Understand the hydrate formation calculation within a
pipeline model in Aspen HYSYS
2012 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 2
Background
Hydrates are commonly formed in natural gas pipelines
when water is condensed in the presence of methane at high pressures.
Natural gas hydrates are basically modified ice structures
that enclose methane and other hydrocarbons.
The issue with hydrates is that at high pressures they have
higher melting points than ice and can cause blockages in pipelines and other processing equipment.
2012 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 3
Background
There are several methods used to prevent hydrate formation in
pipelines such as heating or reducing the pressure. A common method used is to add a hydrate inhibitor (anti-freeze) such as ethylene glycol which will decrease the temperature that hydrates will form.
In this demo we will be simulating the piping network that mixes
streams from 3 gas wells before they are sent to a gas-oil separator. The ambient temperature is 0C, and as the gas streams cool due to heat loss in the pipeline, the risk of hyrdate formation increases.
2012 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 4
Problem Statement
Using the pre-built Aspen HYSYS flowsheet PET-
002H_Hydrate_Formation_Start.hsc, determine the flowrate of ethylene glycol that is required to prevent any hydrates from being formed in the gas pipeline.
2012 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 5
Copyright
Copyright 2012 by Aspen Technology, Inc. (AspenTech). All
rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of AspenTech. ASPENTECH MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THIS WORK and assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. In no event will AspenTech be liable to you for damages, including any loss of profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of the information contained in, or the digital files supplied with or for use with, this work. This work and its contents are provided for educational purposes only. AspenTech, aspenONE, and the Aspen leaf logo, are trademarks of Aspen Technology, Inc.. Brands and product names mentioned in this documentation are trademarks or service marks of their respective companies.
2012 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 6