This
paper describes the hydrate management strategies in Statoil’s
gas and oil production systems. Hydrate management is a risk based
approach allowing operations within the hydrate domain when the risk
for hydrate plugging is concluded to be low. This is in sharp contrast
to the hydrate avoidance approach practiced by Statoil in the past.
Statoil has over 500 subsea wells and more than 100 subsea flowlines
in operation. The hydrate management strategies take advantage of
the intrinsic properties of the fluid systems, the hydrodynamics,
and the plugging risk related to the amount of water present in the
different parts of the production systems. This approach is based
on a large body of research performed at Statoil and on extensive
field experiences. Statoil’s current best practices in different
production systems are described, and relevant examples from the field
operations are provided.
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