Leak Detection in Liquid Subsea Flowlines With no Recorded Feed Rate
Author:
Dinis J. M.1, Wojtanowicz A. K.1, Scott S. L.1
Affiliation:
1. Petroleum Engineering Department, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Abstract
This paper presents a statistical method to detect leaks in subsea liquid flowlines when the inlet flow rate measurements are unavailable and conventional mass balance techniques cannot be used. Presently, the only method used in these situations is to “predict” the inlet rate from a steady-state reservoir/wellbore model for use in a transient pipeline simulator. The purpose of this work was to examine the utility of a pressure loss model which requires only routine production data. This technique is derived from the statistical theory of estimation and testing, and treats fluctuations due to turbulence, transients, and measurement errors as statistical noise. This method compares two mean values of the pipeline resistance coefficient, R; the new updated value representing the potential leak and the old value being R without leak. Precision of the new method was demonstrated using the 9460-ft long, (3.64 in. i.d.) flowloop at LSU, with flowrates up to 10,000 bbl/day of water, and pressures up to 2400 psi. The leak was simulated by an orifice which discharged the water from the flowline into a shut-in-well. An environmental (wellhead) pressure up to 2200 psi was applied to simulate hydrostatic pressure in the deep-sea environment. The results presented in this paper show how detection of small leaks relates to the number of R measurements, leak position, and statistical noise resulting from flow rate-pressure fluctuations, transients, and measurement uncertainties.
Publisher
ASME International
Subject
Geochemistry and Petrology,Mechanical Engineering,Energy Engineering and Power Technology,Fuel Technology,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Reference14 articles.
1. Beggs, D., 1991, Production Optimization Using Nodal Analysis, OGCI, Tulsa, OK. 2. Dinis, J., 1998, “Leak Detection in Sea-Bottom Liquid Pipelines With No Recorded Feed Rate,” MS thesis, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. 3. Ek, A., Holm, H., Kubberud, N., Lingelem, M., 1990, “Monitoring Systems for Multiphase Gas-Condensate Pipelines,” OTC paper 6253, 22nd Annual OTC, Houston, TX. 4. Erickson, D., and Twaite, D., 1996, “Pipeline Integrity Monitoring System for Leak Detection, Control and Optimization of Wet Gas Pipelines,” SPE paper 36607, SPE Annual technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, CO. 5. Mastandrea, J., Miller, J., and Clare, D., 1990, “Rapid Leak Detection for Sea Floor Pipelines; Development of Practical New Methods,” NDE Technical Report No. NDE-90R0081601, NDE Environmental Corporation, Torrance, CA.
Cited by
11 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献
|
|