ACaseStudyinOffshoreGas PipelineDepressurization l

IOPF2010 4001 IOPF20104001 AleckChen,P.E.,AmirAlwazzan,Ph.D. l k Ch i l h McDermottSubseaEngineering Houston,Texas,U.S.A.

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PresentationOutline Presentation Outline

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Introduction PapersObjectives SystemOverview System Overview Challenges HydrateManagementMethodology Results Conclusions Q&A
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GasHydrates Gas Hydrates

A major concern in offshore oil & gas Amajorconcerninoffshoreoil&gas productionsystems Crystalline compounds composed of Crystallinecompoundscomposedof waterandlighthydrocarbonmolecules Blockages can occ r er rapidl Blockagescanoccurveryrapidly
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GasHydrates Gas Hydrates

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WhenWillGasHydratesForm?

Hydrate can form in two fundamental ways: Slow cooling (flowing and/or shut-down) Rapid cooling (Joule-Thompson Effect)
1 ft3 of hydrates ~ 178 ft3 of gas
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Paper s Papers Objectives

To :
D Determine the di i h dimension of the restriction i f h i i orifice (RO) used to depressurize the pipeline after an unplanned shutdown i li ft l d h td Study the liquid discharge rate during p , depressurization, and Investigate two-sided depressurization two sided
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System Overview
A 50-mile offshore pipeline OD = 32 50 mile pipeline, 32 Transports gas condensate from an offshore platform to an onshore processing facility G consists of approximately 91% Gas i t f i t l methane, CGR = 40 bbl/mmscf Depressurization after an unplanned shutdown
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Pipeline Profile

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Challenges
Long gas condensate pipeline laid on rough terrain Liquid accumulation in the pipeline Concerns on hydrate formation Difficulties in OLGA modeling during shutdown and depressurization

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Hydrate Management Methodology

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OLGA Simulation Model

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Depressurization Cases
Case #
1 2 3

Operating Temperature (C)

13 (Winter) 13 (Winter) 35 (Summer)

Flowrate Shore Arrival (mmscfd) Pressure (bar/psi)

500 1,000 500 120 /1,740 85/1,233 120/1,740

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Depressurization Process
Conduct steady state operation Close onshore emergency shutdown valve ( (ESDV) with continued p ) production Activation of offshore instrumented overpressure p protection system ( y (IOPPS) shuts down the ) pipeline when the system pressure reaches 135 bar (1,958 psi) Shut-in for 3 days Commence depressurization
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Depressurization Results
One-Sided Depressurization

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Restriction Orifice Sizing Results

Minimum Maximum Liquid Depressurization Temperature RO Size Discharge Downstream of Rate Downstream Time to Reach (inch) 30 bar (hr) 3/h) the RO ( ) h (C) of RO (ft 1.25 1.50 1.75 -58 -59 -59 1,050 2,940 3,325 79.0 55.5 40.6

Design temperature downstream of the RO = -70C

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Simulation Results Summary

Case # Depressurization D i i Time to Reach 30 bar (hr) Minimum Temperature Downstream of RO (C) Peak Liquid Total O h P k Li id T l Onshore Discharge Liquid Rate (ft3/h) Discharged (bbl)

1 2 3
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55 53 51

-59 -52 -34

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2,940 1,750 1,050

1,400 675 600

Simulation Results (Case 1)

Steady State Temperature Profile
90 Offshore Platform 80 70 60

Temperatur (C) re

50 40 30 20 10 0 0 5 10 15 20 Onshore Processing Facility

Distance (mile)

25

30

35

40

45

50

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Simulation Results (Case 1)

Pressure Profiles

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Simulation Results (Case 1)

Pressure Trend Upstream of the RO

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Simulation Results (Case 1)

Temperature Trend Downstream of the RO

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Two Sided Two-Sided Depressurization

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One-Sided vs. Two-Sided Depressurization

Case Minimum Depressurization Temperature Time to Reach 30 Downstream of bar (hr) RO (C) Peak Liquid Discharge g Rate (ft3/h)

Onesided Twosided
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55.0

-59

2,940

55.5
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-59

2,940

One-Sided vs. Two-Sided Depressurization

Comparable depressurization time Identical minimum temperature downstream of the RO Identical peak liquid discharge rate Gas compressibility plays a prominent role in maintaining the pipeline pressure Elevation difference
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Conclusions
1.5-inch RO is selected to conduct depressurization in this study Increased liquid volume will elongate depressurization times Large liquid volumes are seen during winter winter, low production rate, higher onshore arrival pressure
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To be continued

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Conclusions (continue) ( )

F the worst case liquid production case For th t li id d ti (Case 1), it takes 55 hours to depressurize the pipeline from settle out conditions to 30 bar (435 psi) Two-sided depressurization with two identical Two sided 1.5-inch RO yielded similar results to those of the one-sided depressurization one sided
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank McDermott Subsea Engineering management for the permission to publish this work

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Contact: Aleck Chen, P.E. Flow Assurance Engineering g g McDermott Subsea Engineering : 757 N. Eldridge Pkwy, Houston, TX 77079, U.S.A. : (281) 870-5896 : (281) 870-5840 : achen@mcdermott com achen@mcdermott.com
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