Pipeline Transportation System Research Articles

Dynamic characterization of water hammer in gangue fly ash slurry pipelines during valve closure

In the process of coal-filling mining, the gangue fly-ash slurry (GFS) needs to be transported over a long distance to reach the gobs. The abrupt closure of the valve during the transportation of GFS can result in a water hammer that significantly endangers the stability and safety of the pipeline transport system. To study the fluctuations in pressure induced by abrupt closure of the valve, experiments on the rheological parameters of gangue-coal ash slurry were conducted. Transient numerical simulations were carried out using the computational fluid dynamics method for various valve closing times. The results indicate that, with the increase of slurry concentration, the yield stress of the slurry significantly increases. When the concentration exceeds 76%, the increase in yield stress reaches 38.4% and 35.1%, respectively. Upon valve closure, the internal pressure of the slurry in the pipeline exhibits periodic dynamic oscillations. As the duration of valve closure increases, the frequency of periodic water hammer events decreases. The maximum water hammer pressure caused by valve closure decreases with the increasing distance between the valve and the closure point. At the same time, the intensity of maximum water hammer pressure fluctuations increases with the increase in slurry concentration and flow velocity in the pipeline. The results can provide references for water hammer protection and pipeline selection during the transportation of backfill slurry in mining.

Investigating the Effects of Crack Orientation and Defects on Pipeline Fatigue Life Through Finite Element Analysis

Abstract In response to the steady rise in global demand for energy resources such as gas and oil, there is a pressing need to enhance the efficiency and safety of pipeline transportation systems. These systems, integral for transferring vast amounts of energy, must operate under increasingly higher pressures and larger diameters without compromising reliability. This study focuses on utilizing finite element analysis (FEA) to investigate the influence of crack orientation and the presence of defects on the fatigue life of pipelines. By simulating internal pressure scenarios and examining various defect characteristics with the AFGROW software, this research applies damage tolerance principles to offer insights into the fatigue behavior of pipelines. The findings can be applied to extend the operational life and ensure the integrity of these critical infrastructures, thereby supporting the sustainable and safe transport of energy resources.

Influence and optimization of swirler parameters on elbow wear of deep coal fluidization pipeline transportation system

AbstractElbow wear is a major threat to the multiphase pipeline transportation industry, which has a negative impact on the stable operation of the transportation system. In order to find the wear reduction methods of elbows in the fluidization pipeline transportation system for 2000-meter-deep coal resources, the swirler was installed upstream of the elbows, and wear simulations and tests of three kinds of elbows were carried out. The results showed that the maximum wear rate (MWR) of elbows increased and then decreased along the elbow angle. Due to the different directions of gravity, the heavy wear position (HWP) of the horizontal-vertical (H-V) elbow was in front of the vertical-horizontal (V-H) elbow. Because the downstream portion of the horizontal-horizontal (H-H) elbow was still a horizontal pipe, the HWP of the H-H elbow almost covered the whole elbow. The swirler placed upstream of the elbows could make the particles at the elbow move to the intrados of the elbows, resulting in less collision between the particles and the extrados of the elbows, thus reducing the wear of the elbows. The wear reduction effects of swirlers on three different elbows were favorably connected with the guide vane angle (GVA) and negatively correlated with the guide vane length (GVL), decreased first and then increased as the guide vane height (GVH) increased, and were little affected by the guide vane number (GVN) and the guide vane thickness (GVT). The mathematical models between the MWR of the elbows and guide vane parameters were established. By bench tests, the wear reduction effect of three kinds of elbows under the optimal guide vane parameters was 58.4%, 76.9%, and 78.6%, respectively. The errors between the bench test results and the simulation results were around 10%.

