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ISSN Online: 2379-1748

ISBN Flash Drive: 978-1-56700-483-0

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-482-3

4th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference
April, 14–17, 2019 , Las Vegas, NV, USA

ANALYSIS OF PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION ALONG PIPELINE BLOCKAGE BASED ON THE CFD SIMULATION

Get access (open in a dialog) pages 897-905
DOI: 10.1615/TFEC2019.fmi.026131

Abstract

Pipeline blockage, which results from solid and hydrocarbon deposition caused by changes in pressure, temperature, or composition, is a critical issue in oil & gas production and transportation systems. Sometimes blockage, which extends several miles in the long-distance pipe, can be assumed as a new pipe with a smaller diameter. Whereas the earlier work focused on treating pipeline blockage as a choke for its limited size and length, this study attempts to analyze the relationship between the pressure distribution and the blockage size/length when analyzing the blockage characteristics under different situations. This paper explores the distribution of pressure and pressure gradient around the pipeline blockage under different operating conditions. 3-dimension (3D) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations under steady state are carried out to examine the effects of blockage diameter, blockage length and blockage location. The relationship between the pressure drop and blockage characterization is predicted, and a forecasting model for blockage sensing and localization is proposed.