Securing offshore resources development:A mathematical investigation into gas leakage in long-distance flexible pipes

Gas flexible pipes are critical multi-layered equipment for offshore oil and gas development.Under high pressure conditions,small molecular components of natural gas dissolve into the polymer inner liner of the flexible pipes and further diffuse into the annular space,incurring annular pressure build-up and/or production of acidic environment,which poses serious challenges to the structure and integrity of the flexible pipes.Gas permeation in pipes is a complex phenomenon governed by various factors such as internal pressure and temperature,annular structure,external temperature.In a long-distance gas flexible pipe,moreover,gas permeation exhibits non-uniform features,and the gas permeated into the annular space flows along the metal gap.To assess the complex gas transport behavior in long-distance gas flexible pipes,a mathematical model is established in this paper considering the multiphase flow phenomena inside the flexible pipes,the diffusion of gas in the inner liner,and the gas seepage in the annular space under varying permeable properties of the annulus.In addition,the effect of a variable temperature is accounted.A numerical calculation method is accordingly constructed to solve the coupling mathematical equations.The annular permeability was shown to significantly influence the distribution of annular pressure.As permeability increases,the annular pressure tends to become more uniform,and the annular pressure at the wellhead rises more rapidly.After annular pressure relief followed by shut-in,the pressure increase follows a convex function.By simulating the pressure recovery pattern after pressure relief and comparing it with test results,we deduce that the annular permeability lies between 123 and 512 m D.The results help shed light upon assessing the annular pressure in long distance gas flexible pipes and thus ensure the security of gas transport in the emerging development of offshore resources.

Three-phase flow of submarine gas hydrate pipe transport

In the hydraulic transporting process of cutter-suction mining natural gas hydrate, when the temperature-pressure equilibrium of gas hydrate is broken, gas hydrates dissociate into gas. As a result, solid-liquid two-phase flow(hydrate and water) transforms into gas-solid-liquid three-phase flow(methane, hydrate and water) inside the pipeline. The Euler model and CFD-PBM model were used to simulate gas-solid-liquid three-phase flow. Numerical simulation results show that the gas and solid phase gradually accumulate to the center of the pipe. Flow velocity decreases from center to boundary of the pipe along the radial direction. Comparison of numerical simulation results of two models reveals that the flow state simulated by CFD-PBM model is more uniform than that simulated by Euler model, and the main behavior of the bubble is small bubbles coalescence to large one. Comparison of numerical simulation and experimental investigation shows that the values of flow velocity and gas fraction in CFD-PBM model agree with experimental data better than those in Euler model. The proposed PBM model provides a more accurate and effective way to estimate three-phase flow state of transporting gas hydrate within the submarine pipeline.

Analysis on Shock Wave Speed of Water Hammer of Lifting Pipes for Deep-Sea Mining

Water hammer occurs whenever the fluid velocity in vertical lifting pipe systems for deep-sea mining suddenly changes. In this work, the shock wave was proven to play an important role in changing pressures and periods, and mathematical and numerical modeling technology was presented for simulated transient pressure in the abnormal pump operation. As volume concentrations were taken into account of shock wave speed, the experiment results about the pressure-time history, discharge-time history and period for the lifting pipe system showed that： as its concentrations rose up, the maximum transient pressure went down, so did its discharges; when its volume concentrations increased gradually, the period numbers of pressure decay were getting less and less, and the corresponding shock wave speed decreased. These results have highly coincided with simulation results. The conclusions are important to design lifting transporting system to prevent water hammer in order to avoid potentially devastating consequences, such as damage to components and equipment and risks to personnel.

Pressure evolution in shock-compacted granular media

The pressure evolution associated with the transient shock-induced infiltration of gas flow through granular media consisting of mobile particles is numerically investigated using a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian approach.The coupling between shock compaction and interstitial flow has been revealed.A distinctive two-stage diffusing pressure field with deflection occurring at the tail of the compaction front is found,with corresponding spikes in both gaseous velocity and temperature profiles emerging within the width of the compaction front.The compaction front,together with the deflection pressure,reaches a steady state during the later period.An analytical prediction of the steady deflection pressure that considers the contributions of porosity and the non-isothermal effect is proposed.The isothermal single-phase method we developed,combining the porosity jump condition across the compaction front,shows consistent pressure evolution with the non-isothermal CMP-PIC one under weak shock strength and low column permeability.Lastly,the microscale mechanism governing the formation of not only pressure deflection but also gaseous velocity and temperature spikes within the width of the compaction front has been described.These aforementioned evolutions of the flow field are shown to arise from the nozzling effects associated with the particle-scale variations in the volume fraction.

一例气体输送管线物理震动现象的消除

本文通过合成气装置中解析气在管道中因为气体流动的不均衡,出现共振现象,从而导致管道设施出现物理震动,提出了相关的整改问题方案。方案实施后,收到了良好的效果,改善了生产中的实际问题,稳定了生产装置的运行。

Delta-shocks and vacuums in zero-pressure gas dynamics by the flux approximation

In this paper,firstly,by solving the Riemann problem of the zero-pressure flow in gas dynamics with a flux approximation,we construct parameterized delta-shock and constant density solutions,then we show that,as the flux perturbation vanishes,they converge to the delta-shock and vacuum state solutions of the zero-pressure flow,respectively.Secondly,we solve the Riemann problem of the Euler equations of isentropic gas dynamics with a double parameter flux approximation including pressure.Furthermore,we rigorously prove that,as the two-parameter flux perturbation vanishes,any Riemann solution containing two shock waves tends to a delta-shock solution to the zero-pressure flow;any Riemann solution containing two rarefaction waves tends to a two-contact-discontinuity solution to the zero-pressure flow and the nonvacuum intermediate state in between tends to a vacuum state.Finally,numerical results are given to present the formation processes of delta shock waves and vacuum states.