New insights into the deposition of natural gas hydrate on pipeline surfaces:A molecular dynamics simulation study

Natural gas hydrate(NGH)can cause pipeline blockages during the transportation of oil and gas under high pressures and low temperatures.Reducing hydrate adhesion on pipelines is viewed as an efficient way to prevent NGH blockages.Previous studies suggested the water film can greatly increase hydrate adhesion in gas-dominant system.Herein,by performing the molecular dynamics simulations,we find in water-dominant system,the water film plays different roles in hydrate deposition on Fe and its corrosion surfaces.Specifically,due to the strong affinity of water on Fe surface,the deposited hydrate cannot convert the adsorbed water into hydrate,thus,a water film exists.As water affinities decrease(Fe>Fe_(2)O_(3)>FeO>Fe_(3)O_(4)),adsorbed water would convert to amorphous hydrate on Fe_(2)O_(3)and form the ordered hydrate on FeO and Fe_(3)O_(4)after hydrate deposition.While absorbed water film converts to amorphous or to hydrate,the adhesion strength of hydrate continuously increases(Fe<Fe_(2)O_(3)<FeO<Fe_(3)O_(4)).This is because the detachment of deposited hydrate prefers to occur at soft region of liquid layer,the process of which becomes harder as liquid layer vanishes.As a result,contrary to gas-dominant system,the water film plays the weakening roles on hydrate adhesion in water-dominant system.Overall,our results can help to better understand the hydrate deposition mechanisms on Fe and its corrosion surfaces and suggest hydrate deposition can be adjusted by changing water affinities on pipeline surfaces.

Analysis of sensitivity to hydrate blockage risk in natural gas gathering pipeline

During the operational process of natural gas gathering and transmission pipelines,the formation of hydrates is highly probable,leading to uncontrolled movement and aggregation of hydrates.The continuous migration and accumulation of hydrates further contribute to the obstruction of natural gas pipelines,resulting in production reduction,shutdowns,and pressure build-ups.Consequently,a cascade of risks is prone to occur.To address this issue,this study focuses on the operational process of natural gas gathering and transmission pipelines,where a comprehensive framework is established.This framework includes theoretical models for pipeline temperature distribution,pipeline pressure distribution,multiphase flow within the pipeline,hydrate blockage,and numerical solution methods.By analyzing the influence of inlet temperature,inlet pressure,and terminal pressure on hydrate formation within the pipeline,the sensitivity patterns of hydrate blockage risks are derived.The research indicates that reducing inlet pressure and terminal pressure could lead to a decreased maximum hydrate formation rate,potentially mitigating pipeline blockage during natural gas transportation.Furthermore,an increase in inlet temperature and terminal pressure,and a decrease in inlet pressure,results in a displacement of the most probable location for hydrate blockage towards the terminal station.However,it is crucial to note that operating under low-pressure conditions significantly elevates energy consumption within the gathering system,contradicting the operational goal of energy efficiency and reduction of energy consumption.Consequently,for high-pressure gathering pipelines,measures such as raising the inlet temperature or employing inhibitors,electrical heat tracing,and thermal insulation should be adopted to prevent hydrate formation during natural gas transportation.Moreover,considering abnormal conditions such as gas well production and pipeline network shutdowns,which could potentially trigger hydrate formation,the installation of methanol injection connectors remains necessary to ensure production safety.

Development,challenges and strategies of natural gas industry under carbon neutral target in China

