Production Flow Line Research Articles

Roll-to-roll joule-heating to construct ferromagnetic carbon fiber felt for superior electromagnetic interference shielding

The effective safeguard from electromagnetic radiation damage via electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI) materials is crucial for diverse applications, especially in modern aerospace, medical, and human body protection endeavors. Despite great efforts have been made to surmount challenges encompassing scalability, sustainability and cost, the integrated and continuous production of large-area electromagnetic shielding materials remains unsolved for industrial-scale demands. Herein, we develop a cascaded methodology involving spray loading and Joule-heating for fabricating hybrid EMI fabric with superior efficiency, where ferromagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles are further successfully in situ deposition on ultralight carbon fiber felt (Fe3O4/FePc@CFF) in a roll-to-roll (R2R) manner. Fe3O4/FePc@CFF characterized by a surface density of only 64.76 g/m2, achieves specific shielding effectiveness per unit thickness (SSE/t) remarkable values of 9604 dB cm2 g−1 and 10947 dB cm2 g−1 within the X-band and Ku-band, respectively. Considering the high compatibility with assembly on flow line production, this research offers substantial development potential for further design and advancement of pivotal materials in the realm of electromagnetic protection.

Thermal removal mechanism of paraffin deposits: Impact of flowrate on removal efficiency

Active heating is increasingly explored as a cost-effective strategy for managing wax deposition in production flowlines. While these methods are commonplace throughout the industry to maintain or raise the temperature of the production fluid above the wax appearance temperature (WAT), there are no clear guidelines for wax removal using active heating. In this study, a novel dynamic microscopic visualization technique is used to observe the effects of the flow regime on the removal process. At high enough temperatures, 50.6 °C and 43.3 °C, 100% removal is observed in both turbulent and laminar cases. A removal temperature of 37.0 °C resulted in 72.5% removal under turbulent conditions, and 97% removal under laminar conditions. No reduction in thickness was observed in either case when removing at a temperature of 30.6 °C. Turbulent conditions were also shown to significantly increase the heating time required before detachment compared to laminar conditions at the same removal temperature. The turbulent experiments required 2.7 times as long for detachment to occur when removal temperatures were raised to 43.3 °C, and 4.6 times as long when temperatures were raised to 37.0 °C. Turbulent conditions are also shown to require higher temperatures to trigger the removal process, likely due to the harder deposits formed at higher flow rates. This analysis sheds light on the impact flow regime and deposit properties have on the removal process. The results obtained in this study enhance the understanding of the impact of flow on thermal removal and this knowledge is necessary for accurate removal modeling.

Optimizing integrated lot sizing and production scheduling in flexible flow line systems with energy scheme: A two level approach based on reinforcement learning

Many production environments are faced with the need to simultaneously determine the planning of lot sizing and the scheduling of production sequences while ensuring cost minimization. This issue becomes even more complex when integrating multiple energy sources with the goal of a low-carbon economy. To address this challenge, this paper proposes an integrated lot sizing and flexible flow line production scheduling model under a time-of-use pricing scheme. In addition, the model takes into account conventional grid power, on-site renewable energy sources, and an energy storage system. The associated objective function is solved adopting a two-level approach to optimize energy costs while maintaining production throughput and meeting customer demand. The implementation relies on reinforcement learning capabilities to tackle complexity issues. The proposed approach is evaluated on a benchmark case and its results are compared with those obtained with First-In-First-Out heuristic, genetic algorithm and CPLEX. These results highlight the promising aspect of the proposed approach in terms of performance.

Comparing the Kinetic Hydrate Inhibition Performance of Linear versus Branched Polymers.

Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are a chemical method of preventing gas hydrate plugging of oil and gas production flow lines. The main ingredient in a KHI formulation is one or more water-soluble amphiphilic polymers. Poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) (PVCap) is an unbranched polymer and a well-known industrial KHI, often used as a yardstick to compare the performance of new polymers. The effect of branching PVCap on KHI performance has been investigated by polymerizing the VCap monomer in the presence of varying amounts of trimethylolpropane triacrylate, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, or bis-pentaerythritol hexaacrylate cross-linkers to give PVCap polymers with 3, 4, and 6 branches, respectively. If the ratio of cross-linker to VCap was too high (6:1 to 8:1), gelling and/or poor water solubility was observed, giving short polymer chains and poor KHI efficacy. For higher ratios (30:1 to 60:1), it was found that the concentration of the polymer needed to give total inhibition of structure II tetrahydrofuran hydrate crystal growth could be lowered by using tribranched rather than linear PVCap. Slow constant cooling (1 °C/h) gas hydrate experiments with a synthetic natural gas in steel rocking cells at 76 bar were also carried out. A small improvement in KHI performance was observed for one of the branched PVCaps compared with a linear PVCap. Branched and linear poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PNIPMAm) polymers were also investigated in the gas hydrate system, but there was no benefit observed when branching this polymer class.

WITHDRAWN: Comparative Analysis of Asphaltene Deposition Methods : Stability indices, Stability plots, and Equation of state

Asphaltene deposition is one of the major problems that hinder hydrocarbon production. It can occur anywhere between the reservoir and the surface. Therefore, it is imperative that there be a procedure for minimizing the deposition of asphaltene in the production flow lines. There are several screening criteria that can be considered to determine the asphaltene deposition. This research will conduct a comprehensive study on different methodologies to determine the stability of asphaltene: the first category is the stability criteria using indices such as: the colloidal instability index (CII), the colloidal stability index (CSI), the stability index (SI), and the asphaltene stability predicting model (ANJIS). These four methods are used to predict the stability of asphaltene using SARA analysis. The fifth one is called modified CII which uses the compositions analysis of reservoir fluids, instead of SARA analysis, to determine the stability of asphaltene. The second method uses SARA Analysis to predict the stability via plots such as: Stankiewics plot (SP), De Boer plot, Sepulveda stability criterion (SCP). The third method is using compositional analysis of reservoir fluids and the equation of state model to predict the asphaltene onset pressure (AOP). In the last method Soave Redlich Kwong (SRK) equation of state model was used to predict asphaltene precipitations.In this work, a dataset of 166 was created which includes reservoir information, depth, compositional analysis, and SARA analysis. These data are used to study the potential of asphaltene deposition at the reservoir level. It was found that the stability criteria using indices and plots shows discrepancy in the results. The only two methods that show all the datasets are stable are the modified CII and the EOS model. As far as predicting asphaltene stability is concerned, the EOS method, based on compositional analysis and the thermodynamic model, appears to be the most reliable and trustworthy method. The other methods presented are observational rather than thermodynamic. Using these criteria is intended as a quick and fast estimate of the stability potential of asphaltene, not for planning or management of asphaltene deposition issues.

Integrated sand management: modeling of sand erosion in a mature oil field in Malaysia

Sand production can lead to various problems, including erosion in production flow lines that may lead to total production loss for extended periods and costly workover operations. The extent of erosive damage is determined by many factors, among which the flow and sand rates are the most significant. Three main issues must be addressed to ensure an efficient production operation: Sand erosion estimation, Sand monitoring (settling and deposition), and maintaining optimum production rates. If sand production exceeds certain levels, i.e., allowable sand rate, the erosion in the production network becomes problematic. Sand production has been problematic in some wells in Reservoir X. Core, and historical production data was used to build a comprehensive model using Schlumberger PIPESIM™ hydraulic modelling. The software allows for detailed modelling of the production network by which erosion rate, erosion hotspots, and deposition of the produced sand can be quantitatively analyzed. Considering an allowable erosion rate of 0.3 mm/year, the model outcomes indicate that sand erosion is critical in wells J-1, J-2, and L-2. The next step was identifying the hotspots where the produced sand is deposited in the abovementioned wells. The modelling results indicated that sand deposition is primarily severe in the teeline between the platforms. Moreover, the gas-oil ratio was identified as the most influential factor in the sand deposition. Lastly, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the allowable flow rates and maximum (technical) allowable sand production and erosion rates to find optimum production rates from reservoir X.

