Pipelines Industry in India: Recent Developments and Future Requirements

Author(s):  
Harsukh Parekh ◽  
Vipin Chandra Sati

The consumption of petroleum products in India has been growing at a high rate. In order to meet the growing demand for petroleum, additional refining capacity is planned to be created involving augmentation of some of the existing refineries and construction of new refineries. While the refineries will be in a position to meet the demand of petroleum products, the critical and vital issue will be to supply crude oil to the refineries and to reach the products to various consumption centers in an efficient, reliable and cost effective manner. In addition to the liquid petroleum, Natural Gas is emerging as the major source of energy/feedstock. Infrastructure for storage and transportation of Natural Gas are also required to be set up in a big way to meet the projected demand. This can best be done by constructing new pipelines which are recognized worldwide as the most reliable and cost effective mode of transportation of oil and gas. In addition to the requirement for new pipelines, there is a need for upgradation of technology in the existing cross-country pipelines, many of which are more than 20 years old. Moreover, Indian Government has, as part of the process of liberalisation of the economy through a series of measures focused on the infrastructural developments, technology upgradation, trade policies and financial reforms, has opened the core sector of Petroleum to private investment. Thus, considerable scope exists not only for consultants, equipment and material manufacturers/suppliers and contractors for providing their services but also for making investments in the Indian pipeline industry. This paper describes the prospects/opportunities in the Indian pipeline industry.

Author(s):  
Y. Anggoro

The Belida field is an offshore field located in Block B of Indonesia’s South Natuna Sea. This field was discovered in 1989. Both oil and gas bearing reservoirs are present in the Belida field in the Miocene Arang, Udang and Intra Barat Formations. Within the middle Arang Formation, there are three gas pay zones informally referred to as Beta, Gamma and Delta. These sand zones are thin pay zones which need to be carefully planned and economically exploited. Due to the nature of the reservoir, sand production is a challenge and requires downhole sand control. A key challenge for sand control equipment in this application is erosion resistance without inhibiting productivity as high gas rates and associated high flow velocity is expected from the zones, which is known to have caused sand control failure. To help achieve a cost-effective and easily planned deployment solution to produce hydrocarbons, a rigless deployment is the preferred method to deploy downhole sand control. PSD analysis from the reservoir zone suggested from ‘Industry Rules of Thumb’ a conventional gravel pack deployment as a means of downhole sand control. However, based on review of newer globally proven sand control technologies since adoption of these ‘Industry Rules of Thumb’, a cost-effective solution could be considered and implemented utilizing Ceramic Sand Screen technology. This paper will discuss the successful application at Block B, Natuna Sea using Ceramic Sand Screens as a rigless intervention solution addressing the erosion / hot spotting challenges in these high rate production zones. The erosion resistance of the Ceramic Sand Screen design allows a deployment methodology directly adjacent to the perforated interval to resist against premature loss of sand control. The robust ceramic screen design gave the flexibility required to develop a cost-effective lower completion deployment methodology both from a challenging make up in the well due to a restrictive lubricator length to the tractor conveyancing in the well to land out at the desired set depth covering the producing zone. The paper will overview the success of multi-service and product supply co-operation adopting technology enablers to challenge ‘Industry Rules of Thumb’ replaced by rigless reasoning as a standard well intervention downhole sand control solution where Medco E&P Natuna Ltd. (Medco E&P) faces sand control challenges in their high deviation, sidetracked well stock. The paper draws final attention to the hydrocarbon performance gain resulting due to the ability for choke free production to allow drawing down the well at higher rates than initially expected from this zone.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.. Francis-LaCroix ◽  
D.. Seetaram

Abstract Trinidad and Tobago offshore platforms have been producing oil and natural gas for over a century. Current production of over 1500 Bcf of natural gas per year (Administration, 2013) is due to extensive reserves in oil and gas. More than eighteen of these wells are high-producing wells, producing in excess of 150 MMcf per day. Due to their large production rates, these wells utilize unconventionally large tubulars 5- and 7-in. Furthermore, as is inherent with producing gas, there are many challenges with the production. One major challenge occurs when wells become liquid loaded. As gas wells age, they produce more liquids, namely brine and condensate. Depending on flow conditions, the produced liquids can accumulate and induce a hydrostatic head pressure that is too high to be overcome by the flowing gas rates. Applying surfactants that generate foam can facilitate the unloading of these wells and restore gas production. Although the foaming process is very cost effective, its application to high-producing gas wells in Trinidad has always been problematic for the following reasons: Some of these producers are horizontal wells, or wells with large deviation angles.They were completed without pre-installed capillary strings.They are completed with large tubing diameters (5.75 in., 7 in.). Recognizing that the above three factors posed challenges to successful foam applications, major emphasis and research was directed toward this endeavor to realize the buried revenue, i.e., the recovery of the well's potential to produce natural gas. This research can also lead to the application of learnings from the first success to develop treatment for additional wells, which translates to a revenue boost to the client and the Trinidad economy. Successful treatments can also be used as correlations to establish an industry best practice for the treatment of similarly completed wells. This paper will highlight the successes realized from the treatment of three wells. It will also highlight the anomalies encountered during the treatment process, as well as the lessons learned from this treatment.