Safe and Secure Oil and Gas Pipeline Transportation System Based on Industrial Internet of Things

Safe and Secure Oil and Gas Pipeline Transportation System Based on Industrial Internet of Things

Decision support system to evaluate a vandalized and deteriorated oil pipeline transportation system using artificial intelligence techniques. Part 2: analysis of the operational and economic risk

Abstract The changing supply and demand of hydrocarbons in recent years, generated by inflation, pandemics, and wars, have impacted its price considerably, developing limitations in maintenance processes in the oil industry worldwide; however, the mechanical deterioration of facilities due to corrosion does not stop. This article contributes original to the knowledge and management of a pipeline transportation system (PTS) without an immediate high impact that would help reduce property loss due to corrosion through the development of intelligent evaluation models that combine field data, laboratory, and cognitive knowledge in a case study in Mexico. The research is divided into Part 1 (Modeling; https://doi.org/10.1515/corrrev-2021-0080) and Part 2 (Operational and economic risk analysis of PTS under corrosive effects, using Monte Carlo simulation, MCS), supported by information and knowledge of 564 km of soils, from cathodic protection studies, essential to determine corrosive profiles of the PTS, considering supply and demand effects, with 1095 data on the price of the Mexican mixture from 2016 to 2019, as well as data monthly inflation rates for the same period, to generate financial estimates representative of the system, in search of replicable exchange actions and practices in international fields.

A novel AI-driven model for erosion prediction for elbow in gas-solid two-phase flows

Erosion is inevitable in pipeline gathering and transportation systems. Predicting erosion in typical pipe fittings is pivotal to ensure the safety and efficiency of the equipment. This work develops a novel predictive model for erosion in elbows under gas-solid flow conditions. The proposed model employs the Deep Belief Network (DBN) for feature extraction from the input parameters. Meanwhile, Kernel Extreme Learning Machine (KELM) is implemented to deeply analyze correlation between the eigenvalues and the erosion rate, thus improving the model's generalization performance. Furthermore, the Improved Coati Optimization Algorithm (ICOA) is utilized to optimize the model's hyperparameters, contributing to increased accuracy. To validate the reliability of the ICOA - DBN - KELM model, it was applied to both the experimental and simulated datasets. The outcomes demonstrate that the proposed model attains the highest prediction precision in both datasets compared to other models. Additionally, the model was assessed for reasonableness concerning trend consistency and dimensionless numbers.

Numerical investigation on oil leakage and migration from the accidental hole of tank wall in oil terminal of pipeline transportation system

As a crucial component of the oil transportation system, the oil terminal (or oil tank farm) may often appear some serious threats and damage to ecological environment and production safety for the oil leakage. An effective emergency management strategy is particularly significant, involving the accurate assessment of leakage time, oil migration path and volume distribution, etc. Therefore, the volume of fluid (VOF) and liquid phase leakage model were applied to investigate the migration and distribution characteristic after the accidental hole occurs in the tank wall, and influence factors including height and diameter of hole were considered in our study. Results show that the lower the leaking hole position is, the faster the horizontal injection rate of the leakage hole, the increase of the accumulation area of the oil on the ground, and the difference of the overall pressure value at the leakage hole is nearly four times. Under different leakage diameters, the oil spill is symmetrical. The larger the leakage diameter, the higher the amount of oil leakage and the initial leakage speed, the maximum speed is 1.5 times the minimum speed, causing harm to safety and environmental pollution. These results can quickly locate the leakage location of the tank and provide valuable references for emergency management of oil pipeline transportation system.

Influence of elasticity of high-concentration paste on unsteady flow in pipeline transportation

In high-pressure pulsatile pipeline transport of high-concentration viscous paste, severe backflow is generated when there are sudden pressure drops due to the paste's elastic recovery, resulting in strong impact and damage to the pipeline system. The paste demonstrates high viscosity, yield stress, compressibility, and shear elasticity. Nevertheless, the effect of the paste's elastoviscoplasticity properties on unsteady flow during pipeline transport remains uncertain. Consequently, we derived the unsteady flow control equations of the paste that accounts for the elastoviscoplasticity behavior and linear compressibility. We conducted experimental research by building a circulating pipeline transportation system and performed numerical analysis using the finite-volume method (modified RheoFoam solver). The results demonstrate a substantial increase in pressure fluctuations within the pipeline during rapid pressure drops due to the elasticity of the paste. When accounting for elasticity, the maximum backflow velocity increases by 32.4% compared to cases where elasticity is not considered. The backflow velocity during piston pump reversal is influenced by the pressure level and the rate of pressure drop. Pressure fluctuations are more likely to propagate along the pipeline during high-pressure than during low-pressure periods. These findings offer guidance for analyzing unsteady flow characteristics in paste pipeline transport and designing pipeline systems.

