EP2853800A1 - Procédé et système permettant d'administrer un agent de réduction de traînée - Google Patents

Procédé et système permettant d'administrer un agent de réduction de traînée Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2853800A1
EP2853800A1 EP13186050.4A EP13186050A EP2853800A1 EP 2853800 A1 EP2853800 A1 EP 2853800A1 EP 13186050 A EP13186050 A EP 13186050A EP 2853800 A1 EP2853800 A1 EP 2853800A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fluid
pipeline
delivery system
reducing agent
drag reducing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP13186050.4A
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German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Amir Kiumars Karbasi
Mikael Taavetti Atabop Andem
Leif Anders Mikael Rockas
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
M-I Finland Oy
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M-I Finland Oy
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by M-I Finland Oy filed Critical M-I Finland Oy
Priority to EP13186050.4A priority Critical patent/EP2853800A1/fr
Priority to PCT/US2014/057668 priority patent/WO2015048411A1/fr
Publication of EP2853800A1 publication Critical patent/EP2853800A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
    • F17D—PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES
    • F17D1/00—Pipe-line systems
    • F17D1/08—Pipe-line systems for liquids or viscous products
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
    • F17D—PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES
    • F17D1/00—Pipe-line systems
    • F17D1/005—Pipe-line systems for a two-phase gas-liquid flow
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
    • F17D—PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES
    • F17D1/00—Pipe-line systems
    • F17D1/08—Pipe-line systems for liquids or viscous products
    • F17D1/16—Facilitating the conveyance of liquids or effecting the conveyance of viscous products by modification of their viscosity
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
    • F17D—PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES
    • F17D1/00—Pipe-line systems
    • F17D1/08—Pipe-line systems for liquids or viscous products
    • F17D1/16—Facilitating the conveyance of liquids or effecting the conveyance of viscous products by modification of their viscosity
    • F17D1/17—Facilitating the conveyance of liquids or effecting the conveyance of viscous products by modification of their viscosity by mixing with another liquid, i.e. diluting
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
    • F17D—PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES
    • F17D1/00—Pipe-line systems
    • F17D1/20—Arrangements or systems of devices for influencing or altering dynamic characteristics of the systems, e.g. for damping pulsations caused by opening or closing of valves
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
    • F17D—PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES
    • F17D3/00—Arrangements for supervising or controlling working operations
    • F17D3/12—Arrangements for supervising or controlling working operations for injecting a composition into the line

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to a delivery system suitable for introducing a drag reducing agent into a fluid originating from a subterranean formation, and to a method for delivering said drag reducing agent thereto. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to delivering a drag reducing agent into contact with a hydrocarbon fluid at a subsea well head, gathering pipeline or manifold.
  • Feeding a hydrocarbon fluid through a pipeline causes friction originating from the motion of the fluid stream generating turbulence inside the pipeline.
  • This friction due to turbulence introduces a pressure drop which increases with increasing the length of the pipeline to be used in withdrawal of the fluid originating from a subterranean formation.
  • This friction loss is also called drag, and it is a major reason for increased energy and equipment costs for transportation of the fluid.
  • Drag reducing agents are widely used in transportation of hydrocarbons in petroleum pipelines wherein high capacity of oil flow is desired.
  • the drag reducing composition is generally a single liquid product containing the drag reducing agent i.e. semisolid polymer particles in liquid carrier, which is introduced via a regular product delivery system into the hydrocarbon containing pipeline.
  • the tendency of a drag reducing composition to agglomerate is enhanced when the conduit is extended in length and decreased in diameter.
  • the stability of a drag reducing composition in varying ambient conditions has an important role in the rate of agglomeration.
  • Single drag reducing compositions introduced into a subsea location generally have the disadvantage that over time phase separation, segregation and agglomeration tend to occur and the compositions are not optimized for introduction to the hydrocarbon fluid, the drag of which is to be reduced.
  • the composition should have sufficiently high concentration and be easy to prepare and handle.
  • the raw materials should be economical and safe, and easily available.
  • Delivery systems suitable for introducing a drag reducing agent include at least two different fluid compositions, where at least one composition comprises a drag reducing agent; at least two storage containers, where the fluid compositions reside separately in its own storage container, and where the storage containers are equipped with conduits configured to transport the fluid compositions into; injection unit(s), where at least one injection unit is configured to provide a plug flow stream, where the flow stream(s) have alternating composition layers of the fluid composition(s), and where the injection unit(s) is connected to; at least one exit pipeline, where the exit pipeline(s) is configured to transport the plug flow stream into; at least one injection pipeline, where the injection pipeline(s) is connected to the exit pipeline by at least one connecting interface, and where the injection pipeline is also connected to a production facility, where the production facility includes a riser flow line for transporting a
  • Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for introducing a drag reducing agent into contact with a fluid originating from a subterranean formation, which is able to avoid plugging of a regular conduit, even in prolonged or continuous use.
