IFP - Exploration and Production

IFP Technologies
for Flow Assurance

Modeling
Thermal Insulation
Deposit Prevention
Additives
Testing Facilities
IFP Technologies for Flow Assurance
Flow assurance has become one of the central topics covering the choice of a given field architecture
and the specification of its production process. The relevant analysis includes the evaluation of risks
and uncertainties associated with operational procedures, and contributes to a better estimate
of the economics of a specific hydrocarbon production.
This brochure presents an overview of innovative technologies, either available through IFP
licensees or still under development by IFP and its industrial partners. The purpose of these
technologies, related to Flow Assurance, is to secure the production operations, minimizing
the down times, and reducing the production costs, particularly in the field of thermal insulation,
deposit prevention and remediation.
All these technologies benefit from the input of highly skilled teams from the Applied Mechanics,
Applied Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Divisions of IFP, and rely on the design and use
of sophisticated experimental laboratory and pilot equipment as well as advanced simulations
and predictive modeling.

MODELING
Tina
IFP is developing, in partnership
with Total, a new generation
simulation tool for flow assurance
studies. This integrated multiphase
production software will be
capable of performing multiphase
simulations from the reservoir
to the process facilities.
Due to its Cape Open compliance,
Tina process calculations
Tina will be able to include models Jip Famus — Flow Assurance
from various sources and use third by Management of Uncertainties
party modules. and Simulation
This JIP, co-operated by IFP and
Threeplex DNV, is developing an integrated
A reliable prediction of slug flow uncertainty management tool
is extremely important to ensure for decision making by the E&P
efficient oil and gas production industry.
from a given field. Threeplex The JIP program addresses
is a European project focused the following issues:
on a three-phase flow in complex • probabilistic analyses of flow
geometry, and based on experimental assurance,
measurements • estimation of possible flow
performed in the losses,
IFP slug flow loop. • assessment of the lower and
The data bank upper economic probabilities
created through of the field production and choice
those experiments of optimized solutions between
is used to validate Capex and Opex, based upon the
and improve former results of flow availability
the IFP commercial during the production life cycle.
multiphase flow
computer codes.
IFP Technologies for Flow Assurance
DEPOSIT DETECTION AND
PREVENTION/PRODUCTION
ADDITIVES
The problem of plugging
of production lines by hydrates,
asphaltenes, paraffins or scales
is considered, by the operating
companies, to be one of the major
problems in the development
of oil/gas fields and IFP has been
devoting extensive resources in
order to provide a remedy.
Special emphasis has also been
put on the separation of water in
emulsion with crude oil at surface
facilities, and has led IFP to develop
various additives to increase
the efficiency of this separation.
Hydrates
IFP has built up, over the years,
Gas hydrate agglomeration
substantial expertise in this field,
through the understanding
of hydrate formation and
dissociation, to the development
of means to remedy the problem,
such as:
• prevention: the efficiency of several
types of inhibitors has been tested.
New kinetic formulations are also
being developed by IFP,
• transportation: IFP has developed
an efficient new LDHI anti-
agglomerant additive, the IPE202,
marketed by Shrieve. A JIP has been
launched in cooperation with the
Institute for Energy Technology
(IFE, Norway), to study the flow
of hydrate slurries in the presence
of anti-agglomerant additives,
• detection: a device is under
development in partnership with
Metravib, for the detection
of hydrate plugs, based
on vibro-acoustic methods.
Asphaltenes
IFP has performed several studies
on the characterization of asphaltenes
and asphaltene flocculation.
Work is also being done on additive
formulations to be used as disper-
sants and for asphaltene deposit
prevention. Their application is either
in the reservoir formation in the near
well bore or within the well itself.
Paraffins
Waxy crude oils or condensates may
cause serious production problems
due to paraffin deposits along
the pipe wall.
A team of IFP specialists can
propose a number of studies and
solutions to overcome these
problems:
• standard and specific analytical
characterizations are thus performed
in IFP laboratories including wax
appearance temperature, pour point
and flow-behavior, specific
viscosimetry,
• modeling of the liquid-solid
equilibrium, thermodynamics
and kinetics is achieved by using
the CRYSPAR and CIRE software.
The JIP Coldstart is developing
software capable of modeling
the re-starting pressure and flow

Pig receiver cleaning in Nigeria
after a shut down and crude
gellation. Laboratory testing
is followed by pilot testing
in the Lyre loop,
• instrumentation: a non-intrusive
wax detector is under development
to measure the deposit thickness
and possibly the gelled bulk oil
Scale deposit
is put on the development
of biodegradable (“green”) additives,
efficient at very low concentration
and non-damaging in squeeze
operations.
Additives for oil/water separation
IFP's knowledge on dispersion
stability and dynamics of the
oil/water interfacial film has been
used to optimize and create new
emulsion-breaker formulations,
in partnership with several chemical
product manufacturers.
Technological solutions are
consistency (Waxmonitor European
program),
• additives: IFP has created
a laboratory methodology to select
additives preventing or limiting
paraffin deposition. In collaboration
with CECA, an additive to prevent
wax deposition, AP 757, has been
synthesized and patented.
Scales
Crystallization of mineral deposits,
mostly sulfates and carbonates,
might reduce the production flow
drastically. From the analysis
of water composition and other
reservoir characteristics, IFP is able
to perform a diagnostic of scale
deposition and may propose
different remedies.
Through the JIP Screen, emphasis Oil/water dispersion rig

