Gas Hydrate
Gas Hydrate
Gas Hydrate
Outline
Flow assurance solids Cooling with distance in pipeline Relevance of gas hydrates Hydrate formers (smallest gas molecules) Liquid water and water vapour Gas molecules inside ice crystal cages Dissociation pressure (equilibrium) Antifreeze and Hammerschmidts equation Ormen Lange and Melkya (MEG use) Glycol dehydration Gas reserves? Global warming? Cold flow?
Flow Assurance
Flow assurance is a concept used to describe the phenomena of precipitation and deposition of solids (and multiphase flow, not discussed here) in flowlines and pipelines. Flow assurance offers technical solutions at reasonable costs without risk to installations, operators and the environment.
Precipitation is not the same as deposition
Hydrocarbon Solids
24 X 136 H 2O
A: Gas reservoir, B: Oil reservoir, C: Aquifer, D: Cap rock, E: Sealing fault. A/B: Gas-oil-contact. B/C: Oil-water-contact. Gas in A saturated with water vapour (condenses out at surface). Oil formation B contains formation water (saline).
GPA (1998)
14000
12000
c [mg/Sm3]
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
Small non-polar molecules, methane, ethane, propane and butane form gas hydrate. Carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and nitrogen also form hydrate.
Skalle 2009
Carroll 2003
24 X 136 H 2O
Dissociation Pressure
Cooling w. distance
Ud T2 = Tu + (T1 Tu ) exp L mCp
Carroll 2003
Lower line natural gas mixture; upper line with CO2 and N2
p [kPa]
Christiansen 2012
Glykol 30-50 %
Hammerschmidts Equation
K x T = M (1 x)
Ormen Lange, 121 km, 70 MSm3/d gass, 445 tonn/d MEG (=5,2 kg/s)
Snhvit, 143 km, 20 MSm3/d gass, 125 tonn/d MEG (=1,5 kg/s)
Senger 2009
Hedne (2012)
Sintef 2010
Summary
Natural gas hydrate one of several flow assurance solids in oil and gas production Cooling along a pipeline gives rise to conditions for hydrate formation (free water and condensed water vapour) Methane, ethane, propane and butane plus carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and nitrogen form hydrate Small gas molecules form hydrate inside an ice crystal cage at typically 20 C and 100 bar pressure (subsea systems) Antifreeze (commonly MEG) used to move equilibrium line to lower temperature such that hydrate does not form Drying (dehydration) of natural gas by TEG used to meet transport and sales specifications Gas hydrate may give problems in offshore drilling Gas hydrate considered a potential gas resource? Gas hydrate a potential contributor to global warming?
References
Aske, N. (2011): Wax Control, Guest Lecture, TPG 4035 Processing of Petroleum, Department of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics, NTNU, March 7, 27 pp. Carroll, J.J. (2003): Natural Gas Hydrates: A Guide for Engineers, Gulf Professional Publishing, Elsevier Science, 270 pp. Christiansen, H.E. (2012): Rate of Hydrate Inhibitor in Long Subsea Pipelines, M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, ix+107 pp. Hedne, P. (2012): Subsea Processing and Transport of Hydrocarbons, Guest Lecture, TPG 4035 Processing of Petroleum, Department of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics, NTNU, January 30, 34 pp. Holder, G.D., Zetts, S.P. and Pradhan, N., 1988. Phase Behavior in Systems Containing Clathrate Hydrates, Reviews in Chemical Engineering, Vol. 5, Issue 1-4, 1-70. Krey, V. & 17 Others: (2009): Gas Hydrates: Entrance to a Methane Age or Climate Threat?, Environ. Res. Lett., Vol. 4. Lunde (2005): Design of Multiphase Systems for Oil and Gas, TEKNA Conference. Mienert, J. (2012): Signs of Instability, Nature, Vol. 490, October 25, 2 pp. Rnningsen, H.P. (2006): Transportation of Waxy Crudes in Multiphase Pipelines, Presentation in TPG 4135 Processing of Petroleum, Department of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, 52 pp. Siljuberg, M.K. (2012): Modelling of Paraffin Wax in Oil Pipelines, M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, xi+68 pp. Senger, K. (2009): First-Order Estimation of In-Place Natural Gas Resources at the Nyegga Gas Hydrate Prospect, MidNorwegian Margin, M.Sc. Thesis, Deparment of Geology, University of Troms, 211 pp. Skalle, P. (2009): Pressure Control During Oil Well Drilling, BookBooN.com, 100 pp.