Prediction of Barite Scaling Risk and Inhibition for Oil and Gas Production at High Temperature

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfu Zhang ◽  
Narayan Bhandari ◽  
Amy T. Kan ◽  
Mason B. Tomson ◽  
Chao Yan
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Batch Reactor ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Pressure Tube ◽  
Dynamic Flow ◽  
Nucleation Kinetics ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Pass Through

Abstract Barite (BaSO4) is one of the common scales in oil and gas production. Extensive work has been conducted to study barite nucleation and inhibition at temperatures below 100 °C. However, with the advance in deepwater exploration and production which can encounter high temperature conditions, a better understanding of barite scaling risk at high temperature (e.g., >150 °C) becomes essential. In this paper, a systematic study was conducted to explore barite nucleation kinetics from 70-200 °C in synthetic brines containing phosphonate (0-10 ppm) or polymeric (5-10 ppm) scale inhibitors. A 2-hour protection time with or without any detectable barite nucleation was employed to define the scaling risk. To detect barite nucleation, two novel apparatus were developed, a modified dynamic flow loop and a batch reactor. The modified dynamic flow loop has a retention time of up to 4 hours and is ideal to carry out experiments at above 100 °C. Ba concentrations in the effluents were monitored to determine barite nucleation more precisely compared to traditional “tube blocking” technique. The new batch reactor employs our newly developed laser detection method, a transparent pressure tube, and an oil bath. The transparent pressure tube allows laser to pass through and can withstand 150 psi pressure at 150 °C, which therefore provides an efficient and convenient approach to study the precipitation kinetics of scales and evaluate inhibition efficiency of inhibitors at high temperature. Constant inhibitor concentration isoplethes of diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTPMP) for barite inhibition were constructed based on our experimental data. The results of this study can facilitate the selection of an appropriate DTPMP concentration for scale treatment for high-temperature oil and gas production.

Barite-Scaling Risk and Inhibition at High Temperature

SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (01) ◽  
pp. 069-079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfu Zhang ◽  
Zhaoyi Dai ◽  
Chao Yan ◽  
Narayan Bhandari ◽  
Fei Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Batch Reactor ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Pressure Tube ◽  
Semiempirical Model ◽  
Dynamic Flow ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Wide Range

Summary Barite (BaSO4) is one of the common scales in oil-and-gas production. Extensive work has been conducted to study barite nucleation and inhibition at temperatures below 100°C. However, with the advance in deepwater exploration and production (E&P) which can encounter high-temperature (HT) conditions, a better understanding of barite-scaling risk at HT (e.g., > 150°C) becomes essential. In this paper, a systematic study was conducted to explore barite nucleation kinetics from 70 to 200°C in synthetic brines containing phosphonate (0–10 ppm) or polymeric (5–10 ppm) scale inhibitors. A 2-hour protection time with or without any detectable barite nucleation was used to define the scaling risk. To detect barite nucleation, two novel apparatuses were developed—a modified dynamic flow loop and a batch reactor. The modified dynamic flow loop has a retention time of up to 4 hours and is ideal to carry out experiments at higher than 100°C. Ba concentrations in the effluents were monitored to determine barite nucleation more precisely compared with traditional “tube blocking” technique. The new batch reactor uses our newly developed laser-detection method, a transparent pressure tube, and an oil bath. The transparent pressure tube allows laser light to pass through and can withstand 150-psi pressure at 175°C, therefore providing an efficient approach to study the precipitation kinetics of scales and to evaluate inhibition efficiency of inhibitors at HT. Constant inhibitor-concentration isopleths of diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTPMP) for barite inhibition were constructed on the basis of our experimental data. Finally, a semiempirical model that is based on data of barite nucleation and inhibition kinetics from this study and previous work was built to predict scaling risk of barite at different physicochemical conditions. This model covers a wide range of temperature (from 4 to 200°C) and brine compositions. It also covers the effect of Ba2+–SO42− ratio in solution, common cations (e.g., Ca2+), and thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors on barite precipitation. Model precipitations were found to be consistent with field observations. The results of this study can guide the design of barite-scale treatment for HT oil-and-gas production.