  • the method includes forming a plug flow stream from at least two different fluid compositions, where at least one fluid composition is a drag reducing agent; introducing the plug flow stream to an injection pipeline; and transporting the plug flow stream via the injection pipeline to contact with the fluid originating from the subterranean formation flowing in the riser line.
  • the method includes providing a deliver system capable of forming a plug flow system from at least two different fluid compositions to the point of subsea production, where at least one fluid composition is a drag reducing agent; connecting the delivery system to an umbilical pipeline of the production location; optionally introducing the fluid composition(s) that do not contain the drag reducing agent from a delivery system into an umbilical pipeline and flushing the umbilical pipeline with the fluid composition(s); contacting the plug flow stream with the fluid originating from a subterranean formation; and transporting the resulting produced fluid to the point of use via a riser pipeline, where the umbilical pipeline is optionally flushed with the fluid composition(s) that does not contain the drag reducing agent.
  • Another aspect of the present disclosure is to reliably provide a drag reducing agent into contact with a fluid originating from a subterranean formation at subsea conditions.
  • the method and delivery system of the present disclose solves the problems discussed above.
  • subsea includes activities such as exploration, drilling and development of oil and gas fields in underwater locations.
  • Underwater oil field facilities are generally referred to using a subsea prefix, such as subsea well or subsea field.
  • Subsea oil field may reside in shallow waters or deep waters, distinguishing between the different facilities and approaches required.
  • deep water is often used to refer to offshore functions located in water depths greater than about 200 m, but not limited thereto. In these conditions floating drilling vessels and floating oil platforms are used, and remotely operated underwater vehicles are required as manned diving is not practical.
  • the subsea conditions comprise high pressures and extreme temperatures in addition to currents and alternating ambient conditions.
  • umbilical pipeline means a cable or a line with multiple conduits, which typically supplies required consumables to an oil field.
  • Subsea oil wells deploy umbilical pipelines to the seabed or ocean floor. Efficient manipulation of subsea structures and devices requires an interface between a control and processing facility, such as a platform, a land base facility, or a servicing vessel with a subsea facility, such as a wellhead. It is frequently desired to be able to remotely manipulate valves and other equipment as well as inject various servicing fluids into the subsea facility and to transmit and receive signals and electrical power. Umbilicals may be used to provide this necessary interface. The umbilical is an important link between the topside feed, power and control systems, and the deep water subsea system.
  • the first aspect of the present disclosure provides a delivery system, which is suitable for introducing a drag reducing agent into a fluid originating from a subterranean formation.
  • This delivery system comprises with reference to figure 5 the following components:
  • the injection pipeline (32) is connected to a production facility (34) comprising a riser flow line (35) for transporting a fluid originating from a subterranean formation.
  • a production facility comprising a riser flow line (35) for transporting a fluid originating from a subterranean formation.
  • the injection pipeline and the riser flow line are inherently part of the already existing production facility where to the delivery system is to be connected to via the connecting interface.
  • the delivery system advantageously resides at the point of withdrawal of the fluid originating from a subterranean formation i.e. at the vicinity of the production facility.
  • This production facility may be onshore or offshore.
  • the delivery system is advantageously used at the point of withdrawal of the fluid originating from a subterranean formation, which resides at a subsea production facility.
  • the delivery system of the present disclosure is useful, as the requirements due to the ambient conditions are more demanding than in onshore applications.
  • the delivery system of the present disclosure may reside on a floating servicing platform, or on a servicing vessel.
  • the servicing platform can be several kilometres away from the actual production site.
  • the size of the delivery system set up depends on the number and quality of the components required and the available space.
  • the delivery system of the present disclosure is suitable for introducing a drag reducing agent into a fluid originating from a subterranean formation.
  • the materials of the delivery system apparatus are configured to withstand the requirements of the used chemicals, and the ambient and inside conditions at the site of use.
  • the fluid originating from a subterranean formation may be a hydrocarbon fluid, more particularly crude oil, and most particularly crude oil from a subsea well.
  • the hydrocarbon fluid may contain oil, gas, water and waxes, and possibly other components depending on the well quality.
  • the delivery system configuration and materials may be optimised for the specific well type in question.
