NACE Paper No.

MECCOCT18-12619

Study on Key Models in internal corrosion direct assessment in Sulige Gas

Fanghui Zhu Qiongwei Li

Changqing Oilfield Company,CNPC Changqing Oilfield Company,CNPC
Mingguang road Mingguang road
Xi’an,Shanxi,710018 Xi’an,Shanxi,710018
China China

Zhiping Zhou Mingxing Li

Changqing Oilfield Company,CNPC Changqing Oilfield Company,CNPC
Mingguang road Mingguang road
Xi’an,Shanxi,710018 Xi’an,Shanxi,710018
China China

Wei Liu
Changqing Oilfield Company,CNPC
Mingguang road
Xi’an,Shanxi,710018
China

ABSTRACT

It is difficult to implement Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) internal inspection for pipelines with pipe diameter
less than 219mm, and a direct evaluation technology for internal corrosion of pipes is developed. The
characteristics of the Sulige gas field gathering and transportation process had been considered in this
paper. And so on, the field suitability of the recommended model in the NACE internal corrosion direct
assessment (ICDA) standard was also be analyzed. The thirteen-key data of internal corrosion factor
was extracted from several to decades factors. And then, the classical fluid motion equations and models
such as NS were used to establish a model. Gas-liquid ratio, dip angle and gas volume flow curve of
three-dimensional flow pattern in Sulige Gas Field Pipeline was used to establish this model. Finally, a
corrosion prediction model and calculation method were formed based on the Nesic mechanism model
and De Waard semi-empirical model, combined with the results of fluid state analysis. Finally, the field
verification in the Sulige gas field shows that the accuracy of the excavation point can reach more than
80% compared with the excavation detection results.

Keywords: Sulige-gas-field pipeline, ICDA-models, corrosion predict

 INTRODUCTION

The Sulige gas field is low in CO2 and contains H2S gas. In the development process, the surface
gathering and transportation process adopts the mode of “inter-well series connection, medium and low-
pressure gas gathering, and pressurized output”. The gathering pipeline is in the state of gas-liquid
mixed transmission. The partial pressure ratio of CO2 and H2S in the transport fluid is about 1200, and
the water type CaCl2 (average salinity 49g/L) is transferred. It is very important to study the pipeline fluid
transport conditions to clarify the pipeline corrosion.

The surface pipelines in the Sulige gas field are about 14,600 kilometers, and the medium is transported
with water, mainly containing CO2 natural gas, and the overall corrosion is relatively low. However, the
small-diameter pipeline (Φ<219mm), which account for 79% of the total number of pipelines, is difficult
to implement intelligent internal corrosion detection, which poses a problem for the long-term internal
corrosion awareness and integrity management of the pipeline network.

The flow of the mixture in the gas pipeline can be simplified to gas-liquid two-phase flow. Since 1940,
there have been studies on the law of gas-liquid two-phase flow. Early hydraulic calculations of gas-
liquid two-phase flow were based on experiments, such as the Beggs-Brill correlation. However, due to
the complexity of gas-liquid two-phase flow, these empirical calculations have great limitations1,2.

A number of gas-liquid two-phase flow simulation software has been developed, of which the OLGA
software was first introduced, and there are relatively many verifications for production and experimental
data, but the model solution method and some empirical relationships used have not been
disclosed3.Moreover, there is relatively little theoretical and experimental research on the low liquid
holding rate at home and abroad in terms of low liquid-holding gas-liquid two-phase flow, especially
experimental data and actual engineering data are few 4.The application of the two-phase flow theory for
the calculation of the natural surface water line is still rare 5.

Due to the characteristics of non-uniform fluid distribution, non-equilibrium and diversity of flow states,
and the presence of deformable phase interfaces, it is necessary to consider flow patterns in different
states so as to more accurately reflect the nature of flow and obtain more accurate results.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

Establishment of the gas-liquid two-phase flow model

The basic motion of the fluid was described based on the N-S fluid motion equation. The k-ε turbulence
model was introduced to describe the fluid turbulent state. Then the one-dimensional wave model was
used to obtain the change of the two-phase flow interface.
N-S fluid motion equation
The fluid flow follows three laws of conservation, namely the law of conservation of mass, the law of
conservation of momentum, and the law of conservation of energy6.If the flow is in turbulent flow, the
system must also comply with the additional turbulent transport equation7.

Mass Conservation Equation The law of conservation of mass can be expressed as the increase in the
mass of fluid microelements per unit of time, equal to the net mass flowing into the element within the
same time interval. According to this law, the Mass Conservation Equation can be derived. The
expression of mass conservation equation is as Equation 1:
  (  u )  (  v )  (  w )
+ + + =0 （1）
t x y z
This equation applies to compressible and incompressible fluids, also known as the Continuity
Equation.