In the mid-21st century,natural gas will enter its golden age,and the era of natural gas is arriving.This paper reviews the development stages of global natural gas industry and the enlightenment of American shale gas revolution,summarizes the development history and achievements of the natural gas industry in China,analyzes the status and challenges of natural gas in the green and low-carbon energy transition,and puts forward the natural gas industry development strategies under carbon neutral target in China.The natural gas industry in China has experienced three periods:start,growth,and leap forward.At present,China has become the fourth largest natural gas producer and third largest natural gas consumer in the world,and has made great achievements in natural gas exploration and development theory and technology,providing important support for the growth of production and reserves.China has set its goal of carbon neutrality to promote green and sustainable development,which brings opportunities and challenges for natural gas industry.Natural gas has significant low-carbon advantages,and gas-electric peak shaving boosts new energy development;the difficulty and cost of development are more prominent.For the national energy security and harmonious development between economy and ecology under the carbon neutral goal,based on the principle of"comprehensive planning,technological innovation,multi-energy complementarity,diversified integration,flexibility and efficiency,optimization and upgrading",the construction of the production-supplystorage-marketing system has to be improved so as to boost the development of the natural gas industry.First,it is necessary to strengthen efforts in the exploration and development of natural gas,making projects and arrangement in key exploration and development areas,meanwhile,it is urgent to make breakthroughs in key science theories and technologies,so as to increase reserve and production.Second,it should promote green and innovative development of the natural gas by developing new techniques,expanding new fields and integrating with new energy.Third,there is a demand to realize transformation and upgrading of the supply and demand structure of natural gas by strengthening the layout of pipeline gas,liquefied natural gas and the construction of underground gas storage,establishing reserve system for improving abilities of emergency response and adjustment,raising the proportion of natural gas in the primary energy consumption and contributing to the transformation of energy consumption structure,realizing low-carbon resources utilization and clean energy consumption.

Tracing of natural gas migration by light hydrocarbons:A case study of the Dongsheng gas field in the Ordos Basin,NW China

Based on the analysis of light hydrocarbon compositions of natural gas and regional comparison in combination with the chemical components and carbon isotopic compositions of methane,the indication of geochemical characteristics of light hydrocarbons on the migration features,dissolution and escape of natural gas from the Dongsheng gas field in the Ordos Basin is revealed,and the effect of migration on specific light hydrocarbon indexes is further discussed.The study indicates that,natural gas from the Lower Shihezi Formation(Pix)in the Dongsheng gas field displays higher iso-C5-7contents than n-C5-7contents,and the C6-7light hydrocarbons are composed of paraffins with extremely low aromatic contents(<0.4%),whereas the C7light hydrocarbons are dominated by methylcyclohexane,suggesting the characteristics of coal-derived gas with the influence by secondary alterations such as dissolution.The natural gas from the Dongsheng gas field has experienced free-phase migration from south to north and different degrees of dissolution after charging,and the gas in the Shiguhao area to the north of the Borjianghaizi fault has experienced apparent diffusion loss after accumulation.Long-distance migration in free phase results in the decrease of the relative contents of the methylcyclohexane in C7 light hydrocarbons and the toluene/n-heptane ratio,as well as the increase of the n-heptane/methylcyclohexane ratio and heptane values.The dissolution causes the increase of isoheptane values of the light hydrocarbons,whereas the diffusion loss of natural gas in the Shiguhao area results in the increase of n-C5-7contents compared to the iso-C5-7contents.

Numerical Investigation of Combined Production of Natural Gas Hydrate and Conventional Gas

Natural gas hydrate(NGH)is generally produced and accumulated together with the underlying conventional gas.Therefore,optimizing the production technology of these two gases should be seen as a relevant way to effectively reduce the exploitation cost of the gas hydrate.In this study,three types of models accounting for the coexistence of these gases are considered.Type A considers the upper hydrate-bearing layer(HBL)adjacent to the lower conventional gas layer(CGL);with the Type B a permeable interlayer exists between the upper HBL and the lower CGL;with the type C there is an impermeable interlayer between the upper HBL and the lower CGL.The production performances associated with the above three models are calculated under different conditions,including only a depressurized HBL(only HBL DP);only a depressurized CGL(only CGL DP);and both the HBL and the CGL being depressurized(HBL+CGL DP).The results show that for Type A and Type B coexistence accumulation models,when only HBL or CGL is depressurized,the gas from the other layer will flow into the production layer due to the pressure difference between the two layers.In the coexistence accumulation model of type C,the cumulative gas production is much lower than that of Type A and Type B,regardless of whether only HBL DP,only CGL DP,or HBL+CGL DP are considered.This indicates that the impermeable interlayer restricts the cross-flow of gas between HBL and CGL.For three different coexistence accumulation models,CGL DP has the largest gas-to-water ratio.