Synergistic Gas Hydrate and Corrosion Inhibition Using Maleic Anhydride: N-Isopropylmethacrylamide Copolymer and Small Thiols.

Kinetic gas hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are often used in combination with film-forming corrosion inhibitors (CIs) in oilfield production flow lines. However, CIs can be antagonistic to KHI performance. In this study, maleic anhydride-co-N-isopropylmethacrylamide copolymer (MA:NIPMAM) and its derivatives were successfully synthesized and tested for gas hydrate and corrosion inhibition. KHI slow constant cooling (1 °C/h) screening tests in high-pressure rocking cells with synthetic natural gas and CO2 corrosion bubble tests in brine were performed in this study. The results revealed that underivatized MA:NIPMAM in water (as maleic acid:NIPMAM copolymer) showed poor KHI performance, probably due to internal hydrogen bonding. However, derivatization of MA:NIPMAM with 3-(dibutylamino)-1-propylamine (DBAPA) to give MA:NIPMAM-DBAPA gave excellent gas hydrate inhibition performance but only weak corrosion inhibition performance. Unlike some KHI polymers, MA:NIPMAM-DBAPA was compatible with a classic fatty acid imidazoline CI, such that neither the KHI polymer performance nor the corrosion inhibition of the imidazoline was affected. Furthermore, excellent dual gas hydrate and corrosion inhibition was also achieved in blends of MA:NIPMAM-DBAPA with small thiol-based molecules. In particular, the addition of butyl thioglycolate not only gave excellent corrosion inhibition efficiency, better than adding the fatty imidazoline, but also enhanced the overall gas hydrate inhibition performance.

Visualization of thermal removal mechanism of paraffin deposits: Providing guidelines for minimum temperature requirements

Active heating is increasingly explored as a cost-effective strategy for managing wax deposition in production flowlines. While active heating is widely used across the industry to maintain or raise the temperature of the production fluid above the wax appearance temperature (WAT), there exists no clear understanding of the mechanism and guidelines for wax removal using active heating technology. Currently, operators tend to aim for temperatures far above the WAT to ensure removal. There is an interest in the finding of the actual temperature targets. If these can be defined, lowering current operational targets, reducing energy requirements, and therefore reducing costs becomes possible. To this end, a novel dynamic microscopic visualization technique is employed to understand the removal mechanism as the deposit is exposed to varying removal temperatures. As the removal temperature is raised to WAT + 54 % the deposit underwent 100 % removal, while increasing it to WAT + 12 % resulted in 97 % removal throughout the experiment. Raising the removal temperature to WAT − 7 % resulted in no removal.A mechanism for thermal removal is proposed based on visual evidence for a counter-diffusion process preceding detachment. During removal, the deposit becomes less dense with wax crystals over time, lowering its yield stress until a point where shear forces from the flow can strip and carry away large chunks of wax deposit. Higher removal temperatures require less time for detachment to occur. Increasing the coolant temperature to WAT + 54 % required only 8 min for detachment to occur, while increasing it to WAT + 12 % extended this time to 46 min. Deposit yield stress and fluid shear stresses are used to determine the minimum removal temperature for active heating. The pipe wall needs to be raised at least to this temperature for removal to occur. The higher the wall temperature is raised above this value, the faster the removal will occur. Understanding this mechanism can inform the development of accurate removal models and improve production economics.

Improved Gas Hydrate Kinetic Inhibition for 5-Methyl-3-vinyl-2-oxazolidinone Copolymers and Synergists.

Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are used to prevent deposits and plugging of oil and gas production flow lines by gas hydrates. The key ingredient in a KHI formulation is a water-soluble amphiphilic polymer. Recently, polymers of a new commercially available 5-ring vinylic monomer 5-methyl-3-vinyl-2-oxazolidinone (VMOX) were investigated as KHIs and shown to perform better than some commercial KHI polymers such as poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone). This initial study using slow constant cooling (SCC) in rocking cells with a synthetic natural gas has now been expanded to further explore low molecular weight PVMOX homopolymers and VMOX copolymers as well as blends with nonpolymeric synergists. A PVMOX homopolymer with improved KHI performance was found using 3-mercaptoacetic acid as a chain transfer agent in the radical polymerization of VMOX. Among a range of copolymers, VMOX:n-butyl acrylate copolymers in particular gave good KHI performance, better than the PVMOX homopolymer. Among the potential synergists, trialkylamine oxides (alkyl = n-butyl or iso-pentyl) and tetra(n-pentyl)ammonium bromide to 2500 ppm were found to be antagonistic with PVMOX at the test concentrations while some alcohols and glycols were synergetic. The best synergist was 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol (TMDD). For example, a mixture of 2500 ppm TMDD with 2500 ppm PVMOX (Mw 2400 g/mol) performed significantly better than 5000 ppm PVMOX. Addition of 1250 ppm TMDD to 2500 ppm VMOX:n-butyl acrylate 6:4 copolymer lowered the hydrate onset temperature in SCC tests by a further 3 °C compared to the copolymer alone giving hydrate onset at 4.2 °C.

Analysis of Line Balancing Problem for Production of Fuel Tank Mounting Bracket

Assembly line balancing is a manufacturing technique that establishes an expected production rate to create a specific product in a particular period of time. Six Sigma is a profit-maximizing technique achieved by meeting consumer satisfaction. Cycle time reduction has emerged as a crucial aspect of improvement to generate high production and fulfill client demands. In industrial production, assembly lines play a vital role as flow-line production systems. Assembly lines need a significant capital expenditure to build or redesign them, but with good configuration, cost-effective manufacturing is possible. This study aims to increase assembly line productivity with shorter cycle times. The main stage in enhancing an assembly line's overall performance is to create or reconfigure an assembly system, which is made possible by assembly line balance and related operations analysis.

High-Performance Kinetic Hydrate Inhibition with Poly(N-isopropyl methacrylamide) and Triisopentylamine Oxide─Surprising Concentration-Dependent Results

Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are mostly used to prevent the deposition of gas hydrates in gas and condensate production flow lines. The main component in a KHI formulation is a water-soluble polymer, blended with solvents and other synergists to boost the performance. The performance limit in terms of subcooling and other factors restricts the application range of KHIs. Earlier, we reported on the synergetic performance of trialkylamine oxides with polyalkyl(meth)acrylamides using high-pressure steel rocking cell experiments. In particular, blends of poly(N-isopropyl methacrylamide) (PNIPMAm) in isobutyl glycol ether (iBGE) with triisopentylamine oxide (TiPeAO) gave exceptional KHI performance, better than what we have seen for any other KHI blend so far. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the limitations of this KHI. Here, we report the results of the KHI performance of this blend in more detail. The cloud point decreased with increasing salinity (0–15 wt % NaCl), but the blend remained soluble, giving excellent KHI performance even at the highest brine concentration. We also varied the concentration of the PNIPMAm/TiPeAO blend from 250 to 5000 ppm in deionized water in KHI slow constant cooling (SCC) tests using both a natural gas mixture [synthetic natural gas (SNG)] and methane gas. A unique concentration-dependent performance was discovered, wherein the performance decreased greatly above about 1500–2000 ppm, possibly due to aggregation of the polymer and amine oxide. This was observed for SCC tests with both SNG and methane, with the phenomenon being more pronounced for methane. In addition, an unusual double pressure drop was observed in SCC tests with methane and a blend of 5000 ppm PNIPMAm and TiPeAO. This study underlines the fact that overdosing of components in a synergistic blend can sometimes lead to detrimental effects on the KHI performance.

Construction of human resource allocation model of flow production line based on fuzzy mathematics

Construction of human resource allocation model of flow production line based on fuzzy mathematics

Construction of human resource allocation model of flow production line based on fuzzy mathematics

Construction of human resource allocation model of flow production line based on fuzzy mathematics

Oxyvinylenelactam Polymers-A New Class of Lactam-Based Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor Polymers.

