Flow Assurance Engineering in Deepwater Offshore - Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this paper is to provide a review of the evolution of the flow assurance discipline over the years as it applies to the design of gathering and export pipeline systems. In the early days, pipeline design was essentially a job for one engineer when pipelines were on land or in shallow water, not in a new geological province, flowing temperatures / pressures were not abnormal, and had no multi-phase flow or contaminants. This paper will identify events or circumstances that affected how "~Pipeline Hydraulics" were designed. Flow Assurance Engineering has evolved from two fundamental pillars – thermo-hydraulic analysis of fluid flow in production systems, and production chemistry. Today, flow assurance engineers in a project not only provide predictions, but also prevention strategies, and remediation methods for: Fluid characteristicsFlow hydraulics and thermal behaviorsPerformance of the production systemGuidance of operation strategiesIdentification and management of solid deposition issues: hydratesparaffins (waxes)asphaltenesscales, etc. They interface with multiple disciplines involved with the project, including subsurface, pipeline and risers, subsea hardware, topsides process facilities, chemical vendors, the fluid laboratory, etc. Beginning in the late 1940s, pipelines began transporting hydrocarbons over long distances onshore (conversion of the Big Inch Crude and Little Inch product pipelines to natural gas service for example) when unforeseen flow problems began to occur. Exploration gradually moved to nearshore drilling, and finally, to shallow water. Additional flow problems increased in complexity and magnitude. To track how these increasingly complex flow problems affected pipeline design, this paper presents: The evolution of Flow Assurance from simple hydraulics calculations to a well-defined engineering disciplineThe critical responsibilities in current deepwater development - Greenfield and Brownfield projectsThe re-shaping of Flow Assurance Engineering by digital revolution and big data technologiesThe evolution of the discipline applying new technologies to unlock new reserves with longer, deeper tiebacks