Conservation of momentum Equation The law of conservation of momentum can be expressed as:
The rate of change of the momentum of the fluid in the micro-body to the time is equal to the sum of the
forces exerted by the outside world on the element. This law is actually the manifestation of Newton's
second law on fluids. The momentum conservation equation in the direction of inertia (non-accelerated)
coordinates is Equation 2:
  p  ij
t
( ui ) +
x j
( )
 ui u j = − +
xi x j
+  gi + Fi （2）

Where p is the static pressure, τij is the stress tensor, and ρg i and Fi are the gravitational force in the i
direction and the external force in the i direction, respectively. Contains other model-related source
items, such as porous media and custom source items. The stress tensor is given by Equation 3:
  u u j   2 ul
 ij =    i
+   −   ij （3）

  x j xx  3 x
 l

τij is a component of the viscous stress τ acting on the surface of the micro element due to molecular
tackiness.

Energy Conservation Equation The law of conservation of energy can be expressed as: the rate of
increase of energy in the microelement is equal to the net heat flux entering the microelement plus the
work done by the physical and surface forces on the element. The energy equation is expressed in
Equation 4:
    T 
(  E ) + ( ui (  E + p ) ) =  keff −  h j ' J j ' + u j ( ij )eff  + Sh （4）
t xi xi  xi j ' 
Where k eff is the effective heat transfer coefficient andJj is the diffusion flux of component j. The first
three terms on the right side of the equation (4) describe heat transfer, component diffusion, and
energy dissipation due to viscous dissipation, respectively. Sh includes chemical heat of reaction and
other user-defined volume heat source terms.
Turbulence Model

The mathematical model used in the simulation is the most commonly used turbulence model (the more
mature k-ε model), which includes the standard k-ε model (The Standard k-ε Model), RNG k-ε model,
with swirling Modified k-ε model (Realizable k-ε Model) 8. The standard k-ε model is a semi-empirical
formula based on turbulent kinetic energy and diffusivity. The k equation is an exact equation. The ε
equation is an equation derived from an empirical formula and is valid for a completely turbulent flow
field. This numerical calculation also uses the standard k-ε model.The k-ε model assumes that the flow
field is completely turbulent and the viscosity between the molecules is negligible. The turbulent kinetic
energy equation k and the diffusion equation ε are as Equation 5 and Equation 6:

k equation:
    t  k 
(  k ) + (  kui ) =   +   + Gk + Gb −  − YM + Sk （5）
t xi x j   k  x j 
ε equation:

   t     2
(  ) + (  ui ) =   +   + Cl ( Gk + C3 Gb ) − C2  + S （6）
t xi x j
  k  x j  k k
In the formula,Gk represents the turbulent kinetic energy produced by the laminar velocity gradient; S
represents the stress tensor coefficient; Gb represents the turbulent kinetic energy generated by the
buoyancy; YM represents the diffusion loss of all diffusion rates in the compressible turbulent flow, Si,j is
the time-averaged strain rate; σk and σe are the turbulent Prandtl numbers of the k equation and theε
equation. Sk andSe are defined according to different operating conditions.

One-dimensional wave model of gas-liquid two-phase flow

One-dimensional wave theory is an ideal method for analyzing unstable flow and unsteady state effects.
Compared with the classical Taite l-Dukler model8 , it does not ignore the friction term in the momentum
equation9.The growth of the waveform is well predicted, especially when the apparent gas velocity is low
and the experimental data agree well10. In gas-liquid two-phase flow systems, the instability caused by
wave propagation can cause changes in flow patterns and system states. Waves and shocks can exist
in many forms, depending on the various physical processes tha t produce the
waves. The two most important waves are "continuous wave" and "power wave"11.

The governing equations of the one-dimensional two-phase stratified flow along the axial direction of
the pipeline include mass and momentum conservation equations. Since the sound velocity of each
phase is much greater than the velocity of the interface wave, the compressibility is ignored. The non-
phase incompressible two-phase flow continuity equation in the isopipe is Equation 7:
 hL h A uG
+ uG L − G' =0
t x AG x
（7）
hL h A uL
+ uL L − L' =0
t x AL x
The momentum equation is Equation 8:
 uG u h  P  WG SG  i Si
G  + uG G + g cos  L  = − − − − g G sin 
 t x x  x AG AG
（8）
 u u h  P  S  S
 L  L + uL L + g cos  L  = − − WL L + i i − g  L sin 
 t x x  x AL AL

Assume that the steady state develops the flow sufficiently, and the two equations in the two-phase
momentum equation are subtracted to obtain the steady-state equilibrium equation of the stratified flow.
Let the left end of the equation be F, which is Equation 9:
 WL S L  WG SG  1 1 
F= − −  i Si  +  + (  L − G ) g sin  （9）
AL AG  AL AG 
Let F=0, at this time we can obtain the relationship between the apparent velocity of the two phases
and the critical state of the stable stratified flow (Figure 1).