The deployment of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) is a chemical method for the prevention of gas hydrate plugging in gas, condensate, and oil production flow lines. Polymers made using the monomer N-vinylcaprolactam (VCap) are one of the most common KHI classes. Alternative classes of polymers containing caprolactam groups are rare. Here, we present a study on oxyvinylenelactam polymers and copolymers with pendant piperidone or caprolactam groups. Low-molecular-weight homo- and copolymers were obtained. The nonrotating vinylene groups impart rigidity to the polymer backbone. Poly(oxyvinylenecaprolactam) (POVCap) was insoluble in water, but poly(oxyvinylenepiperidone) (POVPip) and OVPip:OVCap copolymers with 60+ mol % OVPip were soluble with low cloud points. KHI screening tests were carried out using the slow constant cooling method in steel rocking cells. POVPip was water soluble with no cloud point up to 95 °C but showed a poor KHI performance. In contrast, OVPip:OVCap copolymers with about 60–70 mol % OVPip were also water soluble and showed a reasonable KHI performance, better than that of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) but not as good as that of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam). Surprisingly, several additives known to be good synergists for VCap-based polymers showed negligible synergy or were antagonistic with the 62:38 OVPip:OVCap copolymer with regard to lowering the onset temperature of hydrate formation. However, a blend with hexabutylguanidinium chloride showed a strong effect to delay the onset of rapid hydrate formation.

Low-platinum dissymmetric membrane electrode assemblies for fuel cells suitable for a variety of external humidification conditions

Electrospun fuel cell catalyst layers have been shown to significantly reduce Pt consumption; however, obvious performance degradation often occurs under low external humidification conditions. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel dissymmetric membrane electrode assembly (MEA) that contains a graded pore gas diffusion anode and an electrospun cathode catalyst layer (CCL). The microporous layer containing hydrophilic ionomer has a similar structure as the anode catalyst layer, which improves water management and alleviates the effects of both water flooding and drying on the performance of the MEA. With the high Pt utilization of the electrospun CCL, the total Pt consumption of the MEA is 0.124 g kW−1 (H2/air, 100% RH) and successfully reaches the U.S. Department of Energy 2020 target. Even if the external humidification conditions are reduced to harsh 30%anode/0%cathode RH, the total Pt consumption of the MEA is only 0.156 g kW−1, which is significantly better than current conventional MEAs. In addition, the cathode and anode in this novel dissymmetric MEA can be fabricated separately, and no substrates have to be flipped over during the fabrication process, which reduce the production difficulty and rejection rate, and are beneficial to flow-line production.

A Real-Time Machine Vision System for Grading Quartz Mineral

Abstract Classification is an indispensable process in industrial mass production applications when competitive marketing and increasing the product value by reducing time and saving costs are in concern. In this regard, the machine vision system (MVS) is a prominent technology, especially for automated industrial production flow lines. Recent studies consisted of increasing the accuracy of such systems using advanced technology and complex solutions. Nevertheless, for automated industrial production flow lines, considering only the accuracy rate of an MVS by ignoring the cost and processing speed is not a sufficient parameter to evaluate the success rate concerning the marketing capability. In this study, a relatively low-cost and automated MVS production line for grading white stones in real-time is demonstrated. A conveyor line and a rotary mechanism are integrated into the system for performing a stone grading task. A conditioned cabinet is used for inspecting the flow line continuously. Forty different stone samples in four groups are evaluated in the experimental stage to observe the flow speed and processing accuracy. Different flow speeds of the conveyor line are investigated. The results are demonstrated that the low-cost MVS is successfully operated for grading white stones at relatively high speed with a 92 % accuracy.