  • the delivery system comprises at least two different fluid compositions, each residing in its separate storage container. At least one of the fluid compositions comprises a drag reducing agent.
  • the volume of the storage container is in the range of from about 0.1 m 3 to about 3 m 3 , more particularly from about 0.1 m 3 to about 2 m 3 such as from 0.1 m 3 to 2 m 3 , depending on the usage and desired maintenance frequency.
  • the storage container is either filled anew with storage fluid composition, or a new container comprising fresh fluid composition is connected, replacing the used container.
  • at least one storage container is connected to or comprises a recycling line for recycling and mixing the fluid composition residing therein.
  • the storage containers are equipped with conduits, which are configured to transport the fluid compositions therein into the injection unit.
  • the conduits of the storage containers comprise fluid transportation means configured to withdraw the fluid compositions from said storage containers.
  • This transportation means may include pumping systems, and more particularly air or electrically driven pumps, including the common and necessary valves and meters for enabling the controlled withdrawal of the fluid composition from the container into the injection unit.
  • the two different fluid compositions one including the drag reducing agent and the other excluding it i.e. occasionally referred to as a pigging agent, included as essential features in the delivery system are for example but not necessarily immiscible with each other during the transport via the injection pipeline. This is due to the combination of the physical properties of the fluids, and to the type of delivery applied.
  • immiscible means that inside the injection pipeline there is to be found both liquid phases in their initial compositions similar to the composition state when the fluids are in separate storage containers. However, inside the injection pipeline at the interface of the two segments slight mixing of these two compositions may occur.
  • the mixed bulk volume is less than 50 % by volume of the composition including the drag reducing agent, in particular less than 15 % by volume, or even less than 5 % by volume. Even though there may be mixing of the two compositions at the boundary or interfacial regions, essentially the bulk of the two compositions remain separate during the plug flow through the injection pipeline.
  • Figure 6 depicts the effects of the use of the plug flow.
  • Figure 6A illustrates the formation of a sediment onto the pipe inner wall when using a composition comprising the drag reducing agent. This sediment is due to possible loose particles or agglomerates or residues from catalysed precipitation or agglomeration.
  • Figure 6B illustrates the pigging of the pipe with the flow of a composition excluding the drag reducing agent. A removal of possible loose particles or agglomerates or residues prone to catalyse precipitation or agglomeration from the pipeline inner wall into the fluid takes place.
  • Figure 6C illustrates the method according to the present disclosure, wherein the composition comprising the drag reducing agent together with the composition excluding the drag reducing agent create a two segment fluid flow system i.e.
  • the drag reducing agent residing in one of the fluid compositions is not soluble in the other fluid composition, thus only mechanical interaction between the drag reducing agent and the fluid composition excluding said drag reducing agent is possible.
  • the fluid composition comprising the drag reducing agent has a viscosity which is higher than the viscosity of the fluid not containing the drag reducing agent, which thus enables pigging and reduces or prevents pressure drop formation.
  • the viscosity of the fluid composition comprising the drag reducing agent is for example but not necessarily in the range from about 400 cP to about 3000 cP, where the lower limit is particularly useful for subsea applications, and the upper limit for use in higher ambient temperatures and larger cross sectional area of the conduits; more particularly, the drag reducing agent is in the range from about 600 cP to about 2000 cP, more particularly from about 700 cP to about 1600 cP, more particularly from about 800 cP to about 1500 cP, or even more particularly from about 900 cP to about 1350 cP, such as from 900 cP to 1350 cP, defined at a temperature of 4 °C.
  • the fluid composition not comprising the drag reducing agent has for example but not necessarily a viscosity from about 100 cP to about 1000 cP, more particularly from about 150 cP to about 1000 cP, more particularly from about 200 cP to about 1000 cP, more particularly from about 200 cP to about 600 cP, or more particularly from about 250 cP to about 350 cP, such as from 250 cP to 350 cP, defined at a temperature of 4 °C.
  • the viscosity difference between the fluid compositions is greater than 100 cP, more particularly greater than 150 cP, and most particularly greater than 200 cP, wherein said viscosities are defined at a temperature of 4 °C.
  • the viscosity of the fluid composition comprising the drag reducing agent needs to be high enough to slow down the phase separation, but it should not be too high to increase the pressure drop in the line.
  • the viscosity of the fluid composition excluding the drag reducing agent should not be too low because the semisolid polymer particles may drop through the liquid.
  • the fluid composition excluding the drag reducing agent should not be too viscose in order to prevent the pressure drop formation if the viscosity thereof is too close to the viscosity of the fluid composition comprising the drag reducing agent. Viscosities discussed are measured at 4 °C using Brookfield viscometer according to ASTM D1824, 20 rpm standard. Brookfield viscosity determines the internal fluidfriction of a fluid composition.