Ultrahigh-Temperature/Ultrahigh-Pressure Scale Control for Deepwater Oil and Gas Production

SPE Journal ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.. Fan ◽  
W.. Shi ◽  
P.. Zhang ◽  
H.. Lu ◽  
N.. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Ultrahigh Pressure ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Loop Method ◽  
Ultrahigh Temperature ◽  
Scale Control

Summary Scale control in deepwater oil and gas production is often challenging not only because of the geological and mechanical limitations associated with deepwater wells, but also because of the high-temperature (>150°C) and high-pressure (>10,000 psi) (HT/HP) environment, which may be associated with brine containing high total dissolved solids (TDSs) (>300,000 mg/L). These extreme conditions make scale prediction, control, and testing difficult because of the requirements for special alloys, pumps, and control equipment that are not readily available. Therefore, few reliable ultrahigh-temperature/ultrahigh-pressure (ultra-HT/HP) data are available. To overcome such challenges, an efficient flow-loop method has been established to study both the equilibrium and the kinetics of scale formation and inhibition at ultra-HT/HP conditions. This paper will discuss (1) an efficient flow-loop method to study the solubility of scale minerals at ultra-HT/HP conditions, (2) solubility of barite at temperature up to 200°C and pressure up to 20,000 psi, and (3) scale control and inhibitor selection for deepwater oil and gas production at ultra-HT/HP conditions. Specifically, the performance and thermal stability of some common scale inhibitors at the high-temperature conditions were studied in terms of barite-scale inhibition. The results to date indicated that (1) the solubility of barite at up to 200°C and 24,000 psi can be measured precisely by this newly developed flow-loop apparatus, (2) the rate of mineral scale formation at HT/HP may be considerably faster than previously projected from low-temperature studies and, hence, difficult to inhibit, (3) different scale inhibitors have shown considerably different thermal stability. The results and findings from these studies validate a new HT/HP apparatus for scale and inhibitor testing and information for better scale control at HT/HP conditions.

Study of Slug Control Techniques in Pipeline Systems

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. C. Monteiro ◽  
L. Loureiro Silva ◽  
J. L. A. Vidal ◽  
Theodoro A. Netto
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Automated Control ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Automated Control System

Severe slugging may occur at low flow rate conditions when a downward inclined pipeline is followed by a vertical riser. This phenomenon is undesirable for offshore oil and gas production due to large pressure and flow rate fluctuations. It is of great technological relevance to develop reliable and economical means of severe slugging mitigation. This study aims to develop an automated control system to detect and mitigate the formation of severe slugging through a choke valve and a series of sensors. As a first step, an overall flow map is generated to indicate the region within which severe slugging may occur based on Boe’s criterion [1] and Taitel’s model [2, 3]. It was possible to obtain different flow patterns by controlling the rate of water and gas injection. The aim of this paper is, however, the formation of severe slugs and study of mitigation techniques. In the control part, we used a choke valve controlled by software which is in feedback with data from a system with pressure, temperature, flow, which are able to measure even small changes in the relevant parameters to the model. A two-phase flow loop was built for the study of severe slugging in pipeline-riser system with air and water as work fluids. The inner diameter of riser and flowline is 76.2 mm. The riser is 20 meters high and the flowline is 15 meters long and could be inclined upward or downward up to 8-degree. It has been shown by experiments how riser slugging can be controlled by automated control system.

scholarly journals Corrosion Behavior of AISI 316L Stainless Steel Used as Inner Lining of Bimetallic Pipe in a Seawater Environment

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1539
Author(s):  
Daquan Li ◽  
Qingjian Liu ◽  
Wenlong Wang ◽  
Lei Jin ◽  
Huaping Xiao
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Stainless Steel ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
316L Stainless Steel ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Corrosion Rates ◽  
Seawater Environment

