Integrated Solution to Mitigate and Prevent Black Powder Phenomena in West Kuwait Operation Facilities

Abstract

Black Powder has identified as a significant problem in all areas of hydrocarbon production facilities and transit or export lines. The phrase 'Black Powder' in the oil industry used to describe a contaminant found from wellhead, Gathering Centers and gas export lines. The constituents of black powder are known to adversely affect the efficiency, integrity and reliability of oil and gas production, refining and transportation. Its combines of corrosion material such as Iron sulfide, Iron oxide, Wax, Asphaltene, silt and sands. Its vary from one location to another within the process of the oil and gas production. Its presence in all areas of upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas production. It's affecting the flow assurance and quality of performance of the facilities from compressors, vessels, tanks, sensors and pipelines and finally impacting the refinery efficiency. Its major problem start to be present recently in oil industry which many different operators have different misunderstanding to overcome these phenomena of the black powder. The paper will be to look at best strategy and solution success to mitigate the problem of the black powder in Kuwait Oil Company from west Kuwait operation facilities to Refinery. It will highlight also roots cause, Impact and prevention plan. It will show how it help reduce gas flaring, minimization facility shutdown, reduce Flowlines leaks, and optimize chemicals consumption in operation facilities which lead to cost optimization.

Application of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm for Black Powder (BP) source identification in gas pipeline network based on 1-D model

“…To reduce the influence of BP on gas industry, many companies attempted to manage and control the BP in gas transmission pipeline network. In general, the existing methods could be classified into two different aspects (Al-Qabandi et al, 2015;Cattanach et al, 2011;Trifilieff and Wines, 2009;Tsochatzidis and Maroulis, 2007): (1) BP removal and (2) prevention methods. The approach of removing BP from gas transmission pipeline is successful in several respects, including increasing operational safety, altering operational parameters, increasing operational efficiency and facilitating effective corrosion inspection.…”