  • the viscosities of the fluid composition with the drag reducing agent and without it are advantageously from about 1100 cP to about 1400 cP and from about 200 cP to about 400 cP, defined at 4 °C, respectively.
  • the difference in densities of the two different fluid compositions should be sufficiently small to avoid separation due to gravitational force during the transportation of the fluid compositions via the injection pipeline, particularly, in view of the pipeline length and its position.
  • the density of the fluid composition comprising the drag reducing agent is from about 0.80 g/cm 3 to about 0.95 g/cm 3 , more particularly from about 0.82 g/cm 3 to about 0.93 g/cm 3 , and most particularly from about 0.85 g/cm 3 to about 0.90 g/cm 3 , defined at the temperature of 4 °C.
  • the density of the fluid composition not comprising the drag reducing agent is from about 0.85 g/cm 3 to about 0.99 g/cm 3 , more particularly from about 0.87 g/cm 3 to about 0.95 g/cm 3 , and most particularly from about 0.89 g/cm 3 to about 0.93 g/cm 3 , defined at 4 °C.
  • the difference in density between the two fluid compositions is for example but not necessarily less than 0.1g/cm 3 units, more particularly less than 0.07 g/cm 3 units, and most particularly less than 0.05 g/cm 3 units, wherein the densities are defined at a temperature of 4 °C.
  • the fluid composition comprising the drag reducing agent advantageously comprises 10-30 % by weight ⁇ -olefin polymer, particularly high or ultra-high molecular weight polymers which are hydrocarbon soluble; 50-80 % by weight vegetable oil; 0.1-10 % by weight stabilizing agent(s); optionally 0-5 % by weight unsaturated fatty acids; and 1-10 % by weight pour point and/or viscosity modifier, such as an acrylic polymer in oil, rendering the pour point suitable for subsea conditions.
  • the fluid composition which does not comprise a drag reducing agent comprises advantageously 75-98.9 % by weight vegetable oil, 1-20 % by weight pour point and/or viscosity modifier, such as an acrylic polymer in oil, and 0.1-5 % by weight stabilizing agent(s).
  • the vegetable oil in both compositions is vegetable oil or mixture of vegetable oils having a crystallisation temperature below 5 °C, more particularly below -5 °C, and more particularly below -10 °C.
  • the vegetable oil may be selected from rape seed oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil or mixtures thereof.
  • the stabilizing agent(s) advantageously comprises alkali metal or earth alkaline metal salts of fatty acids, such as sodium stearate.
  • the delivery system comprises several storage containers, each of which is equipped with a recycling line and conduits including pumping systems.
  • the containers contain at least the fluid composition comprising the drag reducing agent and the fluid composition excluding the drag reducing agent.
  • the further storage containers may contain additives selected from the group of corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, biocides, demulsifiers, surfactants, scavengers and pour point depressants.
  • the injection unit of the delivery system of the present disclosure is configured to provide a plug flow stream comprising alternating phase layers of the two different fluid compositions, with and without the drag reducing agent, withdrawn from the storage containers.
  • the injection unit advantageously comprises at least one of the following components:
  • the connecting interface of delivery system further comprises an interface, such as a valve, configured to disconnect the delivery system from the injection pipeline, especially, for maintenance or removal of the unit.
  • the delivery system comprises multiple injection units and/or exit pipelines connected to separate locations at the injection pipeline. This configuration enables feed of the different fluid composition into different locations at the line thus providing separation for the combined fluids in the resulting plug flow stream.
  • the present delivery apparatus as a whole or the specific building blocks thereof may be standardized as a module providing simple integration with existing or new infrastructure already available at the site of use.
  • the delivery system of the present disclosure may be operated remotely and automatically.
  • the delivery system may be connected to an alarm system in case of unexpected malfunction.
  • the injection pipeline may be an umbilical pipeline.
  • umbilical pipeline means an umbilical pipeline comprising the conduit(s) configured to deliver fluid compositions to the well manifold, particularly those fluid compositions discussed in the present disclosure, where the well manifold resides at the ocean floor and being in contact the riser line.
  • the length of the injection pipeline depends on the location of the facility and the delivery system of the present disclosure is used when a long pipeline is necessary, thus providing the most benefits.
  • the length of the injection pipeline may be from about 1 m to about 20000 m, more particularly from about 1000 m to about 10000 m, such as from 1500 m to 3000 m.
