One of the biggest challenges after the initial gas field discovery lies in the transportation. The natural gas supply is constructed in such a way that transportation remains an integral part of the gas utilization system. This is because the operator has to understand the mechanism behind transporting from the well to the wellhead; from the wellhead to the topside while efficiently avoiding hydrate formation; from the topside to the processing facilities and from the processing facilities to the delivery point for the final consumers. This paper was structured to address subsea gas pipeline flow assurance issues relating to the initiation of hydrate and internal corrosion. Through experience and extensive literature studies, an Optimization Systematic Model was developed. This model is procedural in nature, incorporating both risk analysis and predictive models. The model was further used to investigate the susceptibility of the case study, Inter-western African Gas Pan Pipeline (IAGPP), to hydrate and internal corrosion. The results of the case study confirmed that the model is helpful in that it can bring flow assurance issues to management focus. This research suggested a new derived equation – the Thermo-Mechanistic Model (T-MM), used to explain PIPESIM simulation results and the optimization options. The T-MM can be used to understand the behavior of gas enthalpy to variations in gas pipeline flowrate. In general, there is a need to keep gas pipeline capacity optimization in focus; to proactively avert cases of hydrate and internal corrosion by using the model developed. Learning from the IAGPP case study also shows that there is the need to accurately assess gas availability for transmission.
Determining the accurate amount of natural gas produced, consumed and distributed poses a significant challenge in the oil and gas industry. Thus, arise the need for proper confirmatory analysis of the produced gas volumes against the utilized volumes. Operating companies often desire that the amount of gas produced (measured and recorded) to be properly utilized for accountability and economic reasons. The primary essence of accurate gas measurements is to ensure that accurate gas production reports are submitted to the government and to confirm that accurate gas volumes are handled by the production facilities. However, in some cases, optimum accuracy is never attained thereby generating erroneous gas measurements and also hampering right economic decisions. This paper tends to address some of the impediments to accurate gas measurements and possible solutions of these problems. It also elaborates on the effects of various flow meters (i.e. orifice meters, ultrasonic meters) on the gas measurement readings and provides the frequency for proving and calibration of meter types and its corresponding effects on gas measurements. An onshore field (F3Y-field) was used as case study and was instrumental to providing a new procedure for computing the reported flare volume with greater accuracy with the help of gas balance equations.
This paper is intended to tackle and treat the subject of global warming which includes its components, current issues, trends and challenges to enable us to add our own mitigation measures to support the global efforts on its reduction. The caustic effects would be analyzed using environmental data gotten from Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies and Environmental Evaluation Report (EER) from various field locations in the oil production fields in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Analysis of the various cleaner energy alternatives other than fossil fuels would be done, with individual challenges of these alternatives been highlighted, from which a projection for the zone under study would be done using graphs and data plotted in Excel. Mitigation strategies has been suggested and backed with adequate recommendations that are gotten from sample opinions from experts in environmental matters in the oil and gas industry.
The industry is in constant research with consistent efforts to ensure that the no/less incidents occur during the course of operations. Notable and popular slogans/rules have been adopted among engineering and oil & gas organizations over the years in the industry to intimate the need for safe activities to be performed among staff. Slogans like Goal Zero, Golden Rule dictum, "Safe…Yes we can", Life Saving Rules, "No Wahala…Take 5" and many others have been used in recent times to inculcate the culture of safety and situational awareness in the mind of the work force. Tools like check cards, stickers, safety IDs and banners are also quick reminders of the environment being operated on. However while all these tools are fairly efficient, the need for proper risk assessment cannot be over-emphasized at all times before a job to be done can be certified safe. Worksite Tools like toolbox talk, last minute risk assessment (LMRA), Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) and post job debrief are veritable towards achieving this goal. But while risk assessment before the job commences is important, of equivalent or even much importance is the one conducted during the job and this is called dynamic risk assessment. This paper presents an approach and exposition of the risk assessment plan in the operations level in the oil and gas industry. It also discussed on the methods to be deployed a successful risk assessment and buttress further on static and dynamic risk assessment as it concerns operations in a gas process plant. A new conceptual risk assessment model has been developed. A case study was treated from Atabala Plant which is a gas processing facility in the south southern Nigeria.
Offshore oil and gas pipelines are subjected to high pressure and high temperature (HP/HT) from the inner hydrocarbon content during operation. Both the rise in temperature and internal pressure may cause longitudinal expansion of the pipeline. This expansion is restrained or semi-restrained by the pipe end devices and the soil which results in build-up of compression stresses in the pipe wall. These pipelines are also exposed to so many familiar and unfamiliar forces related to static, dynamic and environmental forces. This study presents a thorough review of various sources from literature on the integrity challenges of subsea flowlines and pipelines amid challenging operating conditions especially with regards to flow assurance. This paper evaluates the impact of hydrate deposition and agitation on the overall integrity of the subsea flowlines, riser-base and fitting e.g. elbows, valves e.t.c. A bow tie model was developed to determine the threats, causes, consequences, the top event and the impending hydrates that are to be designed and cause blockage and failure. Stress analysis were done with finite element tools which are ANSYS and Autodesk INVENTOR with only the hoop, Von Mises stress and the corresponding back pressure that occurred with the scenario of 0, 10,30,50,70,90 and 100% blockage of flowlines being analyzed and taking the 0% or null blockage as the pilot case with no hydrate formation. The result gotten from both results were validated with hand calculation with excel and the initial design values for the stress values before the initial operation of the wells after the first commissioning. In addition, HAZOP was done to understand the inherent risk involved in all the cases under study and results gotten would serve as a tool of precautions to operators and stakeholders in period of adversity when facing similar scenario.
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