Integrated Flow Assurance Modeling of Angola Block 18 Western Area Development

Abstract

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractAs oilfield developments become more technically and economically challenging, Flow Assurance has become crucial to the feasibility of projects. Consequently, Flow Assurance issues, such as hydrates or wax deposition must now be considered early in concept selection. Modern numerical methods, coupled with the latest software engineering techniques, now allow the rigorous calculation of multiphase thermal-hydraulic behaviour in an integrated asset model (IAM) on timescales acceptable for concept selection. The paper describes the application of a new IAM tool to analyse options for the development of fields in the Western part of BP's Angolan deepwater Block 18. Novel aspects include the embedding of field scheduling rules such that the drilling schedules were predicted automatically from the model. In addition, different field architectures were considered, including tubing and pipeline sizes, looping of pipelines and subsea multiphase boosting, and the impact on production rates and drilling schedules was quantified. Furthermore, the option to tie back to the planned Greater Plutonio FPSO was also modelled with the forecast ullage profile being imposed on production from the new fields. All calculations were performed using rigorous multiphase thermal-hydraulic models allowing Flow Assurance constraints to be analysed simultaneously.

Flow assurance analysis in Front End Engineering Design (FEED) of Subsea Flowline and Riser

“…As part of the Flow Assurance (FA) consideration analysis, it is a requirement to determine the relationship between flowline/riser diameter and flow problems bearing in mind that the bigger the flowline and riser, the higher the cost [8,9], so the objective would be to select the optimum diameter sizes that would satisfy the target throughput rate and specified boundaries.…”

An assessment of hydrates inhibition in deepwater production systems using low-dosage hydrate inhibitor and monoethylene glycol

“…In solving the corresponding network problem, MAXIMUS deploys equation-oriented Fig. 3 Example model: three-well oil production system (Watson et al 2007) solution to the problem. The advantage of equation-based approach is its ability to reduce a problem to the most convenient set of sub-problems before solution.…”

“…Modelling parameters such as tubing diameter, flowline diameter and pump duties must be defined, for the solution to the problem to be derived from the simulation. (Watson et al 2007).…”