Origin of condensate oil and natural gas in Bozhong 19-6 gas field,Bohai Bay Basin

The discovery of the Bozhong 19-6 gas field has opened a new frontier for deep gas exploration in the Bohai Bay Basin,with a great potential for further gas exploration.However,poor understanding of oil and gas origin has been limiting the exploration progress in this area.To clarify the origin of condensate oil and gas in Bozhong 19-6 gas field,this study adequately utilized the organic geochemical analysis data to investigate the composition and geochemical characteristics of condensate oil and natural gas,and analyzed the relationship between condensate oil and the three sets of source rocks in the nearby subsags.Results show that the lighter components dominate the condensate oil,with a forward type predominance.The parent material of crude oil was primarily deposited in a shallow,clay-rich,low-salinity,weakly reducing aquatic environment.The condensate and natural gas have similar parent source characteristics and maturity,with Ro ranging from 1.4%to 1.6%.Both are products of high maturity stage,indicating that they are hydrocarbon compounds produced by the same group of source rocks in the same stage.Oil-sources correlation shows that condensate oil and gas mainly originate from the source rocks of the third member of Shahejie Formation in the nearby subsags of the Bozhong 19-6 structural belt.

Numerical Simulation of Asphaltene Precipitation and Deposition during Natural Gas and CO_(2) Injection

Asphaltene deposition is a significant problem during gas injection processes,as it can block the porous medium,the wellbore,and the involved facilities,significantly impacting reservoir productivity and ultimate oil recovery.Only a few studies have investigated the numerical modeling of this potential effect in porous media.This study focuses on asphaltene deposition due to natural gas and CO_(2) injection.Predictions of the effect of gas injection on asphaltene deposition behavior have been made using a 3D numerical simulation model.The results indicate that the injection of natural gas exacerbates asphaltene deposition,leading to a significant reduction in permeability near the injection well and throughout the reservoir.This reduction in permeability strongly affects the ability of gas toflow through the reservoir,resulting in an improvement of the displacement front.The displacement effi-ciency of the injection gas process increases by up to 1.40%when gas is injected at 5500 psi,compared to the scenario where the asphaltene model is not considered.CO_(2) injection leads to a miscible process with crude oil,extracting light and intermediate components,which intensifies asphaltene precipitation and increases the viscosity of the remaining crude oil,ultimately reducing the recovery rate.

Impact Damage Testing Study of Shanxi-Beijing Natural Gas Pipeline Based on Decision Tree Rotary Tiller Operation

The North China Plain and the agricultural region are crossed by the Shanxi-Beijing natural gas pipeline.Resi-dents in the area use rototillers for planting and harvesting;however,the depth of the rototillers into the ground is greater than the depth of the pipeline,posing a significant threat to the safe operation of the pipeline.Therefore,it is of great significance to study the dynamic response of rotary tillers impacting pipelines to ensure the safe opera-tion of pipelines.This article focuses on the Shanxi-Beijing natural gas pipeline,utilizingfinite element simulation software to establish afinite element model for the interaction among the machinery,pipeline,and soil,and ana-lyzing the dynamic response of the pipeline.At the same time,a decision tree model is introduced to classify the damage of pipelines under different working conditions,and the boundary value and importance of each influen-cing factor on pipeline damage are derived.Considering the actual conditions in the hemp yam planting area,targeted management measures have been proposed to ensure the operational safety of the Shanxi-Beijing natural gas pipeline in this region.