CLUSTERING IN THE ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF MANAGEMENT DECISIONS AT VARIOUS STAGES OF THE LIFE CYCLE OF PIPELINE TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

The work is devoted to the development of methodology for cluster analysis of indicators of the state of pipeline transport systems, taking into account the characteristics of technical systems and potential threats to management decision-making at various stages of the life cycle of a hazardous production facility for pipeline transport of oil and gas. The proposed methodology is based on the use of artificial intelligence and digitalization for the collection and analysis of databases. The possibilities of modern application software systems for performing cluster analysis and identifying potentially dangerous sections of the pipeline using 3D models are presented and analyzed.

Evaluation of Corrosion Behaviour by Gravimetric Method

The study aims to evaluate the corrosion behaviour of two steels: BL245 and S235JR, produced at Liberty Steel Galati. BL245 is an alloy used in the oil and gas industry to manufacture pipes for pipeline transportation systems. S235JR is used to make hot finished hollow sections for construction. Gasoline, diesel and a 3.5% sodium chloride solution were chosen as corrosion environments for this study, considering the field of use of the two alloys (oil and construction). Corrosion assessment was analysed using the gravimetric method, which is based on weighing the samples before and after they were immersed for 7, 14, and 35 days in the above-mentioned corrosion environments. Based on the initial weighing and those recorded after the immersion periods, the mass variation of the samples was determined, and the corrosion rate and penetration index were calculated.

Transient Model for the Hydrodynamic Force in a Hydraulic Capsule Pipeline Transport System

The hydraulic capsule pipeline (HCP) is an eco-friendly and sustainable pipeline transport option. The freight-carrying capsule is driven by hydraulic pipe flow. Fluid drag is generated by the principal dynamic force effect on the capsule, which could influence the capsule’s motion speed. To make the HCP more efficient, a transient model for the hydrodynamic force in an HCP was developed in this study. From a numerical simulation, the coherent vortex structures of fluctuating modes were observed, and the velocity iso-surfaces of the coherent vortex of the wake flow exhibited an annular trend in circumferential connection. Then, the hydrodynamic force was analyzed: the steady component and transient component were resolved, and the general trend in forces in terms of the transient components was that the maximum amplitude of forces reduced with an increase in mode order. Through short-term Fourier transform, the frequency components and their variations in terms of the entire time range could be acquired. The transient model in this study provided a perspective to build the connection between the flow structures and the hydrodynamic force. By the transient model, the transient component of hydrodynamic force can be explained as the fluctuation of coherent vortex structures.

Pipeline transportation model with pressure pulsation for high-concentration viscous paste

High-concentration viscous paste has a large conveying resistance during transport in high-pressure long-distance pipelines. When the pump reverses, the paste in the pipeline flows back, which not only causes violent vibration of the pipeline system, but also reduces the conveying efficiency. To study the transient flow characteristics and backflow of the paste in the pipeline during the reverse process, we established a quasi-two-dimensional model for the paste transportation in a high-pressure long-distance straight pipe based on the constitutive equation of viscoplastic fluid and assumed that the paste in the pipeline has an axisymmetric flow and weak compressibility. The finite-difference method was used to solve the model. Using this model, the pressure and velocity distributions along the pipeline under different working conditions were investigated, and the results indicated that the fluctuation amplitude of the pressure is significantly reduced by friction. The pressure fluctuation along the pipeline decreases approximately as an exponential function. The calculation results agreed well with previous analysis results and experimental data, validating the model. This study provides valuable guidance for analyzing the backflow and impulse of high-concentration viscous paste pipeline transportation systems.

