Abstract

Study on fluid flow assurance through subsea pipelines systems

Transporting fluids with offshore pipeline is a continuous and reliable

operation. Pipelines have demonstrated an ability to adapt to a wide variety
of environments including remote areas and hostile environments. Over
time, offshore pipeline had become the unique efficient way of transporting
offshore fluids (oil, gas or water).

Pipeline operation starts with pipeline testing and commissioning.

Operations to be carried out includes flooding, cleaning, gauging,
hydrostatic pressure testing, leak testing, and commissioning procedures.
Daily operations include flow assurance and pigging operations to maintain
the pipeline under good conditions.

In the subsea transportation process we can encounter serious problems such

as severe slugging and many others.
Studies on different working scenarios reveal the behavior of fluids in the
transport through a subsea pipeline and the influence of pressure drop on the
transported fluid flow rate (Sm3/day).
We analyzed the pressure variation of wells fluids during transportation by
subsea pipelines and its influence on flow rate; taking into account different
values of reservoir pressure (100; 150; 200 bar), different inner diameters of
the pipe (4; 5; 6 inch), different lengths of pipe (500; 1000; 15000 m) and
elevation of the pipeline.

The analyzed system is composed by : the deposit, drill hole and the
specified equipement, the subsea Christmas tree, subsea flowline, the riser
and the separator.
The node which ensures the nodal analysis it’s mounted on the same level
with the subsea Christmas tree in order to study the flow rate through the
flowline.
The analyzed well it`s in natural flowing system.
As a result of the analyzed data obtained from the simulations we can
observe different behaviors such as:
We can observe that reservoir pressure drop has direct influence on the
functional points of the system; changing the position of the points closer to
smaller flow rates and smaller pressures.
There is a possibility that due to very small reservoir pressures the system
wil be no longer functional.
Due to a smaller rate of the friction between the fluid and the pipeline’s
walls and has a direct influence on the flow rate increase because of the
small presures in the Christmas tree.
A big value of the pressure in the Christmas tree would lead to a decrease of
the flow rate and even a non functional well.

In case of a non productive well because of the a big pressure value in the
subsea Christmas tree it’s recommended as a technical solution the
installation of a multiphasic pump next to the Christmas tree.