Numerical Simulation of Liquified Natural Gas Boiling Heat Transfer Characteristics in Helically Coiled Tube-in-Tube Heat Exchangers

Helically coiled tube-in-tube(HCTT)heat exchangers are widely applied to the process technology because of their compactness and higher heat transfer efficiency.HCTT heat exchangers play an important role in liquified natural gas(LNG)use and cold energy recovery.The heat transfer characteristics,pressure distribution,and degree of vaporization of LNG in HCTT heat exchangers are numerically investigated.By comparing the simulation results of the computational model with existing experimental results,the effectiveness of the computational model is verified.The numerical simulation results show the vapor volume fraction of the HCTT heat exchanger is related to the inlet Reynolds number,inner tube diameters,and helix diameter.The vapor volume fraction increases rapidly from the fourth to the seventh equal division points of the helix tube length.On condition that the inlet Reynolds number is greater than 33500,the pressure drop rate gradually increases.When the magnitude of the vapor volume fraction is below 0.2,the heat transfer coefficient increase rate is greater than that when the vapor volume fraction is above 0.2.The heat exchange efficiency of HCTT heat exchangers increases with the decrease of the ratio of helix diameter to inner tube diameter.

Green Hydrogen: Perspectives and Challenges in Using the Natural Gas Network in Ceará/Brazil

Climate change, mainly caused by the use of non-renewable fuels, has raised global concerns and led to the search for less polluting energy sources, making hydrogen a promising energy alternative with the potential to contribute to changes in the energy mix of various countries through the use of technologies that enable its production and use with low or zero carbon emissions. In this context, Brazil has aroused great interest from other countries in exploring its renewable resources for the production of hydrogen (green hydrogen). In this sense, the use of natural gas pipelines and the use of hydrogen in mixtures with natural gas have become the subject of studies due to their economically viable alternative for the immediate use of this energy vector. However, there are still technical and regulatory challenges regarding the integration of hydrogen into the existing natural gas pipeline network. In this context, the present study aims to address the effects of hydrogen interaction with the structure of natural gas pipeline steel and the regulatory barriers to the use of this network for the transportation of green hydrogen, particularly in the state of Ceará/Brazil. After extensive analysis of literature and regulatory documents, it was concluded that: 1) Ceará/Brazil has strong potential to meet the demand for green hydrogen through the use of solar and wind energy sources;2) there is feasibility for the adaptation or conversion of natural gas infrastructure for the transportation of green hydrogen;3) discussions regarding the regulatory competence of green hydrogen transportation and distribution through the natural gas network in Brazil are still incipient;4) the current regulation of the natural gas industry can serve as a subsidy for the regulation of green hydrogen and natural gas transportation.

Analysis of the supply-demand status of China's natural gas to 2020

The reserves, distribution, production and utilization of natural gas resources in China are introduced in this paper which leads a point of view that China＇s natural gas resources are relatively rich while distributed unevenly. The future production and consumption of China＇s natural gas are predicted using the Generalized Weng model and the Gray prediction model. The prediction suggests that with the increasing gas consumption China＇s natural gas production will not meet demand after 2010. In order to ease the supply-demand gap and realize rational development and utilization of China＇s natural gas resources, this paper puts forward some measures, such as using advanced technologies for natural gas development, establishing a long-distance pipeline network to rationalize the availability of natural gas across China and importing foreign natural gas and liquid natural gas （LNG）.

Development Status and Prospects of the Natural Gas Industry in China

The year 2017 saw explosive growth in China's natural gas market, and the apparent consumption was 235.7 billion cubic meters, up 18.2% over the same period of 2016. In 2017, China's domestic production growth picked up significantly, reaching 145.3 billion cubic meters, an increase of 9%.Natural gas imports grew rapidly, and imported pipeline gas and imported LNG totaled 91.6 billion cubic meters. The trade volume of LNG surpassed that of pipeline gas for the first time since 2012. In 2018, the macro-economy is expected to maintain growth at a moderate-to-high rate. However, driven by favorable factors such as environmental policies, China's demand for natural gas is expected to continue to grow rapidly, and natural gas consumption will maintain double-digit growth, roughly at 12%. Nevertheless, the seasonable imbalance between natural gas supply and demand will remain conspicuous.