  • Offshore drilling operations may be performed with drilling rigs, floating platforms, and/or deep water mobile offshore drilling units or semi-submersibles. These are normally capable of operating in water depths up to 3000 m. In extremely deeper water, such as over 2500 m or 3000 m, drill ships are used. In subsea applications, the individual conduits tend to be fairly narrow to allow flexibility.
  • the present delivery system may be used in connection with conduits, wherein the diameter of the conduit containing the plug flow stream of the injection pipeline is from about 5 mm to about 50 mm, more particularly from about 10 mm to about 35 mm, and more particularly from about 16 mm to about 24 mm, such as from 16 mm to 24 mm.
  • the ambient temperature of the injection pipeline varies considerably along the pipeline. This will set demanding requirements for the stability of the fluid composition comprising the drag reducing agent.
  • the delivery system of the present disclosure may be applied at ambient temperatures from -35 °C to 60 °C, more particularly from 1 °C to 30 °C, and more particularly from 3 °C to 20 °C.
  • the pour point of the fluid compositions of the present disclosure may be below 0 °C, more particularly below -10 °C, and more particularly below -18 °C, such as below - 25 °C to overcome the viscosity increase due to low ambient temperature and temperature variation during flow through the a long pipeline.
  • the delivery system of the present disclosure provides drag reducing agent into the hydrocarbon fluid with a long maintenance cycle; in particular, the delivery system may continuously provide the drag reducing agent into the hydrocarbon fluid.
  • the cleaning section i.e. pigging of the plug flow
  • the tendency of plugging in the fluid conduit is decreased.
  • the robustness of the plug flow type delivery process enables enhancing the length of the injection pipeline and/or narrowing of the conduit cross sectional area.
  • the delivery system of the present disclosure is able to ensure adjusting the desired amounts of compositions with and without the drag reducing agent accurately and reproducibly, and ensures the correct repetition of the injection sequences of these two different compositions.
  • the second aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for reducing drag in a pipeline transporting a fluid originating from a subterranean formation. This method comprises at least the following steps:
  • the plug flow is advantageously to be formed in a way that it comprises a volume ratio of the fluid composition from 0.01 to 5 of the fluid composition excluding the drag reducing agent to the fluid composition including the drag reducing agent. More particularly, the ratio is from 0.1 to 1, and more particularly from 0.15 to 0.50, such as from 0.20 to 0.30.
  • the aim is to provide as high concentration of the drag reducing agent into the hydrocarbon fluid as possible without sacrificing the operational safety.
  • the role of the fluid not including the drag reducing agent is to enable removal of the possible remains, especially polymeric remains of the fluid comprising the drag reducing agent.
  • This pigging fluid is able to carry the possible precipitates or agglomerates from the pipeline surface to the point of use thus enhancing the drag reduction effect and minimising the plugging tendency inside the injection pipeline.
  • the minimum pressure inside the injection pipeline is advantageously at least 10% more than the pressure inside the riser flow line near the connection point to a production facility i.e. a well manifold. In a subsea location this means that maximum pressure at the injection pipeline is less than 500 bar, more particularly less than 300 bar, and more particularly less than 200 bar near the connection point to a production facility. If the viscosity of the fluids increases and agglomeration or precipitation on the conduit walls takes place the pressure drop tends to increase rendering the pressure effect inside the conduit less effective in carrying the drag reducing agent into contact with the hydrocarbon fluid.
  • the need for a drag reducing agent is dependent on the desired improvement in flow rate and capacity of crude oil in the riser pipeline.
  • the drug reducing composition according to the present disclosure is applied in an amount of about 1 ppm to 2000 ppm, more particularly 10 ppm to 500 ppm, and more particularly 20 ppm to 300 ppm, depending on the desired flow target and/or pressure drop and the nature of the crude oil from the oil well.
  • the crude oil flowing in the riser pipeline may comprise gas and water in addition to crude oil, forming thus a single phase, two phase or multiple phase fluid flow depending on the oil well.
  • the flow rate of the formed plug flow stream is advantageously from 0.01 1/h to 800 l/h, more particularly from 10 l/h to 200 l/h, and more particularly from 20 l/h to 150 l/h.
  • This total amount of chemicals used together with e.g. the pipeline diameter, length and desired pressure and the pulsing sequence i.e. valve timing and mass flow through the valve influence the plug flow segments formed of the two compositions inside the injection pipeline.
  • the length of the segments of the composition comprising the drag reducing agent and the composition excluding the drag reducing agent vary, from 1 m to 200 m and from 1 m to 100 m, respectively, inside the pipeline. More particularly the segments vary from 1 m to 50 m and from 1 m to 20 m, respectively; and more particularly from 0.5 m to 10m and from 0.1 m to 5 m, respectively.
