Solids Deposition from Paraffinic Mixtures: Investigation of 'Cold Flow' in Pipelines

石蜡混合物的固体沉积：管道中“冷流”的研究

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-06498
• 负责人: Mehrotra, Anil
• 金额: $ 2.55万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=708680
• 关键词: Solids; Deposition; Paraffinic; Mixtures; Investigation

Most energy consumption forecasts suggest a continued growth in the worldwide petroleum demand. However, new crude oil reservoirs are deep, located offshore and contain heavy oils, with complex and costly infrastructure and operations. One serious challenge with deep-water petroleum production is the solids or wax deposition, which is known to cause plugging of pipelines and process equipment, requiring hundreds of millions of dollars annually for its control and remediation. Pipelines are known to have been abandoned because of becoming plugged with wax deposit. Wax deposition is a complex process, involving liquid-to-solid phase transformation of paraffins, which is influenced by cooling or crystallization rates, shear stress, the rate of heat transfer, and the oil composition.      The long-term objective of this research program is to develop simulation models and a novel software for solids deposition during pipeline flow and processing of 'waxy' (paraffinic) crude oils. The heat-transfer based approach developed in this research program is unique. Building on recent innovative accomplishments, the proposed research will focus on developing the 'cold flow' technology, which offers the benefit of much reduced levels of solids deposition. In the 'cold flow' regime, however, the fluid is actually a two-phase solid-liquid suspension created by the precipitated wax crystals, which would be expected to cause increased pressure drop across the pipeline.      A number of experimental and theoretical activities are proposed that involve phase transformation, solids deposition and thermophysical and transport properties of systems comprising heavy hydrocarbons. The research will involve experimentation, statistical analysis, and model development. Over the next 5 years, NSERC DG will be used to provide training to at least 10 HQPs (2 PhD, 3 MSc and 5 BSc students).      The research methodology involves experiments with defined mixtures to provide improved understanding of the basic processes, which will aid in the validation of new mathematical models. A rigorous heat-transfer based solids deposition model will be developed for simulating both laminar and turbulent flow under a wide range of operating conditions as well as for pipeline start-up and shutdown. The model development research will be augmented by experimental and theoretical studies, including solid deposition in bench-scale flow loop and cold finger apparatus (operated at temperatures below the wax appearance temperature), phase transformation, rheological behavior of the deposit, alternate mechanisms for deposit aging and sloughing phenomena, deposit thermal conductivity, etc. The developed software, incorporating validated mathematical models, will be used by the flow assurance groups of petroleum companies for tackling major challenges associated with solids deposition in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.

大多数能源消耗预测表明，全球石油需求将继续增长。然而，新的原油储集层很深，位于近海，含有重油，基础设施和运营复杂且成本高昂。深水石油生产面临的一个严重挑战是固体或蜡沉积，众所周知，这会导致管道和工艺设备堵塞，每年需要数亿美元来控制和修复它。众所周知，管道已经被废弃，因为被蜡沉积物堵塞。石蜡沉积是一个复杂的过程，涉及石蜡的液-固相变，受冷却或结晶速度、剪切应力、热传递速度和油组成的影响。 他说，这项研究计划的长期目标是开发模拟模型和一种新的软件，用于管道流动和加工蜡质(石蜡)原油过程中的固体沉积。在本研究项目中开发的基于传热学的方法是独一无二的。在最近创新成果的基础上，拟议中的研究将专注于开发“冷流”技术，该技术的好处是大大减少了固体沉积水平。然而，在“冷流”状态下，流体实际上是由析出的蜡晶形成的固液两相悬浮液，这可能会导致管道上的压力降增加。 此外，还提出了一些实验和理论活动，涉及重烃组成体系的相变、固体沉积和热物理和输运性质。这项研究将涉及实验、统计分析和模型开发。在未来5年内，NSERC DG将用于为至少10名HQP(2名博士、3名硕士和5名理科学生)提供培训。 他说，研究方法包括用定义的混合物进行实验，以提供对基本过程的更好理解，这将有助于验证新的数学模型。开发了一个严格的基于传热学的固体沉积模型，用于模拟各种操作条件下的层流和湍流以及管道的启动和关闭。模型开发研究将通过实验和理论研究得到加强，包括小试流动回路和冷指装置中的固体沉积(在低于蜡相温度下操作)、相变、沉积物的流变性、沉积物老化和坍塌现象的替代机制、沉积物热导率等。开发的软件结合了经过验证的数学模型，将被石油公司的流动保证小组用于以可持续和具有成本效益的方式解决与固体沉积相关的主要挑战。