oil-water multi-phase flow conditions in a flow loop in this study. The change of pressure drop with water conversion rate variations were detected. The hydrate particle movements were also observed in the visual pipes at different liquid loadings and water cuts. It was found that the hydrate particles may agglomerate and deposit with an obvious rolling process in low water cut conditions. The oil phase will accelerate particles agglomeration in the contact interface of oil, gas and water, and form a large number of flocculent hydrates. A theoretical hydrate particle rolling model was conducted to analysis the experiment results, and the hydrate particle velocity increases first and then decreases with the increase of particle diameter due to the comprehensive influence of van der Waals force and drag force. The results also confirmed the maximum of the pressure drop increased when the liquid loading increased. However, the hydrate formation and blockage speed also slow down due to small component of the gas phase in high liquid loading. In addition, comparing with 20 % and 80 % water cut, 50 % water cut has the fastest hydrate formation speed in different experimental conditions. Furthermore, the maximum water conversion rate increased with have a higher water cut. More hydrate will form in the condition, which will lead to the decrease of flow velocity in the pipeline.

Industrial Radiography Testing & Technique Safety for Human Body

The use of Industrial Radiography for examining the quality of Weld joints is very popular worldwide. In India, many welding activities like construction and laying the huge pipelines for gas and water transportation and distribution as well construction of storage tanks are performed. The objects are working under high pressure and therefore, it is important to produce the weld beads with high quality. Industrial radiography uses ionizing radiation to view objects in a way that cannot be seen otherwise. The method has grown out of engineering, and is a major element of non-destructive testing (NDT) to inspect materials for hidden flaws. The radiation caused by these facilities is very dangerous however, with the use of new technologies and proper protection, risks of injury and death associated with radiation can be greatly reduced. Use or radiation sources are associated with a certain amount of radiation hazard. With proper card, this can be minimized. Radiation hazards may be broadly classified as external hazards an internal hazard. External hazards occur when the source of radiation is outside the body and internal hazards arise when the source for radiation gets into the human system. Hazard evaluation is necessary in order to adopt suitable measures to control radiation exposure. The problem of internal hazard does not arise in the use of X-ray equipment. It is considerably easy to estimate the external radiation hazard and there are a number of devices suitable for this purpose.

Physics Constrained High-Precision Data-Driven Modeling for Multi-Path Ultrasonic Flow Meter in Natural Gas Measurement.

Ultrasonic flow meters are crucial measuring instruments in natural gas transportation pipeline scenarios. The collected flow velocity data, along with the operational conditions data, are vital for the analysis of the metering performance of ultrasonic flow meters and analysis of the flow process. In practical applications, high requirements are placed on the modeling accuracy of ultrasonic flow meters. In response, this paper proposes an ultrasonic flow meter modeling method based on a combination of data learning and industrial physics knowledge. This paper builds ultrasonic flow meter flow velocity prediction models under different working conditions, combining pipeline flow field velocity distribution knowledge for data preprocessing and loss function design. By making full use of the characteristics of the physics and data learning, the prediction results are close to the real acoustic path flow velocity distribution; thus, the model has high accuracy and interpretability. Experiments are conducted to prove that the prediction error of the proposed method can be controlled within 1%, which can meet the needs of ultrasonic flow meter modeling and subsequent performance analysis in actual production.

The premixed flame structure and combustion mechanism of clean hydrogen mixed with multi-component natural gas

Hydrogen is widely taken for the most potential clean energy for the moment. Currently, pipeline transport of natural gas mixed with hydrogen is one of the primary approaches of hydrogen transportation. However, compared to pure natural gas (CH4), the explosion and combustion of natural gas mixed with hydrogen may lead to more severe consequences, and its reliability needs to be considered. Existing research of combustion and explosion using methane instead of natural gas have yet to be considered for application to real multi-component natural gas. To address this issue, real multi-component natural gas is configured, and the premixed flame and combustion characterization parameters of natural gas/H2/air are obtained through experiment. The chemical reaction kinetics of natural gas/H2/air mixtures are analyzed using Chemkin Pro software. These results prove that the laminar burning (LB) velocity varies between 0.33 m/s and 2.34 m/s by adding H2. The primitive reactions R1 (H2 + OH → H + H2O) and R3 (H + O2 → O + OH) predominantly contribute to enhancing the LB velocity. The Markstein lengths rang from −0.19 mm to −0.049 mm, most lewis numbers are less than 1, the flame thicknesses and critical destabilization radii are reduced. Additionally, hydrodynamic instability and thermal-diffusion instability are strengthened by adding the hydrogen. As for smaller hydrogen content, the average size of flame cell from about 8 mm program first rises and then falls cyclic fluctuations, fluctuation amplitude gradually reduces, fluctuation frequency accelerates. In larger hydrogen content, this fluctuation amplitude is reduced and the average size of flame cell decreases. In addition, H2 enhances the explosive strength of natural gas. Finally, methane instead of natural gas may exaggerate the velocity of laminar burning and exaggerate or weaken the ignition time delay of natural gas with different hydrogen contents. The current research might provide crucial information for the safe transport of hydrogen mixed with natural gas.

Investigation into flow-induced internal corrosion direct assessment in small-diameter dry gas fluctuating pipeline

Small-diameter undulating natural gas pipelines with low gas transmission capacity do not have internal inspection conditions to grasp the internal corrosion status of the pipeline. This study focuses on a small-diameter undulating dry natural gas gathering and transportation pipeline, the internal corrosion mechanism of the pipeline is studied through corrosion products, and the specific location of the internal corrosion sensitive pipe segment is determined based on multiphase flow simulation and PMDT(pipeline non-contact magnetic anomaly detection); the excavation inspection is ultimately used to evaluate the internal status of the pipeline. The results demonstrate that the internal corrosion mechanism of ZL (ZI Lai) pipeline is O2 and CO2 synergistic corrosion in which O2 plays a dominant role, while the increasing flow rate will aggravate corrosion; The maximum general corrosion rate and critical inclination along the pipeline are 0.0218 mm/a and 18.4°, respectively. Furthermore, twelve corrosion sensitive segments have been identified, including two II-level and six III-level magnetic anomaly segments. The internal corrosion defects are localized at the 3–9o’clock position of the pipeline, with a maximum general corrosion rate not exceeding 0.0228 mm/a. Furthermore, the pipeline failure pressure of 12.27 MPa surpasses the maximum allowable working pressure of 8.84 MPa, ensuring its continued operational safety. The corrosion protection measures of reducing the water content of natural gas, adding vapor corrosion inhibitor and regularly detecting magnetic anomaly pipeline are developed.