Comparison of two schemes for district cooling system utilizing cold energy of liquefied natural gas

Two schemes（scheme Ⅰ and scheme Ⅱ）for designing a district cooling system（DCS）utilizing cold energy of liquefied natural gas（LNG）are presented.In scheme Ⅰ,LNG cold energy is used to produce ice,and then ice is transported to the central cooling plant of the DCS.In scheme Ⅱ,return water from the DCS is directly chilled by LNG cold energy,and the chilled water is then sent back to the central plant.The heat transportation loss is the main negative impact in the DCS and is emphatically analyzed when evaluating the efficiency of each scheme.The results show that the DCS utilizing LNG cold energy is feasible and valuable.The cooling supply distance of scheme Ⅱ is limited within 13 km while scheme Ⅰ has no distance limit.When the distance is between 6 and 13 km,scheme Ⅱ is more practical and effective.Contrarily,scheme Ⅰ has a better economic performance when the distance is shorter than 6 km or longer than 13 km.

Risk Assessment Index System of Natural Gas Industrial Chain in China

This paper establishes a risk assessment index system for the natural gas industrial chain. China＇s natural gas industrial chain is entering a stage of rapid growth. In order to guarantee healthy development of the natural gas industrial chain, it is urgent to establish a risk alert system, which is based on a risk assessment index system. First of all, the risks of the natural gas industrial chain are defined in the paper; then the risk factors are analyzed according to the present status of the natural gas industrial chain, and five categories of risk factors are summarized： resource risk, transport risk, marketing risk, risk of unbalanced chain links, and environment risk. The paper presents the principles of the risk assessment index system. The natural gas industrial chain risk assessment index system is established with four levels and forty-six risk indices.

Current Situation and Prevention of Soil Erosion from Construction of West-East Natural Gas Transmission (Ningxia-Shaanxi Section)

In the research, problems and damages of soil erosions in West -East Natural Gas Transmission were analyzed; the reasons were summarized and the characteristics of soil erosion were researched in order to explore principles of pipeline prevention and seek countermeasures.

A Novel Process for Natural Gas Liquids Recovery from Oil Field Associated Gas with Liquefied Natural Gas Cryogenic Energy Utilization

A novel process to recovery natural gas liquids from oil field associated gas with liquefied natural gas (LNG)cryogenic energy utilization is proposed.Compared to the current electric refrigeration process,the proposed process uses the cryogenic energy of LNG and saves 62.6%of electricity.The proposed process recovers ethane, liquid petroleum gas(propane and butane)and heavier hydrocarbons,with total recovery rate of natural gas liquids up to 96.8%.In this paper,exergy analysis and the energy utilization diagram method(EUD)are used to assess the new process and identify the key operation units with large exergy loss.The results show that exergy efficiency of the new process is 44.3%.Compared to the electric refrigeration process,exergy efficiency of the new process is improved by 16%.The proposed process has been applied and implemented in a conceptual design scheme of the cryogenic energy utilization for a 300 million tons/yr LNG receiving terminal in a northern Chinese harbor.

Application of butane geochemistry of natural gas in hydrocarbon exploration

In order to distinguish the source and migration direction of natural gas by geochemical characteristics of butane,the components and carbon isotopes of natural gas from major hydrocarbonbearing basins in China were analyzed.The results showed that：（1） Oil-type gas has i-C 4 /n-C 4 0.8,δ 13 C butane -28‰,δ 13 C i-butane -27‰,δ 13 C n-butane -28.5‰,whereas coal-type gas has i-C 4 /n-C 4 0.8,δ 13 C butane -25.5‰,δ 13 C i-butane -24‰,δ 13 C n-butane -26‰.（2） When δ 13 C i-butane-δ 13 C n-butane is greater than 0,the maturity of oil-type gas is generally more than 2.4% and that of coal-type gas is greater than 1.4%,whereas when the difference is less than 0,the maturity of oil-type gas is generally less than 1.1% and that of coal-type gas is less than 0.8%.（3） When natural gas migrates through dense cap rocks,the value of i-C 4 /n-C 4 increases,whereas when it migrates laterally along a reservoir,the value of i-C 4 /n-C 4 decreases.（4） Sapropelic transition zone gas with composition and carbon isotopic signatures similar to those of oil-type gas in the low thermal evolution stage is found to have a relatively high butane content.（5） The values of i-C 4 /n-C 4 and δ 13 C n-butane δ 13 C i-butane of gas which has suffered biological degradation are significantly higher than those obtained from thermogenic and bio-thermocatalytic transition zone gas.Thus,natural gas of different genetic types can be recognized through component analysis and carbon isotopic signatures of butane,the natural gas maturity can be estimated from the difference in carbon isotopic content between isobutane and n-butane,and the migration direction of natural gas can be determined from i-C 4 /n-C 4 ratios and transport conditions,which can also be used to thermogenic and bio-thermocatalytic transition zone gas.