  • the pulsing sequence for composition comprising the drag reducing agent is from 100 s to 120 s and for the composition excluding the drag reducing agent it is from 10 s to 20 s.
  • the flow rate through the valve is from 35 l/h to 40 l/h.
  • the plug flow entering the injection pipeline forms segments of from 4.0 m to 6.0 m and from 0.5 m to 1.0 m of the composition comprising the drag reducing agent and the composition excluding the drag reducing agent, respectively, provided that the pipeline diameter is 17 mm and the pipeline length is 1500 m and the pressure drop is from 90 bar to 115 bar.
  • the pulsing sequence for composition comprising the drag reducing agent is from 55 s to 90 s and for the composition excluding the drag reducing agent it is from 10 s to 20 s.
  • the flow rate through the valve is from 30 l/h to 35 l/h.
  • the plug flow entering the injection pipeline forms segments of from 3.0 m to 4.0 m and from 0.4 m to 0.8 m of the composition comprising the drag reducing agent and the composition excluding the drag reducing agent, respectively, provided that the pipeline diameter is 15 mm and the pipeline length is 2000 m and the pressure drop is 140 bar -190 bar.
  • the pulsing sequence for composition comprising the drag reducing agent is from 50 s to 80 s and for the composition excluding the drag reducing agent it is from 5 s to 20 s.
  • the flow rate through the valve is from 60 l/h to 70 l/h.
  • the plug flow entering the injection pipeline forms segments of from 2.5 m to 5.0 m and from 0.25 m to 1.0 m of the composition comprising the drag reducing agent and the composition excluding the drag reducing agent, respectively, provided that the pipeline diameter is 20 mm and length is 3000 m and the pressure drop is from 95 bar to 130 bar.
  • the plug flow stream is formed by the delivery system of the present disclosure.
  • the two different fluid compositions comprise the materials already discussed in connection with the delivery system. They further have the physical viscosity, density and pour point properties as discussed with the delivery system of the present disclosure.
  • the method of the present disclosure is used when withdrawing hydrocarbon fluids originating from a subterranean formation from a subsea production facility and particularly when using umbilical pipelines.
  • a delivery system is used for introducing a drag reducing agent into a hydrocarbon fluid at a subsea location in deep water well.
  • the two fluid compositions comprising the drag reducing agent and having 10-30 % by weight ⁇ -olefin polymer (drag reducing agent), 50-80 % by weight vegetable oil, 0,1-5 % by weight stabilizer, 1-5 % by weight unsaturated fatty acids and 1-10 % by weight acrylic polymer in oil and composition 25 comprising 70-99% by weight vegetable oil, 1-20 % acrylic polymer in oil, and 0,1-5 % by weight stabilizer are withdrawn from their containers 26 and 27, respectively, via conduits 28 and 29 into an injection unit 30 using regular pumps.
  • the fluid streams are sequentially pulsed into an exit pipeline using an x- way valve, such as a three way valve, and an embedded system, such as a timer, controlling the pulsing sequence electronically.
  • the formed plug flow entering the exit pipeline 31 has a predefined ratio of 1-10 running meters of fluid composition 24 and 0.5-3 running meters of fluid composition 25.
  • the formed plug flow is directed into one of the conduits inside an injection pipeline 32 which is preferably an umbilical pipeline via a regulating valve 33.
  • the pressure at the injection pipeline is about from 80 bar to 200 bar.
  • the injection pipeline length is up to 20000 m
  • the conduit diameter is up to 50 mm
  • the ambient temperature is alternating from 15 °C to 4 °C as the plug flow is moving down inside the injection line.
  • the plug flow from the injection line comprising the drag reducing agent is contacted with the hydrocarbon stream from a wellhead at a flow rate of up to 1000000 barrels/day through a manifold 33.
  • the combined fluid stream is transported via a riser pipeline 35 to a floating platform residing on the sea surface.
  • the advantages in using the method of the present disclosure is in that the pipeline remains clean, the amount of polymer particles or aggregates on the wall is neglectable. There is essentially no separation of the active drag reducing material during transport of the fluid along the umbilical pipeline. The polymer particles are not separated or extracted from the dispersion but remain in the composition comprising the drag reducing agent. Moreover, the pressure drop in the pipeline is reduced, enabling increasing the pipe pressure and therefore enabling increasing the hydrocarbon pumping capacity.