Figure 1: A forward diagram of stratified flow of gas liquid in horizontal pipeline

Continuous wave is a quasi-steady state phenomenon. A steady-state value propagates to another

constant value. There is no dynamical force of inertial force or momentum. The speed of the continuous
wave is obtained by the medium continuously moving across the control body and the same wave. The
wave velocity Vw is the position where the concentration is αand the concentration is α + ∆α. Therefore,
the wave velocity Vwof the continuous wave can be expressed as the partial derivative of the average
volumetric flux Q i of a phase to the concentration αi , which is Equation 10:
QL QG
Vw = = （10）
  (1 −  ) ）
vw is expressed as the difference between the wave speed and the weighted average speed
(Equation 11):
（11）
）
 w = Vw − V0

The power waves are related to the effects of forces that result from the concentration gradients that
cause the medium to pass through the waves at an accelerated rate. Whenever the concentration
gradient causes a net force to act on the fluid, the power wave appears. The incompressible two-phase
flow in the equivalent cross-section pipeline, the power wave speed is Equation 12:
1
 2 1
 − ( −  )2     
−
2
c =  L G
− f   G + L  （12）
  + 1−   1−  
  L G  ）

RESULTS

Gas-liquid two-phase flow calculation model validation and field simulation

The fluent software was used to design a mathematical model of gas-liquid two-phase flow based on
the above formula and model, and a pipeline model was established. The input gas-liquid production
parameters were used to simulate the manifold and flow states of the theoretical gas-liquid two-phase
flow. At the same time, SolidWorks software was introduced to study the distribution of two-phase flow
in pipelines based on gas collection volume, water-gas ratio, and pipe inclination, and a three-
dimensional flow pattern was established.

Calculation Model Verification

A 1-inch circular tube was used as a simulation calculation object to establish a pipeline model diagram
with a liquid inlet, a gas inlet, a calculation domain, and an outlet. The Cutcell method is used to divide
the hexahedral meshes on the pipeline model map. After division, approximately 100,000 meshes are
displayed (Figure 2).

Computer
filed
Gas inlet outlet

Liquid
inlet

Figure 2: Pipeline model and grid division

The boundary conditions of the mathematical model of the gas-liquid two-phase flow mathematical model
are set as follows: the inlet is the quality inlet and the outlet is the free outlet; the ambient pressure is set
according to the operating parameters of the site pipeline, and the gravity is set; the fixed gas apparent
velocity is 7m/s, continuously Increase the liquid phase velocity, use the pressure implicit with splitting of
operators (PISO) solver method, and perform the transient solution to obtain the flow state in different
states.
The calculated results are compared with the gas-liquid two-phase flow pattern distribution map12
obtained by Mandhane in the horizontal tube. The simulation results are basically consistent with the
experimental results and can be used as the basis for determining the actual flow pattern state (Figure
3). The calculation model can be used for field applications.

Slug flow
Wave flow
Slug
Mandhane flow
boundary
field
s

Wave
flow
fields

Figure 3: Compare the calculated results with the Mandhane flow chart

Simulation prediction of gas-liquid two-phase flow in Su1-× trunk line

The Su1-X trunk line was put into operation in 2006. The pipeline specifications are Φ406.4mm×6.3mm,
and the length is 33.24km. The material is L360. The pipeline operating pressure 2.60 ~2.97MPa, gas
collection 95 ~ 176×104m3/d, flow rate 3.4 ~ 6.2m / s, liquid / gas ratio 0.5 ~ 5m3/104m3. The content of
H2S in natural gas delivered was 2.92 mg/m3, and the CO2 content was 0.62%.
In order to simulate the flow pattern of gas-liquid two-phase flow in the Su1-X trunk line, the ambient
temperature is set to 38°C in summer, the pressure is set to 2.97MPa, the pipe inclination is 0-10°, and
the gas collection volume is set to 0~600×104m3/d. The ratio of liquid to gas is set to 0~8 m3/104m3. The
temperament and liquid quality parameters are shown in Table 1.

Table 1
The parameter of gas and liquid in pipeline

Medium Density Viscosity coefficient Tension coefficient

（kg/m3） （g/ms） (N/m)
CH4 19.24 0.011
Liquid 998.2 1.000 0.07
Because the calculation needs to be substituted into the turbulence model, the turbulence intensity and
Reynolds number of the medium in the pipeline are calculated as Equation 13:
Re = vd  / 
I = 0.16 Re −1/8 （13）
）
In the formula, v is the average speed of the medium,d is the hydraulic diameter of the pipeline,  is
the density of the medium, and  is the dynamic viscosity coefficient of the medium.

