000 02421nab a2200181 4500
005 20260520001758.0
008 260224s2010 xxu
100 1 _aKam, Ihl Seung
_942919
245 0 0 _aMechanistic modeling of pipeline leak detection at fixed inlet rate
260 _cfeb. 2010
270 _a17/06/2010 ; 17/06/2010
300 _a12 p. ; 145-156
520 _aTranscripción del resumen del autor. A leak from subsea pipelines has been a serious problem in deepwater operations because of its potential threat to surrounding marine environments, significant monetary loss from the delay of hydrocarbon production, and difficulty in detection and remedial processes. For the first time, this study shows how a leak in long horizontal subsea pipelines can be modeled mechanistically using pressure traverse calculations, and presents the results in a form of contour plots, with "a change in inlet pressure ( Pin)" or "a change in outlet flowrate ( qtout)" induced by a leak in z axis as a function of leak opening size and longitudinal pipe location in the x and y axes. Beggs and Brill's correlations provided a means of deciphering complicated gas-oil two-phase flow mechanisms in pipelines. The calculated steady-state response of the system before and after the leak was investigated in terms of pressure gradient, flow rate, holdup, and flowing fraction, which were validated and well agreed with results from a quasi-dynamic numerical simulation. The results showed that the outlet flowrate monitored at the receiving facilities (qtout) could be a good indicator to detect a leak, while the pressure monitored at the inlet (Pin) was less reliable. The use of inlet pressure became more trustworthy with decreasing backpressure downstream (or increasing gas compressibility equivalently). The results also demonstrated that a leak is more easily detected if located further upstream with a larger opening size, and the presence of a compressible phase in pipelines makes leak detection more favorable leading to larger qtout. The effects of gas–oil ratio of leaking fluids, gas compressibility, leak size, and leak coefficient were investigated, and the nature of transient behavior between the two steady states, before and after the leak, was also examined.
581 _a3-4
773 0 _tJournal of Petroleum Science & Engineering
_g70
942 _cARTICULO
999 _c171149
_d171149