The New Technological Frontiers of CO2 and Hydrogen Transportation Via Pipelines

COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the transition to decarbonized energy systems. In this context, major Operators and Contractors are bound to promote innovation and technological development. The paper describes how this is being applied to the design of offshore pipelines that are now required to transport not only Hydrocarbons but also anthropogenic CO2 and low-carbon Hydrogen. In order to evaluate all the new technical challenges presented in designing CO2 and H2 pipelines, a state of art has been carried out and is here presented focusing on all the new technical aspects associated to the main disciplines involved in the pipeline network design. Different technical aspects (such as performances evaluation of Equation of State in CCS, Design Standards application to both CO2 and hydrogen pipelines, energy capacity of hydrogen pipelines and others) have been also analytically or numerically addressed simulating credible pipeline operating scenarios. To achieve that, an intensive engineering effort is being dedicated to the development of knowledge, engineering tools, methods and procedures that will be the basis for the execution of future projects concerning H2 and CO2 transportation and storage. A particular focus has been dedicated to offshore pipeline design both for new installation and repurposing of existing ones. In parallel, the cooperation started between Operators, Contractors, Manufacturers, Institutions and Universities, as described in the present paper, acts as a "booster" for the consolidation of knowledge and for the advancing of technology to put in place to overcome those new challenges. Recommendations are made in relation to the gaps found in experimental evidence present in literature and gaps in Standards coverage for the proper pipeline design in those new scenarios.

Lateral force-displacement response of buried pipes in slopes

A series of full-scale experiments were conducted to estimate lateral soil constraints on the pipes buried in dense sandy slopes at different burial depths. The experimental data indicated that the soil force on the pipe increases with increasing the slope grade and burial depth ratio. The lateral soil force versus relative pipe displacement response observed from the experiments is presented and compared to those arising from level ground conditions. The study was extended to larger burial depth ratios by simulating pipes under sloping ground conditions using a numerical (finite element) model that was initially calibrated using the results from physical modelling. The findings from the study in terms of the variation of peak lateral soil restraint as a function of the slope grade and burial depth ratio are presented for consideration in pipeline design.

Design and Research on Shell Breaking Mechanism

For the large demand but low acquisition efficiency of the black olive kernel, the automatic assembly line instead of the traditional artificial olive kernel, automatically complete the shell breaking and kernel, kernel screening. Based on the design requirements of kernel extraction, we determine the overall structure of the olive kernel machine. Focus on analyzing material conveying device and cutting and shell breaking device, in the pipeline design, mainly use vibration disc, linear feeder, sprocket conveyor, pneumatic pressure device and linear screening machine and other institutions. Furthermore, three machining-sized molds were designed for the irregularities of the olive core. Finite element analysis showed that the design organization are reasonable.

QiBAM: Approximate Sub-String Index Search on Quantum Accelerators Applied to DNA Read Alignment

With small-scale quantum processors transitioning from experimental physics labs to industrial products, these processors in a few years are expected to scale up and be more robust for efficiently computing important algorithms in various fields. In this paper, we propose a quantum algorithm to address the challenging field of data processing for genome sequence reconstruction. This research describes an architecture-aware implementation of a quantum algorithm for sub-sequence alignment. A new algorithm named QiBAM (quantum indexed bidirectional associative memory) is proposed, which uses approximate pattern-matching based on Hamming distances. QiBAM extends the Grover’s search algorithm in two ways, allowing: (1) approximate matches needed for read errors in genomics, and (2) a distributed search for multiple solutions over the quantum encoding of DNA sequences. This approach gives a quadratic speedup over the classical algorithm. A full implementation of the algorithm is provided and verified using the OpenQL compiler and QX Simulator framework. Our implementation represents a first exploration towards a full-stack quantum accelerated genome sequencing pipeline design.

Unlocking Marginal Resources through Synergy between Subsurface and Surface Entities

Tunu is one of the biggest gas fields in Indonesia with 1400 km2 area in Mahakam Delta, East Kalimantan. This field has been producing since 1990 with cumulative production of more than 9.5 tcf and 190 mbbl condensate by the end of 2020 from over 1000 operating wells. Today, Tunu field contributes for approximately 40% of Mahakam production. After 30 years of production, Tunu production level is currently in declining phase, shown by its yearly production profile which exhibits a declining trend since 2008. Furthermore, Tunu well development project was considered marginally economical due to depleting reserve per well. Thus, an integrated study was conducted in order to reduce surface expenditure cost of Tunu pipeline based on current operating parameters. The study consisted of WHSIP history matching to determine new pipeline design pressure, evaluation of future wells production lifetime, and adjustment of pipeline corrosion allowance based on actual corrosion rate observed in Tunu field. Results show that most of future Tunu wells are predicted to have WHSIP below 200 barg and 1.5 to 3 years’ production lifetime. Corrosion rate in Tunu field as measured using corrosion coupon in piping with corrosion inhibitor injection is found to be less than 1 mm/20 years. Therefore, corrosion allowance for Tunu pipeline is optimized from 5 to 3 mm for 10-years design lifetime. For exceptional circumstances where actual well WHSIP > 200 barg, other method of producing the well will be implemented. Hence, by integrating recent subsurface behavior (WHSIP and well lifetime) with surface understanding (corrosion rate), it was then proposed new pipeline design for Tunu development. This study has generated USD 13 million cost saving for pipeline procurement in 2020. Moreover, implementation of the new pipeline design reduces 40% of pipeline unit cost for future pipeline procurement. This study has become the basis for future well development projects in Tunu field which significantly prolong Mahakam's production sustainability.

Comprehensive optimization of project cost for long supply pipelines

This paper proposes a “comprehensive” pipeline design optimization approach that considers pipe parameters, protection device parameters, and project maintenance and operational costs over the pipeline’s service life. The objective is to search for an optimal pipeline design by analyzing alternatives with different lifespans, while taking inflation and interest rates into account. A specially designed genetic algorithm routine suggests possible solutions that encompass a range of available pipe diameters, pipe materials, pipe pressure ratings, surge tank sizes, and inlet/ outlet resistances. With both steady-state and unsteady pipe flow analyses, the solution provides a system satisfying required demand without violating velocity and pressure constraints. A real-world project is selected to investigate the outcome of the optimization procedure. The proposed comprehensive optimization approach is shown to be an effective method of comparing a wide range of design alternatives for pipeline projects and identifying the one that optimizes the overall cost.

VNLP: Visible natural language processing

In general, Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms exhibit black-box behavior. Users input text and output are provided with no explanation of how the results are obtained. In order to increase understanding and trust, users value transparent processing which may explain derived results and enable understanding of the underlying routines. Many approaches take an opaque approach by default when designing NLP tools and do not incorporate a means to steer and manipulate the intermediate NLP steps. We present an interactive, customizable, visual framework that enables users to observe and participate in the NLP pipeline processes, explicitly manipulate the parameters of each step, and explore the result visually based on user preferences. The visible NLP (VNLP) pipeline design is then applied to a text similarity application to demonstrate the utility and advantages of a visible and transparent NLP pipeline in supporting users to understand and justify both the process and results. We also report feedback on our framework from a modern languages expert.