1998 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. L. Williams

Civil Marine Radar (CMR) is now a mature instrument of some 50 years steady development. Following a short history, more to provide benchmarks of achievement than to satisfy historians, this paper examines what will drive the future development of CMR. The answer may not follow recent developments, but may well be the result of a fresh maritime modus operandi to fulfil the navigation, collision avoidance and safe passage needs of all types of craft operating in all types of water with different pressures and Operational Requirements (ORS). Having postulated fresh ORS, suggestions are made on how best to fulfil them in a logical and cost-effective manner.


1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
M. A. Stratton

The discovery by the partnership of Esso Exploration and Production Australia Inc. and Hematite Petroleum Pty Ltd during the past eight years of the natural gas and crude oil fields off the east Victorian coast has often been compared to that of gold in the State in the 1850's in its impact .on the economic, industrial and social life of the community.To date the amount spent in the State on the discovery and overall development of these fields is approximately $600 million. The value of oil and gas recovered over the period of nearly four years since production commenced in 1969 and distributed and utilised by various means to 31 December 1972, amounts to about $500 million. In addition the value of refined products from Victoria's three refineries and items produced by industrial processes through the use of natural gas and petroleum products as fuels, amount to many more millions of dollars. The total impact on Victoria in one form or another could, if measured in monetary value, he equivalent to about $1200 million-all in the course of about eight years.Other States have also benefited. The building of tankers, barges, tugs and work boats and the modification of refineries in New South Wales and Queensland, have probably cost in the region of $200 million whilst indirectly the success of the Gippsland oil and gas discoveries has spurred other explorers to step up the search in many areas and, as far as natural gas is concerned, with considerable success.The speed and efficiency with which the four gas and oil fields developed to date were brought into production, the necessary treatment plants erected, the pipelines laid and distribution facilities organised; and with which the gas industry changed over to the new fuel and refineries modified their processes to use indigenous crudes have, by world standards, been exceptional. From the time the first gas field-Barracouta, was found in February 1965 until the last oil field in the program -Kingfish came fully on stream late in 1971, less than seven years elapsed.During that time Victorian fuel patterns underwent vast changes. Today over 95% of all gas consumers are using natural gas and about 70% of crude processed by local refineries comes from the Gippsland Basin. The significance of natural gas in particular is demonstrated by a 41% increase in gas sales in Victoria in 1971/72 over the previous twelve months and this trend is expected to accelerate as a result of recent arrangements for the supply of large volumes of this fuel to industrial plants including paper mills, cement works and an alumina smelter.Also of major significance to the State has been the development of the port of Western Port where the loading of tankers and LPG carriers has resulted in it becoming the State's second busiest port. Of less immediate impact but still of great value in the long term, has been the building of better roads and facilities needed to service the installations and the emergence of many valuable skills in the petroleum industry which will make easier the task of future development of new fields and facilities in Victoria and other parts of Australia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 803
Author(s):  
Abdul Qader ◽  
Jai Kant Pandit

CO2CRC, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales, is testing two novel CO2 capture technologies designed for both on-shore and off-shore natural gas applications in a state-of-the-art experimental capture rig at CO2CRC’s Otway National Research Facility. The goal is to develop robust and compact technology for high pressure natural gas separation over a range of adjusted high CO2 concentrations mimicking various gas field conditions. These technologies would facilitate developing new gas fields to recover methane in a cost-effective manner which is currently uneconomical with conventional technologies. In the first stage of testing, commercially available materials (adsorbents and membranes) were used for benchmarking. Results from both adsorbent and membrane technologies are encouraging with respect to recovery and purity of CO2 and methane with the prospect of commercial application.


1998 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Mo Moon ◽  
Sridhar Kota

To accommodate frequent changes in product design and to be able to process a family of products in a timely and cost-effective manner, the next generation of machine tools should be reconfigurable. Reconfigurability enables reduction not only in machine design lead time but more significantly a reduction in machine set-up and ramp-up time. The essential characteristics of Reconfigurable Machine Tools (RMTs) include modularity, convertibility, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. This paper presents a mathematical representation scheme using screw theory that lays the foundation for systematic design of reconfigurable machine tools. The motion characteristics of a set of desired machining tasks as well as stored library of machine modules are captured in a common representation scheme. A simple design example to illustrate the application of this methodology for systematic selection and synthesis of reconfigurable machine tools is presented.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela L. Spath ◽  
Wade A. Amos

Producing hydrogen in a cost-effective manner while minimizing environmental impacts is a big challenge. Hydrogen can be generated with carbon as a by-product from thermal decomposition of natural gas. A system using a solar reactor to produce hydrogen on-site for fueling stations was examined for its technical and economic feasibility. Integrated energy and material balance calculations were made to determine the amount of hydrogen that could be produced from a given reactor size and heliostat field area. Hourly solar data were applied to the model to properly estimate real storage requirements. This paper gives the results of the study including the greenhouse gas emissions and energy balance.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 3573
Author(s):  
Hana D. Dawoud ◽  
Haleema Saleem ◽  
Nasser Abdullah Alnuaimi ◽  
Syed Javaid Zaidi

