Analytical prodiction of gas hydrate formation condition for oil and gas pipeline

• Main Author: Muhammad Iezzul Firdaus Bin Yuhana
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Underwater wireles sensor; Network; Hydrate formation; Anificial neural network

Oil and gas production operation such as the subsea production system typically exposed to rough underwater environment such as low temperature and high pressure as most of the subsea facilities are placed on the seabed. The rough environment conditions will result in the formation of gas hydrates often when there is presence of moist in the production fluid as well. This ice-crystalline structure of hydrates will be dissipated in the inner wall of pipeline network or tubing and lead to flow assurance issues such as blockage in the oil and gas production operations. In some cases, affected pipeline structures may burst due to the blockage of gas hydrates as there is rise of pressure in the production fluid flowline. Thus, preventative measures to combat hydrates formation is in dire need to the oil and gas sector. In this paper, the underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) is proposed to demonstrate the feasibility of real-time monitoring of pipeline health condition in overcoming hydrate-associated issues in oil and gas pipelines. Next, an analytical prediction model of gas hydrate formation in oil and gas pipeline also is developed through the application of Aspen HYSYS simulation and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) modelling. Various combinations of training functions in Feed-Forward ANN are conducted in identifying the best network combination for the development of the gas hydrate prediction model. It is expected that the development of the prediction model and the feasibility of the UWSN in oil and gas production field will assist operators in decision making for the intervention process of oil and gas pipelines specifically in gas hydrates-associated problems.