ESG Poster ESG6: Fish associated with subsea pipelines and their rock berms

Poster ESG6 The ecological role of subsea pipelines is an important factor in the consideration of decommissioning options. Several studies have assessed the marine communities associated with subsea pipelines on Australia’s North West Shelf (NWS), considering the influence of factors such as water depth, substrate type, pipeline diameter and pipeline position on fish assemblages. Less is known about the artificial rock berms used to stabilise pipelines. The Wandoo field on the NWS consists of an unmanned monopod and a concrete gravity structure, with three pipelines connecting these structures: a 4″ Gas Flowline, an 8″ Test Flowline and a 12″ Production Flowline. These pipelines are buried, exposed or span the seabed and are supported by rock berms at regular intervals. We present a novel frame-based, timed-count method to assess the fish communities associated with subsea pipelines utilising archival remotely operated vehicle footage that lacks geospatial data. We apply this approach to a pipeline in the Wandoo field to document variation in the fish assemblage with pipeline position (buried, exposed, span or covered by rock berm). Overall, diversity and abundance were higher on pipeline covered by rock berms than on the other pipeline positions. We hypothesise that rock berms are effectively artificial reefs, providing complex habitat structure and facilitating growth of macrobenthos communities that are associated with higher fish diversity. We demonstrate that rock berms can increase the ecological value of subsea pipelines and should therefore be a priority area for future ecological surveys. To access the poster click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Fish associated with subsea pipelines and their rock berms

The ecological role of subsea pipelines is an important factor in the consideration of decommissioning options. Several studies have assessed the marine communities associated with subsea pipelines on Australia’s North West Shelf (NWS), considering the influence of factors such as water depth, substrate type, pipeline diameter and pipeline position on fish assemblages. Less is known about the artificial rock berms used to stabilise pipelines. The Wandoo field on the NWS consists of an unmanned monopod and a concrete gravity structure, with three pipelines connecting these structures: a 4″ Gas Flowline, an 8″ Test Flowline and a 12″ Production Flowline. These pipelines are buried, exposed or span the seabed and are supported by rock berms at regular intervals. We present a novel frame-based, timed-count method to assess the fish communities associated with subsea pipelines utilising archival remotely operated vehicle footage that lacks geospatial data. We apply this approach to a pipeline in the Wandoo field to document variation in the fish assemblage with pipeline position (buried, exposed, span or covered by rock berm). Overall, diversity and abundance were higher on pipeline covered by rock berms than on the other pipeline positions. We hypothesise that rock berms are effectively artificial reefs, providing complex habitat structure and facilitating growth of macrobenthos communities that are associated with higher fish diversity. We demonstrate that rock berms can increase the ecological value of subsea pipelines and should therefore be a priority area for future ecological surveys.

PENERAPAN MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL (MPC) PADA FLOW LINE SISTEM PRODUKSI MENGGUNAKAN ALJABAR MAX-PLUS

Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a controller design method is popularly used in the industrial world. This research will be presented at the MPC application of flow line production system modeled using max-plus linear systems. The main advantage of the MPC is its ability to provide certain constraints or limits on the control signal input and output. Flow line of production systems is a diagram illustrating the process sequence in the production system, ranging from the input, processing and output. Of flow line production system, be applicable MPC as time optimization control of the production process. Furthermore, the results of the input and output MPC construction of a flow line production system can be obtained by using matlab program

Nonpolymeric Citramide-Based Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitors: Good Performance with Just Six Alkylamide Groups.

The use of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) is a well-known method for preventing gas hydrate formation in oil and gas production flow lines. The main ingredient in KHI formulations is one or more polymers with amphiphilic groups. Here, we report a series of citramide-based nonpolymeric KHIs. The KHI performance of these citramide derivatives has been studied using a synthetic natural gas mixture (forming structure II hydrate as the thermodynamically preferred phase) in slow constant cooling (ca. 1 °C/h starting from 20.5 °C) high-pressure (76 bar) rocking cell experiments. Isobutyl-substituted alkyl chains in the mono/bis(trialkyl citric acid) amide derivative gave better KHI performance than n-propyl-substituted citramide derivatives. Moreover, biscitramides with six alkylamide functional groups gave better performance than the equivalent monocitramides with three alkylamide groups. A solution of 2500 ppm of bis(tributyl citric acid) amide gave an average gas hydrate onset temperature (To) of 8.4 °C compared to 8.9 °C for a low molecular weight N-vinyl pyrrolidone/N-vinyl caprolactam 1:1 copolymer. For the bis(tributyl citric acid) amide, addition of liquid hydrocarbon (n-decane) lowered further the average To value to 6.2 °C, although this is at least partly due to lowering of the hydrate equilibrium temperature. This study demonstrates that good KHI performance can be obtained from molecules with as little as six amphiphilic alkylamide groups.