Sub-sea Processing System Water Circulation Loop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sub-sea oil and gas production in deep water with heavy oil and high viscosity faces challenges in maintaining preferred production temperatures, especially during start-up and shut-in operations, due to issues with wax and hydrate deposition in pipelines.
Innovation Solution
A sub-sea processing system utilizing a water circulation and injection pipe loop with a heating arrangement, where heated water is circulated through the system to prevent wax and hydrate deposition, and maintained during both start-up and shut-in phases to ensure efficient production and pipeline integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heated water circulation is implemented to prevent wax and hydrate deposition, then pipeline reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary heating of water before circulation and maintains temperature through continuous circulation during both production and shut-in periods, preventing wax and hydrate formation before they can deposit in pipelines
Solution Approach 2:
The heating arrangement operates continuously during production and shut-in periods, maintaining water temperature and circulation without interruption to ensure pipelines remain free of deposits throughout all operational states
2Reliability
If water circulation is maintained during shut-in to prevent deposits, then production reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system adjusts operational parameters by maintaining heated water circulation during shut-in periods rather than stopping, changing the state from static to dynamic to prevent temperature drop and deposit formation, ensuring rapid resumption of production
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively maintains desired temperature conditions, preventing wax and hydrate formation, thereby minimizing production losses and ensuring continuous operation by keeping the pipelines free from deposits during both steady-state and transient operations.
Implementation Method 1
A sub-sea processing system utilizing a water circulation and injection pipe loop with a heating arrangement, where heated water is circulated through the system to prevent wax and hydrate deposition
Implementation Method 2
The heated water is circulated by the circulation pump 5 to the injection well 2, further to the flow control device 11 and the production well 1 and thereafter to the separator 3
Data Source
AI summary
A sub-sea processing system for the production of oil and/or gas from one or more production wells (1), especially wells producing heavy oil in deep water and with high viscosity. The system includes, beyond the production wells (1), one or more injection wells (2) for the injection of produced water, a separator (3), a production pump (4), a water injection and circulation pump (5) and a heating arrangement (6). A water circulation and injection pipe loop (7) is provided to interconnect the separator (3), the injection and circulation pump (5), the heating arrangement (6), the flow control device (11), and the wells (1, 2) enabling circulation of heated water to the wells (1, 2) via the separator (3) and heating arrangement (6).