Qatar is one of the major natural gas (NG) producing countries, which has the world’s third-largest NG reserves besides the largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Since the produced water (PW) generated in the oil and gas industry is considered as the largest waste stream, cost-effective PW management becomes fundamentally essential. The oil/gas industries in Qatar produce large amounts of PW daily, hence the key challenges facing these industries reducing the volume of PW injected in disposal wells by a level of 50% for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the reservoir. Moreover, it is important to study the characteristics of PW to determine the appropriate method to treat it and then use it for various applications such as irrigation, or dispose of it without harming the environment. This review paper targets to highlight the generation of PW in Qatar, as well as discuss the characteristics of chemical, physical, and biological treatment techniques in detail. These processes and methods discussed are not only applied by Qatari companies, but also by other companies associated or in collaboration with those in Qatar. Finally, case studies from different companies in Qatar and the challenges of treating the PW are discussed. From the different studies analyzed, various techniques as well as sequencing of different techniques were noted to be employed for the effective treatment of PW.


Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Ghaithan ◽  
Ahmed Attia ◽  
Salih O. Duffuaa

The oil and gas networks are overlapped because of the inclusion of associated gas in crude oil. This necessitates the integration and planning of oil and gas supply chain together. In recent years, hydrocarbon market has experienced high fluctuation in demands and prices which leads to considerable economic disruptions. Therefore, planning of oil and gas supply chain, considering market uncertainty is a significant area of research. In this regard, this study develops a multi-objective stochastic optimization model for tactical planning of downstream segment of oil and natural gas supply chain under uncertainty of price and demand of petroleum products. The proposed model was formulated based on a two-stage stochastic programming approach with a finite number of realizations. The proposed model helps to assess various trade-offs among the selected goals and guides decision maker(s) to effectively manage oil and natural gas supply chain. The applicability and the utility of the proposed model has been demonstrated using the case of Saudi Arabia oil and gas supply chain. The model is solved using the improved augmented ε-constraint algorithm. The impact of uncertainty of price and demand of petroleum products on the obtained results was investigated. The Value of Stochastic Solution (VSS) for total cost, total revenue, and service level reached a maximum of 12.6 %, 0.4 %, and 6.2% of wait-and see solutions, respectively. Therefore, the Value of the Stochastic Solution proved the importance of using stochastic programming approach over deterministic approach. In addition, the obtained results indicate that uncertainty in demand has higher impact on the oil and gas supply chain performance than the price.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasim Serdar Rodoplu ◽  
Adegbenga O. Sobowale ◽  
Jon E. Hanson ◽  
Beau R. Wright

Abstract Multistage fracturing (MSF) ball drop completion systems have been utilized around the globe for effectively treating formations completed as open hole and cemented. Multiple, high-rate hydraulic fracturing stages are pumped through these completions while gaining efficiency during pumping operations. A challenge within the industry was developing systems that are capable of higher pressures (greater than 10k psi) while still being able to be deployed in challenging openhole environments with minimum equipment and intervention requirements. This paper will discuss the planning, deployment and fracturing execution operations of an improved version of one of these systems. To be able to effectively utilize any MSF completion system; formation properties, deployment environment, lateral length, openhole size, liner size, and tubing movements during fracturing should be thoroughly analyzed and equally considered. To create a reliable system, another important consideration is how the system will be deployed; a long string to surface, or will it be deployed as part of a liner hanger system? In the case of the latter, it should be compatible with the liner hanger system by accommodating multiple balls to set and release the hanger system and actuate the openhole packers. In tight formation environments, where treating pressure differentials reaches as high as 15,000 psi during fracturing operations, openhole packers that are capable of holding these pressures in challenging openhole conditions are needed. Not only the packers but also the remaining completion system components need to be capable of withstanding, including burst, collapse, and ball-to-ball seat differential while simultaneously accommodating the pressure with cooling and ballooning induced tubing movement caused by these high pressure treatments. Improving such a robust design with innovative solutions, such as dissolvable frac balls that can handle 15,000 psi differential, optimizes the overall process. The completion design, deployment, and subsequent fracturing operations on a well showcases how effective consideration of components operates as a system can create a reliable MSF system. It also demonstrates how close collaboration between reservoir management, production engineering, completion experts, and vendor results in a coordination of efforts that eliminates operational hazards, thus ensuring smooth operations. The successful deployment of an openhole MSF completion system that can handle 15,000 psi with dissolving frac balls and eliminating openhole anchors helped pave the way to deal with tighter formations in an efficient and cost-effective manner. With the help of this new technology, the well planners were able to address operational challenges that would have otherwise required additional equipment or would have limited deployment capabilities. The engineering approach and design to develop this completion system and utilization in the right candidate confirmed the benefit of the novel completion for field development options.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document