Managing Deepwater Flow Assurance: Unique Riser Design Allows Dual Annuli Thermal Insulating Fluid Installation

Javora, Paul H.; Wang, Xiaolan; Burman, Jack; Renfro, Kevin; Weaver, Michael N.; Pearcy, Ricky G.; Qu, Qi

doi:10.2118/96123-ms

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Most recently, specialized thermal-insulating fluid systems have been developed to control potential flow problems in the wellbore, riser, or export pipeline, which prevent the formation and deposition of gas hydrate, paraffin, and asphaltene materials through undesired heat loss from production tubing Javora et al 2006;Javora et al 2005;Wang et al 2006). This paper will highlight the evolution of different insulating fluid systems.…”

Section: History Of Thermal Insulation In the Oil Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Trend in Oilfield Flow-Assurance Management: A Review of Thermal Insulating Fluids

Wang¹,

Qu²,

Javora³

et al. 2009

SPE Production &Amp; Operations

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Flow assurance has been one of the major considerations in deepwater completion design, in which undesired heat loss from production tubing contributes to the formation of gas hydrates and causes the deposition of paraffin and asphaltene materials. Traditionally, controlling annular heat loss has been achieved with the injection of steam, the application of silicate foam, the pressurization of the annulus with inert gas, the use of gelled oil as an insulating packer fluid, and the use of vacuum insulated tubing (VIT). Each of these applications, however, has drawbacks because of either its working mechanism or the higher cost associated with the technology.To secure the insulation of the wellbore and to reduce heat transfer from the production tubing to the surrounding areas, various aqueous insulating fluid systems with superior thermal properties have been developed in recent years. Field applications of these fluids have demonstrated significant reduction in heat loss by reducing conduction and minimizing convection. These thermal insulating fluids have been implemented with great success in more than 75 deepwater riser and packer applications in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) over the last several years. Case histories have demonstrated that installation of these water-based insulating fluids is an effective alternative to conventional insulation options and is becoming the preferred insulation method in many deepwater projects. This paper will highlight the evolution of different insulating fluid systems and the field experience with each system. Proper testing methods relevant to oilfield flow assurance will be discussed and testing results for these fluids will be detailed. Field cases in the GOM will be summarized, and the effectiveness of these fluid systems will be demonstrated.

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Section: History Of Thermal Insulation In the Oil Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Trend in Oilfield Flow-Assurance Management: A Review of Thermal Insulating Fluids

Wang¹,

Qu²,

Javora³

et al. 2009

SPE Production &Amp; Operations

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“…Recently, new methods and techniques to overcome flow assurance problems due to wellbore heat loss issues have been developed, and effective water-based insulating packer fluids have been used successfully in deepwater applications ever since late 1990 [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] . More than 70 installations have been completed in the GOM, and the types of installations have included placement of the water-based insulating packer fluid in a single riser, in one or both annuli of a dual riser, and in one or more annuli below the mud line.…”

Section: History Of Water-based Insulating Packer Fluidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For one application, the customer installed a distributed temperature sensing fiber optic system (DTS) alongside the production tubing in a dual annulus riser 22 . After the well had been producing for a number of months, the shut-in mudline DTS temperature results are presented in Figure 6.…”

Section: A Decade Of Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prediction results from one customer are presented in Figure 9, wherein the observed gradients were obtained from production logs (solid lines) and modeled gradients were obtained from pre-production predictions (dotted lines). Actual production rates were compared to the predicted values 22 . For low production rates, the actual production temperatures were found to be about 4°F lower than expected throughout the 4,400 foot riser, while for high production rates, the actual production temperatures were about 5+°F greater than predicted.…”

Section: A Decade Of Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

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A Decade of Experience—The Water-Based Thermal Insulating Packer Fluid

Javora¹,

Pearcy²,

Wang³

et al. 2008

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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The concept of 'flow assurance' has numerous connotations, especially when it comes to deepwater operations. Just a decade ago as deepwater came into vogue, flow assurance terminology would primarily refer to chemical injection technology. This quickly changed however, as demand for effective thermal insulation techniques to prevent annular pressure buildup, costly wax and asphaltene deposition, and gas hydrate formation escalated. Concurrently, effective water-based insulating fluids were introduced into the field, and were quickly accepted as a valuable method to retain heat in produced fluids and prevent heat loss to external annuli and surrounding environments. To date, over 70 installations of water-based insulating fluids have been completed, with applications ranging from controlling annular pressure buildup, to controlling heat loss in one or more riser annuli. This paper presents case histories from the originally designed insulation requirements in casing to control annular pressure buildup, to new evolutions applicable in modern risers. Operational details of installations completed, successful removal of the insulating fluid from wells, and successful re-use of the removed insulating fluids are presented. Results from an unexpected long-term shut-in, and field data connecting the effectiveness of water-based insulating fluids to model predictions are also presented.

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“…In general, it can be said that solids formation will occur at high-pressure and low-temperature conditions. Several works can be found in the literature that describe flowassurance challenges involving the prevention of solids formation [see, for example, Javora et al (2005); Alboudwarej et al (2006); Wang et al (2006aWang et al ( , 2006b; Kopps et al (2007); Harun and Watt (2009)]. Solids do not usually form during normal operation in which the temperature of the fluids is above the formation temperature of solids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental and Analytical Investigation of the Cool-Down Behavior of an Insulated Pipe Assembly Under Subsea Conditions

2012

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An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the cool-down behavior of an insulated pipe assembly under subsea conditions, and an analytical model was developed to predict the cool down of the assembly. The insulated pipe assembly consisted of a straight pipe attached to a production tee and a production elbow, and this was coated with 3 in. of thermal insulation. The pipe assembly was tested in a chamber that can simulate subsea conditions (low temperature, high pressure). The analytical model was the solution to a 1D transient heat-conduction problem of a threelayer solid cylinder. The analytical model was first verified with the use of available commercial software, and then validated against experimental data. Results showed a root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) of less than 3.8°F between the analytical model and the experimental data at the location with a geometry similar to that for which the analytical model was developed. It was found that the h values calculated from experimental data were significantly smaller than the ones calculated from empirical correlations. However, this variation resulted only in a slight difference in the cool-down temperatures. From the validation of the analytical model, it was concluded that this model can predict cool-down temperatures as a function of time in insulated pipes during shut-in operations.

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Managing Deepwater Flow Assurance: Unique Riser Design Allows Dual Annuli Thermal Insulating Fluid Installation

Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

New Trend in Oilfield Flow-Assurance Management: A Review of Thermal Insulating Fluids

New Trend in Oilfield Flow-Assurance Management: A Review of Thermal Insulating Fluids

A Decade of Experience—The Water-Based Thermal Insulating Packer Fluid

Experimental and Analytical Investigation of the Cool-Down Behavior of an Insulated Pipe Assembly Under Subsea Conditions

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