Evaluation of natural gas hydrate resources in the South China Sea using a new genetic analogy method

Natural gas hydrate(NGH)has attracted much attention as a new alternative energy globally.However,evaluations of global NGH resources in the past few decades have casted a decreasing trend,where the estimate as of today is less than one ten-thousandth of the estimate forty years ago.The NGH researches in China started relatively late,but achievements have been made in the South China Sea(SCS)in the past two decades.Thirty-five studies had been carried out to evaluate NGH resource,and results showed a flat trend,ranging from 60 to 90 billion tons of oil equivalent,which was 2-3 times of the evaluation results of technical recoverable oil and gas resources in the SCS.The big difference is that the previous 35 group of NGH resource evaluations for the SCS only refers to the prospective gas resource with low grade level and high uncertainty,which cannot be used to guide exploration or researches on development strategies.Based on the analogy with the genetic mechanism of conventional oil and gas resources,this study adopts the newly proposed genetic method and geological analogy method to evaluate the NGH resource.Results show that the conventional oil and gas resources are 346.29×10^(8)t,the volume of NGH and free dynamic field are 25.19×10^(4)km^(3) and(2.05-2.48)×10^(6)km^(3),and the total amount of in-situ NGH resources in the SCS is about(4.47-6.02)×10^(12)m^(3).It is considered that the resource of hydrate should not exceed that of conventional oil and gas,so it is 30 times lower than the previous estimate.This study provides a more reliable geological basis for further NGH exploration and development.

Urban natural gas demand and factors analysis in China:Perspectives of price and income elasticities

Urban natural gas is becoming the main sector driving China’s natural gas consumption growth in recent years.This study explores the impacts of urban natural gas price,wage,socioeconomic determinants,and meteorological conditions on urban natural gas demand in China over 2006-2017.Furthermore,this study also analyzes the potential regional heterogeneity and asymmetry in the impacts of gas price and income on China’s urban gas demand.Empirical results reveal that:(1)The increased gas price can significantly reduce the urban gas demand,and the average income level may effectively promote the gas demand,also,a strong switching effect exists between electricity and natural gas in urban China;(2)these impacts are heterogeneous in regions among China,urban natural gas demand is largely affected by the gas price in regions with high-gas-price and by income in regions with low-gas-price;and(3)the impact of gas price on urban gas consumption is consistent in regions with different urban natural gas consumption,while the impact of income is asymmetric.This study further provides several policy implications for improving the urban natural gas industry in China.

Development of an integrated dynamic model for supply security and resilience analysis of natural gas pipeline network systems

An integrated dynamic model of natural gas pipeline networks is developed in this paper.Components for gas supply,e.g.,pipelines,junctions,compressor stations,LNG terminals,regulation stations and gas storage facilities are included in the model.These components are firstly modeled with respect to their properties and functions and,then,integrated at the system level by Graph Theory.The model can be used for simulating the system response in different scenarios of operation,and evaluate the consequences from the perspectives of supply security and resilience.A case study is considered to evaluate the accuracy of the model by benchmarking its results against those from literature and the software Pipeline Studio.Finally,the model is applied on a relatively complex natural gas pipeline network and the results are analyzed in detail from the supply security and resilience points of view.The main contributions of the paper are:firstly,a novel model of a complex gas pipeline network is proposed as a dynamic state-space model at system level;a method,based on the dynamic model,is proposed to analyze the security and resilience of supply from a system perspective.