  • the method of the present disclosure enables use of higher viscosity compositions containing a drag reducing agent and the plug flow or pigging effect of the composition excluding the active ingredient will enhance the flow. The possibility for increasing the viscosity furthermore enables the use or lower pour point compositions.
  • a method for reducing drag in a pipeline transporting a fluid originating from a subterranean formation comprises the following steps:
  • the amount of the fluid composition which does not contain the drag reducing agent in step (iii') from the delivery system into said an umbilical pipeline is advantageously from 50 l to 1000 l depending of the pipe length and diameter. Flushing the umbilical pipeline with the fluid prior to transporting the plug flow comprising the drag reducing agent aids in removing possible loose particles or agglomerates or residues from the pipeline inner wall prone to catalyse precipitation or agglomeration.
  • the amount of the fluid composition which does not contain the drag reducing agent in step (vii') from the delivery system into said an umbilical pipeline is advantageously from 50 l to 1000 l depending of the pipe length and diameter.
  • the plug flow stream is advantageously created and introduced using the delivery system of the present disclosure described above.
  • the total pressure drop, ⁇ p, in a regular riser pipeline is decreased at least by 5 % depending on the ratio of compositions to be used and line configuration.
  • the method of the present disclosure enables continuous and reproducible operation of the drag reducing agent delivery into the riser pipeline.
  • the maintenance cycle may be determined by the maintenance cycle of the platform. Especially when using flushing of the umbilical pipeline with the composition excluding the reducing agent essentially no maintenance is required due to the infeed of the drag reducing agent.
  • a delivery device according to figure 1 is used.
  • the notation used for the components of the delivery system is listed in table 1. The same notation applies also to figures 2-4 .
  • the composition comprising the drag reducing agent (“NECADDTM DRA”) is prepared by mixing 19.9 wt-% rapeseed oil (Mildola Oy), 2.3 wt-% Viscoplex 10-171 (Evonik/RohMax Oil Additives), 0.1 wt-% Stabilizer NaOH (Algol Chemicals Oy) and 83.7 wt-% NECADDTM (M-I Finland Oy / M-I SWACO, A Schlumberger Company).
  • the polymer content of the final composition was 24.1 wt-%, viscosity was 1310 cP (20 rpm, at 4 °C) and density was 0.92 g/cm 3 .
  • the composition excluding the drag reducing agent (“NECADDTM MIIS”) includes 84.8 w-% rapeseed oil (Mildola Oy), 5 w-% acrylic polymer in oil (Viscoplex 10-171 from Evonik/RohMax Oil Additives), 0.5 w-% fine grinded NECADDTM 271 (M-I Finland Oy / M-I SWACO, A Schlumberger Company). and 0.2 w-% NaOH stabilizer (Algol Chemicals Oy).
  • Table 2 shows the parameters for the pipeline and material feed.
  • a three way valve 23 is used for adjusting the ratio and amounts of NECADDTM DRA and MIIS to be fed into the umbilical pipeline.
  • the timer 20 switches the valve position in a way to create alternating NECADDTM DRA segments of 10 m and MIIS segments of 2 m into the umbilical pipeline.
  • the NECADDTM DRA feed is 241 s and subsequently the MIIS feed is 48 s, where after the NECADDTM DRA feed is turned on again. Table 1.
  • a modified delivery system configuration is used as shown in figure 2 .
  • the compositions and conditions are otherwise the same as in example 1.
  • the modified delivery system uses two valves 21 and 22, one in each composition line.
  • the feeds through these valves are controlled by the timer 23.
  • Material feed through the valve controls the ratio of NECADDTM DRA and NECADDTM MIIS to the injection unit.
  • the timer 20 switches the valve positions for enabling alternating NECADDTM DRA segments of 10 m and NECADDTM MIIS segments of 2 m into the umbilical pipeline.
  • the NECADDTM DRA feed is 241 s and subsequently the valve switches to deliver NECADDTM MIIS for 48 s, where after the NECADDTM DRA feed is turned on again.
  • a modified delivery system configuration is used as shown in figure 3 .
  • the compositions and conditions are otherwise the same as in example 1.
  • valves 21 and 22 are used for both composition feed lines. These valves are controlled by the timer 20. Material feed through the valve controls the ratio of NECADDTM DRA and MIIS to the injection unit. The feed into the umbilical pipeline is carried out using two injection units both having a pumping unit of its own. Depending on the feed amount the timer 20 switches the valve positions creating an alternating NECADDTM DRA segment of 10 m and subsequently a NECADDTM MIIS segment of 2m. In case of feeding 30 l/h the NECADDTM DRA feed is 241 s and subsequently the valve switches to deliver NECADDTM MIIS for 48 s, where after the NECADDTM DRA feed is turned on again.