Thermo-Hydraulic Characteristics of Non-Isothermal Batch Transportation Pipeline System with Different Inlet Oil Temperature

Thermo-Hydraulic Characteristics of Non-Isothermal Batch Transportation Pipeline System with Different Inlet Oil Temperature

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.

IMPROVING THE RELIABILITY OF GAS TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS TO ENSURE THE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE OF THE COUNTRY

The authors of this article made an extensive analysis of the state of the natural gas pipeline transport systems in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan. A detailed assessment of the existing gas pipeline of certain regions of Kazakhstan, factors determining the reliability of the system, and ways to improve the efficiency and reliability of natural gas pipeline transport in the near future are given. Natural gas is one of the most important energy resources. Ever-increasing demand increases the value of fossil fuels. Today, the gas industry is one of the country's intensively developing industries, if our country ranks 22nd in the world in terms of reserves, then it ranks 3rd among the CIS countries after Russia and Turkmenistan. There are about 80 gas producing companies operating in the republic, then more than 20 of them send gas to gas pipelines to ensure domestic consumption and realize the export needs of the country. About 98% of the proven gas reserves are located in the west of the country, in turn, about 87% are concentrated in large oil and gas and gas condensate fields. In the country's long-term development programs, special attention is paid to improving the efficiency of the use of natural resources and the development and implementation of measures to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). The gas transmission system organizes uninterrupted supply of natural gas to consumers, maintenance and repair of linear structures, compressor and gas distribution stations and underground gas storage facilities.

Влияние изменений в структуре ремонтируемых трубопроводных транспортных систем на их стойкость при возникновении аварий

Features of functioning of the pipeline transport systems in the conditions of repair, reconstruction or preservation of separate parts are considered. It is shown that the structural changes connected with it create additional risksfor end users of a target product. Transition to a condition of nonserviceability of some set of pipelines is considered as process of the progressing damage which development leads to disconnection from a source at first parts, and then and all consumers. The ability of a system to resist to development of the progressing damage is characterized by the firmness indicator representing an average share of pipelines which accidental transition to a stateof nonserviceability brings to disconnection from a source of all consumers. It is offered to provide the required level of firmness of the recovered system by the choice and implementation of the rational scheme of shutdownof the repaired pipelines. The algorithm of the choice of rational schemes of shutdown of pipelines in dependence of conditions of preparation and implementation of repair is formulated.

Mathematical Modeling of Wax Deposition in Field-Scale Crude Oil Pipeline Systems

The formation of solid wax crystals, which interlock and form a gel-like layer on the inner wall of the crude oil pipeline, influences the transportation of waxy crude oil. The deposited layer grows continuously and hardens during the oil transportation, reducing the effective inside diameter of the crude oil pipeline and the flow rate. In extreme cases, the deposited layer may block the crude oil pipeline leading to a loss of production and capital investment. In this paper, wax deposition from multiphase flow in field-scale oil pipeline transport systems has been studied. The novelty of this work is to develop a mathematical model that incorporates water-in-oil emulsions, wax precipitation kinetics, molecular diffusion, and shear dispersion to enable accurate predictions of both the wax deposit growth rate and aging of the deposit. The coupled nonlinear partial differential equations governing the flow are discretized in time by a second-order semi-implicit time discretization scheme based on the Adams-Bashforth and Crank-Nicolson methods, which completely decouples the computation of the governing equations. The resulting temporal schemes are discretized in space by the bivariate spectral collocation method based on Chebyshev-Gauss-Lobatto grid points and simulated in MATLAB software to obtain the profiles of the flow variables. The simulation results are presented in graphical and in tabular forms and discussed. This study found that the deposit thickness is directly proportional to the Reynolds number and inversely proportional to the mass Grashof number, Schmidt number, and Weber number. Deposit aging is rampant during the early stages of wax deposition, after which it stabilizes at a specific value as time elapses. A deposition model to predict the wax deposit thickness and aging is proposed in this study. The findings of this study will help in making informed decisions on the planning of pigging operations, thermal insulation, and other remediation techniques to be applied in controlling wax deposition in field-scale crude oil pipeline systems.