Action of additive on oil/water emulsion
proposed to the field operators,
for example on the difficult case
of viscosity increase induced
by asphaltenes and emulsions
complex interactions.
Due to environmental concern and
new legislation constraints, the new
products developed are degradable
and non-toxic.
Anti-corrosion additives
IFP has the means to test behavior
and efficiency of the anti-corrosion
additives on both laboratory and full
size scales. In partnership with
operating companies, IFP has selected
chemical products to inhibit
corrosion in the presence of wet
acid gases (CO2 and H2S).
THERMAL INSULATION absorption/restitution of a low cost
gellified phase change material
Thermal insulation is a key issue (PCM) named ILS®.
in flow assurance, because sub-sea The material is designed to handle
production of hydrocarbon is prone the pressure due to high water
to blockage by paraffin deposition depth (up to 3000m). Very homoge-
or hydrate formation when the fluid neous and stable gel formulations
temperature falls below a critical have been obtained which make it
level. The operators are facing possible to achieve a significant
this problem in most of the deep increase of the cool down time in
offshore fields. the production lines. The behavior
of the mixture before gellification
Long-term behavior of insulating allows any complex shaped volumes
materials such as bundles, risers or odd shaped
Within the frame of the JIP Tideep singular points to be filled up.
(thermal insulation of deep sea
flowlines), commercial insulating
materials have been selected
to undergo long-term aging tests
including high temperature/high
pressure conditions. Data will
be used for behavior modeling.
Conventional formulations
of syntactic foams as a deepwater
insulation are suffering from
hydrolytic aging. Fundamental work
is carried out to develop improved
formulations offering long-term
insulation properties.
Liquid-solid insulation
A joint project between IFP and
Saipem is developing a newly
patented concept of insulation
using the phase-transition heat Solid Liquid Insulation (ILS) prototype
 a hydrogen migration may occur composition, additives, internal
through the metal of the inner coatings and metallurgical
pipe, increasing the annular characteristics.
pressure and altering the thermal
insulation of the structure.
The JIP Hypip, launched by IFP,
is studying this phenomenon
and testing the influence of fluid

Another joint project with Saipem,

Vactub, aims at demonstrating
the technical feasibility
of the fabrication of a light pipe-in-
pipe structure, filled with a high
performance insulating material
under vacuum.

Pipe-in-pipe hydrogen permeation

The pipe-in-pipe technology is
known to satisfy the most severe
requirements for thermal insulation,
but, when the hydrocarbons flow
has a high content of H2S, Hydrogen permeation test bench for pipe-in-pipe

IFP (Institut Français du Pétrole) is an independent center for research and industrial development, education
(IFP School), professional training (IFP Training) and information (IFP Information Center) for the oil, natural gas
and automotive industries.

IFP has the dual advantage of covering:

• All the sectors of the oil and gas industry: exploration, reservoir engineering, drilling, production, refining,
petrochemicals, natural gas processing, automotive engines and fuels, environmental protection.
• From science to industry: basic research, applied research, licensing (licences for processes, products,
materials, equipment, software) and advanced services.
TESTING FACILITIES
IFP testing facilities are located,
for small laboratory equipment in
IFP Rueil-Malmaison, and for large
equipment and piping installations
in IFP-Lyon.
Small laboratory equipment
covers:
• Physico-chemical analysis:
- viscosimetry measurement
equipment such as controlled
stress rheometers,
- high pressure (up to 400 bars)
viscosimetry.
• Thermal analysis and conductivity:
- calorimetric cells and equipment,
- a differential calorimeter with
a HP micro DSC VII, implemented
to study the hydrate formation,
dissociation and characterization,
and able to work up to 400 bars
(5,800 psi).
HP micro DSC for differential calorimetry analysis
Lyre loop for hydrate and wax deposit experiments
This on-site HP micro DSC
is marketed by Setaram, under
IFP license.
• Fluid mechanics: lab flow loops
available for testing complex fluid
flows of hydrocarbons, such
as emulsions or foamy oils,
• Electrochemical devices
(impedance, quartz crystal micro
balance) to study corrosion,
• High temperature and pressure
autoclave for corrosion testing,
• X-ray scanner,
• Reactors to study the thermo-
dynamic conditions of hydrate
formation and to test
the performance of additives,
• Hydrates and demulsifier testing
equipment.
Large testing equipment covers:
• Test benches for fatigue mechanical
testing on samples and structures,
• Sand corrosion test bench,
for testing multiphase equipment
in aggressive conditions,
• The Lyre loop: 500 ft long, 2-in
diameter, with a 23 ft long wax
deposition section, able to work
at 100 bars (1,450 psi) and with
a temperature which may be
regulated down to 0°C,
• A slug flow loop, 540 ft long
and 4-in diameter, configured
in "M" or "V" geometry, with
transparent sections,
• A loop for the qualification
of multiphase pumps, turbines,
flow-meters, etc.,
• A terrain slugging flow loop,
• A pipe-in-pipe test loop, working
with high acid gas content,
• A pilot insulation test bench able
to work at pressure up to 375
bars (5,400 psi).
 Direction de la communication -2000409 - GraphiDoc - Photos: Ceca, P.Chevrelat, JJ.Humphrey, IFP, Saipem, x.

IFP - Exploration and Production

IFP
1 et 4, avenue de Bois-Préau - 92852 Rueil-Malmaison Cedex - France
Tel.: +33 1 47 52 60 85 - Fax: +33 1 47 52 70 04
IFP-Lyon
BP 3 - 69390 Vernaison - France
www.ifp.fr Tel.: +33 4 78 02 20 20 - Fax: +33 4 78 02 20 15