Seawater leakage commonly leads to corrosion in the inner lining of submarine bimetallic pipes, with significant financial implications for the offshore oil and gas production industry. This study aims to improve understanding of the performance of bimetallic pipes by investigating the corrosion behaviors of mechanically bonded 316L stainless steel. Immersion experiments were conducted in a seawater environment, under both atmospheric conditions and high temperature and high pressure conditions, and corroded surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to reveal micromorphology and elementary compositions. The results demonstrated that the corrosion rates of the bonded 316L specimen were between 5% and 20% higher than those of specimens without bonding under atmospheric conditions. This is attributed to the stress cracking that occurs during corrosion. Under high temperature and high pressure conditions, the corrosion rates were remarkably increased (91% to 135%) and the corrosion process took longer to reach equilibrium. This may be attributed, firstly, to the products becoming increasingly porous and weak, and also to the fluid stress caused by stirring in these experiments to simulate seawater movement.

Development of Dynamic Tube Blocking Test Method to Study Halite Scale Deposition and Inhibition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samridhdi Paudyal ◽  
Gedeng Ruan ◽  
Ji-young Lee ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Alex Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Bulk Precipitation ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
High Temperature And Pressure ◽  
Temperature And Pressure

Abstract Halite scaling has been observed in the oil/gas field with high TDS and low water cut. Due to its higher solubility, slight changes in temperature (T) and pressure (P) and evaporative effect could yield a large amount of scale, causing significant operational problems. Accurate prediction and control of halite scaling in the oil and gas production system have been a challenge. Therefore, this study aims to shed light on the prediction of halite scale formation, deposition behavior, and inhibition at close to oil field conditions. We have designed and developed a dynamic scale loop (DSL) test methodology that can be used at various T and P. The test method utilizes a change in temperature (ΔT) as a driving force to create halite supersaturation and follow with the scale precipitation/deposition. The tube blocking experiments suggest that the tube blockage can be caused by bulk precipitation and or deposition of halite precipitate. SEM analysis of the tube cross-sections indicated that tube blockage, presumably by bulk precipitation, could be seen at the beginning of the reaction tube, but deposition was observed towards the exit end of the tube. Similarly, various experimentation to simulate the water dilution at constant pressure and ΔT were conducted. The effect of the addition of water to prevent halite deposition was analyzed computationally by using ScaleSoftPitzer (SSP) software. Brine compatibility of several inhibitors were tested via bottle tests and autoclave tests and qualified inhibitors were tested in the tube blocking experiments to identify the performance of the inhibitor to treat the halite precipitation at high temperature and pressure. Overall, a robust test method was designed and developed for halite scaling under high temperature and pressure that can simulate the oil and gas production in the field.

Prediction of Barite Scaling Risk and Inhibition for Oil and Gas Production at High Temperature

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfu Zhang ◽  
Narayan Bhandari ◽  
Amy T. Kan ◽  
Mason B. Tomson ◽  
Chao Yan
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Oil And Gas Production

A Novel and Comprehensive Study of Polymeric and Traditional Phosphonate Inhibitors for High-Temperature Scale Control

SPE Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (03) ◽  
pp. 575-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Amy T. Kan ◽  
Mason B. Tomson
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Thermal Degradation ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Scale Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Thermal Stability Of ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Summary A novel barite-inhibition assay based on the nucleation and inhibition model has been proposed and used to evaluate the thermal stability of phosphonates and polymeric scale inhibitors with regard to their potential application in high-temperature wells. Systematic experiments have been conducted to investigate the time (minutes to days) and temperature (up to 200°C) dependence of inhibitor thermal degradation, the impact of stainless steel and iron on the degradation of inhibitors at high temperatures, and the difference between aging tests with inhibitors in solution and with those inhibitors adsorbed on core materials. The results not only enable a more accurate understanding of the thermal degradation of scale inhibitors but also facilitate the selection and placement of scale inhibitors for high-temperature oil and gas production.

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