  • a modified delivery system configuration is used as shown in figure 4 .
  • the compositions and conditions are otherwise the same as in example 1.
  • valves 21 and 22 are used, one for each composition feed line, and two separate injection units. This system enables plug flow feed for two different umbilical pipelines leading to two different positions of the oil well.
  • the valves are controlled by the timer 20. Material feed through the valve controls the ratio of NECADDTM DRA and NECADDTM MIIS to the injection unit.
  • the feed into the umbilical pipelines is carried out using two injection units both having a pumping unit of its own and connected to each umbilical pipeline.
  • the timers 20 switch the valve positions creating an alternating NECADDTM DRA segment of 10 m and subsequently a NECADDTM MIIS segment of 2m into each umbilical pipeline.
  • the DRA feed is 241 s and subsequently the valve switches to deliver NECADDTM MIIS for 48 s, where after the NECADDTM DRA feed is turned on again.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
  • Pipeline Systems (AREA)
EP13186050.4A 2013-09-26 2013-09-26 Procédé et système permettant d'administrer un agent de réduction de traînée Withdrawn EP2853800A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP13186050.4A EP2853800A1 (fr) 2013-09-26 2013-09-26 Procédé et système permettant d'administrer un agent de réduction de traînée
PCT/US2014/057668 WO2015048411A1 (fr) 2013-09-26 2014-09-26 Procédé et système pour la distribution d'un agent réducteur de trainée

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP13186050.4A EP2853800A1 (fr) 2013-09-26 2013-09-26 Procédé et système permettant d'administrer un agent de réduction de traînée

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EP2853800A1 true EP2853800A1 (fr) 2015-04-01

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11199296B2 (en) * 2019-06-14 2021-12-14 Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations Llc Drag reducing agents

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4753261A (en) * 1987-11-02 1988-06-28 Intevep, S.A. Core-annular flow process
US5027843A (en) * 1990-06-19 1991-07-02 Conoco Inc. Use of a water soluble drag reducer in a water/oil/gas system
WO2003060375A1 (fr) * 2002-01-16 2003-07-24 Dsm Ip Assets B.V. Procede de transport d'un systeme multiphase dans un pipeline
EP1457734A2 (fr) * 2003-03-14 2004-09-15 Baker Hughes Incorporated Procédé d'introduction de réducteurs de friction dans des systèmes de transport d'hydrocarbures
WO2006132892A2 (fr) * 2005-06-03 2006-12-14 Shell Oil Company Tuyaux, systemes et procedes de transport de liquides
WO2011005744A1 (fr) * 2009-07-08 2011-01-13 Shell Oil Company Systèmes et procédés permettant de produire et de transporter des bruts visqueux
US20110114340A1 (en) * 2009-11-18 2011-05-19 Chevron U.S.A. Inc. System and method for transporting fluids in a pipeline

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4881566A (en) * 1988-10-11 1989-11-21 Conoco Inc. Method for reducing pressure drop in the transportation of drag reducer
US6774094B2 (en) * 2001-04-24 2004-08-10 Baker Hughes Incorporated Drag reduction using fatty acids
US7598333B1 (en) * 2002-04-10 2009-10-06 Conocophillips Company Low-viscosity drag reducer
US7361628B2 (en) * 2004-12-30 2008-04-22 Conocophillips Company Remote delivery of latex drag-reducing agent without introduction of immiscible low-viscosity flow facilitator

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4753261A (en) * 1987-11-02 1988-06-28 Intevep, S.A. Core-annular flow process
US5027843A (en) * 1990-06-19 1991-07-02 Conoco Inc. Use of a water soluble drag reducer in a water/oil/gas system
WO2003060375A1 (fr) * 2002-01-16 2003-07-24 Dsm Ip Assets B.V. Procede de transport d'un systeme multiphase dans un pipeline
EP1457734A2 (fr) * 2003-03-14 2004-09-15 Baker Hughes Incorporated Procédé d'introduction de réducteurs de friction dans des systèmes de transport d'hydrocarbures
WO2006132892A2 (fr) * 2005-06-03 2006-12-14 Shell Oil Company Tuyaux, systemes et procedes de transport de liquides
WO2011005744A1 (fr) * 2009-07-08 2011-01-13 Shell Oil Company Systèmes et procédés permettant de produire et de transporter des bruts visqueux
US20110114340A1 (en) * 2009-11-18 2011-05-19 Chevron U.S.A. Inc. System and method for transporting fluids in a pipeline

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