Estimation of Wax Deposition in Subsea Pipelines

Developed is a multi-physics low dimensional model forecasting wax deposition rate within subsea production pipelines. This research employs experiments from 1-D and 2-D multiphase flow that have been successfully matched by a combined physics model on a closed-loop structure where the measuring length was 2.5m and the pipe inside diameter 0.0144m. The wax precipitation factor correlations used in 1-D and 2-D wax deposition models are valid only for 1-phase flows. Thus, to apply the 2-phase flow along these models the import of a coefficient is applied, directly related to the Gas Volume Fraction. Finally, there is a simulation that validates the model for 1-D, 1-phase closed loop system and a simulation for 1-D, 2-phase closed loop system. Then, the model is applied on a subsea pipeline for 1-D, 1-phase for a pipe of 0.305m ID, 80km long and for 2-D, 2-phase separately for a pipeline of same ID, 100m and 1000m long.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Tatsis, Antonis

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Franchek, Matthew A.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Grigoriadis, Karolos M.
• Vipulanandan, Cumaraswamy

• Wax Deposition
• Multi-phase flow

Statement dc:rights

• The author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/5716

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/5716