Often students of the petroleum engineering programs at the early stage of their studies in institutions of developing countries do not have easy access to the oil and gas industry facilities. Multinational petroleum companies come in with the state-of-the-arts technology, with expatriates who work and leave without technology transfer. Laboratory equipment is very costly to developing institutions of petroleum studies in developing nation. As such, different hands-on models have been developed to simulate different processes of the oil and gas industry in the laboratory. This model captioned "Golden Horse Head" Sucker Rod Pumping model is one of such hands-on models that has been constructed and successfully tested. This model is 88 cm in length, 52 cm wide and 56.5 cm high. It was made using very basic local materials to represent the actual field components, for the purpose of better understanding of how such systems operate. The materials are very affordable and less costly. The overall cost of the model is about 75,000FRS CFA, that is, about US$150.0. This low cost of construction makes the model very affordable to developing institutions of petroleum studies. In this model, there was a reduction from the prime mover speed of 2000 rpm to the pumping speed of 38 rpm, giving a reduction ratio of 52.6:1. It has been tested with a multiphase fluid (water and oil (diesel) simulating crude oil) model, during which 75.4% oil and 97.7% of water were produced. Its functioning accurately simulates that of a practical oil field sucker rod pumping facility.
Externally heated Joule cycle reciprocating engines, also known as Ericsson engines, are particularly suitable for small-scale solar energy conversion and microcogeneration using biomass or gas effluents at high temperatures. These types of engine have been developed in the context of the current issue of climate change, combined with a progressive depletion of fossil fuels. A dynamic model of a 1.67 kW small open Joule cycle engine has been developed in order to study operational stability and behavioral control, especially during transient phases. Models are implemented on a Matlab/Simulink platform where simulations of the dynamics of engine start-up and steady conditions are carried out. The optimal settings of valves and the key engine parameters have also been determined. Simulation results reveal a rapid transient phase. Hot starting is achieved in about 5.3 sec and the system is stabilized, with a thermal efficiency of approximately 29%. The system responds well when subjected to selected perturbations.
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