Influence of Mine Environmental Factors on the Liquid CO2 Pipeline Transport System with Great Altitude Difference.

To prevent coal spontaneous combustion and store CO2 in the coal mine, it is necessary to establish a fire-prevention pipeline transport system which continuously injects a large amount of liquid CO2 from the ground to the underground area directly. At present, few studies are focused on the law of liquid CO2 transport with great altitude difference. Moreover, the complex transport environment in the coal mine affects the design and application of the pipeline transport system for ground direct injection of liquid CO2. This study explores the influence of environmental factors at different depths in the coal mine on the liquid CO2 transport. Excessive altitude difference, ambient temperature and airflow velocity may lead to the boiling of liquid CO2 during pipeline transport and a sudden drop in CO2 temperature and pressure, which may cause danger in the pipeline transport system. The critical insulation thickness is determined based on the occurrence of the boiling of CO2. In addition, the influence law of adding an insulating layer of different thicknesses to the CO2 pipeline system is obtained. This study is of great significance to the establishment of a pipeline system that safely transports liquid CO2 from the ground to the underground mine.

Method of calculation of electromagnetic torque and energy losses of three-phase induction motors when powered by a regulated single-phase voltage

Introduction. Single-phase power supply of induction motors is used in public utilities, in microclimate control systems for remote agricultural consumers, in water supply and pipeline transport systems, etc. In practice, there is the use of induction motors with three-phase stator winding in the conditions of single-phase power supply. Starting and operating capacitors are used to enable their operation when powered by a single-phase network. Problem. There are many fairly accurate methods for calculating the characteristics of an induction motor in asymmetric, including single-phase, modes of operation, but they are based on differential equations, which does not allow to obtain analytical expressions for preliminary analysis and synthesis of such systems. Goal. The purpose of this article is to develop the analytical method of definition of electromagnetic torque and energy losses of voltage-regulated three-phase induction motors working according to the scheme of single-phase inclusion with the phase-shifting capacitor. Methodology. The method is based on the theory of symmetric components and analysis of replacement schemes of induction machine in motor and generator modes. Results. The analysis of the obtained data shows that at a constant value of the phase-shifting capacitor capacity induction motor working according to the scheme of single-phase inclusion has a minimum of losses at one value of slip at different values of supply voltage. Therefore, if you keep this slip constant when the load changes, you can achieve a mode of minimizing losses at a constant value of the capacity, optimal for this slip. This shows that the thyristor voltage regulator can be used as an energy-saving element under variable load, while the capacitance of the phase-shifting capacitor can remain constant when changing the load in a wide range provided that this slip is stabilized. Originality. The developed method allows to obtain analytical expressions for comparative analysis of electromagnetic torque and energy losses of three-phase induction motors powered by a single-phase network at different values of the capacity of the phase-shifting capacitor, supply voltage for different variants of schemes for including three-phase induction motors in a single-phase network. Practical value. Based on the developed analytical method, the optimal parameters of phase-shifting capacitors and rational schemes for including three-phase induction motors in a single-phase network can be determined.

Intelligent decision support system to increase the operational reliability of the hydrocarbon pipeline transport system of a Mexican oil industry

This research is carried out in the Mexican oil and gas industry. An Intelligent Decision Support System (IDSS) is proposed, through support modules for the human operator (fuzzy expert system and artificial neural network) that simulate, forecast and standardize operational decision criteria of a sequential pipeline pumping system, with problems of vandalism, mechanical deterioration in the face of a complex topographic profile, in order to minimize operational subjectivity and prevent contingencies. The research provides new control and monitoring alternatives that guarantee the operational reliability of a pumping station, minimizing the effects of risk by managing the knowledge of the experts involved in the problem, data mining and association of results, which allow to unify criteria decision. The originality of the work focuses on the ability to model, identify and adapt variables to current international parameters, considering previous works through a comprehensive perspective.