Numerical Simulation. The daily collecting gas volume of the simulated pipeline is 100×104m3, 200×
104m3, and 400×104m3. The inclination angles are 0°, 5°, and 10°. The liquid and gas ratios are 2
m3/104m3, 3 m3/104m3, 4 m3/104m3, and 5 m3/104m3, Su 1-X trunk gas pipelines simulate the flow
patterns at different liquid and gas ratios (Figure 4).
inclination angle:0°
liquid / gas ratio：2m3/104m3
capacity：100×104m3

inclination angle:5°
liquid / gas ratio：4m3/104m3
capacity：200×104m3

inclination angle:10°
liquid / gas ratio：5m3/104m3
capacity：400×104m3

Figure4: The flow state of the Su1-X trunk line with different inclinations,
liquid / gas ratio and capacity.
（ the blue part are gas，the red part are liquid）

As can be seen from the figure, the water content in the Su 1-X trunk increases gradually with the dip
angle of the pipeline, the ratio of water to gas, and the yield. The dip angle in the pipeline is 5°, and the
water/gas ratio is 4 m3/104m3. When the gas volume is 200×104m3, the flow pattern develops from
stratified flow to slug flow. When the pipe inclination angle is 10°, the water/gas ratio is 5 m3/104m3, and
the daily production is 400×104m3, the slug flow is more obvious.

Considering the state of the actual trunk gas pipeline transportation, natural gas production, water-gas
ratio, and pipe inclination are selected as the independent variables for the flow pattern plotting.
Through a large number of computer simulations, the critical point for transition from stratified flow to
slug flow is calculated (Table 2).
 Table 2
The critical point of stratified flow transition to slug flow

Critical point Capacity Liquid / gas ratio Inclination angle

（104m3/d） （m3/104m3） （°）
1 100 1.5 10
2 100 2.5 5
3 100 8 0
4 200 2.5 5
5 200 2.5 10
6 200 3.5 0
7 400 2.5 5
8 600 2.5 0

By fitting the scatter data in Table 2, the surface equation as shown in Equation 14 is obtained:
z = 2.328 + 27.2958  exp ( − x /1.3978)  exp ( − y / 636446.521) （14）
）
Including the x-axis inclination of the pipeline, production y-axis, water-gas ratio is z-axis. Drawing the
surface equation into a three-dimensional graph can result in a three-dimensional manifold distribution
diagram (Figure 5) , that is, in the three-dimensional space of x, y, z, the slant flow is above the surface
and the stratified flow is below the surface. According to the three conditions of production, gas-water
ratio, and pipeline inclination in natural gas pipelines, the flow pattern of the medium in the gas
transmission pipeline can be determined from the flow state distribution map to determine the sensitive
parts of the gas pipeline.
Water and gas ratio

Slugflow

Stratified flow

capacity (m3)
Inclination Angle (°)

Figure 5: Three-dimensional flow distribution diagram

Gas-liquid two-phase flow prediction. In the simulation calculation, the Su 1-X trunk line was divided
into 1340 pipe segments. The results showed that the current state of flow in the pipe was stratified
under the current production conditions. The average liquid holdup rate was 0.017%, and the liquid
retention at the liquid collection point was approximately 0.1%.

Liquid holduprate

Pipe Section number

Figure 6: Variation of liquid holding rate along the Su 1- Xtrunk line

The liquid retention rate of the gas-liquid two-phase flow simulation was brought into the corrosion
prediction model. Ten excavation verification points were selected based on the predicted corrosion rate
results, and the predicted corrosion rates at the ten excavation points were 0.179 to 0.192 mm/a. The
non-destructive ultrasonic wall thickness testing actual corrosion rate of 0.158 ~ 0.202mm/a, each
excavation point of the overall degree of agreement in more than 83.8%. Therefore, it is inferred that the
simulation results of gas-liquid two-phase flow are reliable.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the operating characteristics and available parameters of the gas pipelines in the Changqing
gas field, a gas-liquid two-phase flow model was established based on the NS fluid motion equation, the
k-ε turbulence model, and the one-dimensional wave model; the pipeline was established for a certain
diameter. Three-dimensional flow distribution maps based on gas collection, pipeline inclination, and
water-gas ratio were used to obtain the gas-liquid two-phase flow state of the actual pipeline.

The gas-liquid two-phase flow model of the pipeline studied was compared with the gas-liquid two-phase
flow pattern distribution of the Mandhane horizontal pipe, and the model simulation calculation results
were in agreement with it.

The on-site application and simulation results of the pipeline gas-liquid two-phase flow model in the SU
1-X trunk line show that the calculation of the liquid accumulation probability provides good technical
support for the prediction of pipeline corrosion, typical excavation of the point. The test verifies that it is
reliable.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank CNPC for permission to publish this work, and the sponsor of subject
"Pilot project of pipeline integrity management of Petrochina".

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