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PETROMAKS2-Stort program petroleum

Condition monitoring tool for separators based on combined use of tracer technology and multiphase flow modeling

Alternative title: Måleutstyr for tilstandsovervåking av separatorer basert på kombinert bruk av tracerteknologi og flerfasemodellering

Awarded: NOK 11.1 mill.

Everybody is talking about digitalization, but how do you digitalize a process system? This research project has developed a technology for condition monitoring of a process-system using a combination of measurements and mathematical models. The technology has focused on application for gas-scrubbers but is in no way limited to this. Gas-scrubbers are designed to remove small amounts of water and condensate (light oil) from large volumes of gas. The volumetric difference makes it a highly challenging task to measure efficiency of the separation with traditional methods. The technology developed in the project enables online and inline measurement of the process condition and may be an important tool for operational support in the control room. Next step will be to develop predictive methods, a sort of ?weather forecasting for the control room?, which enables prediction of future conditions. Finally, the vision is to couple the technology with machine learning and Artificial Intelligence to enable autonomous operation of process plants. The technology consists of two main components: 1) Measurements are performed with short half-life radioactive tracers which are produced locally by an RTG-unit (Radiotracer generator) and automatically injected into a multiphase process stream upstream of a process unit. The radioactive signal is then measured upstream and downstream the unit. The benefit of using short half-life radiotracers is that the radioactivity is gone shortly after the measurement is taken and thereby one avoids presence of radioactivity downstream in the process plant. The project has developed a prototype RTG unit which produces short half-life isotopes which are made lipofilic or hydrophilic depending on requirements. 2) The radioactive signal is interpreted by a simulator tool based on mathematical models for multiphase flows and produces a Quantitative measurement of the conditions in the process unit. The project has developed a simulator tool for this purpose which has been developed and tuned against detailed laboratory experiments. The technology has been developed and tested up to laboratory scale and has also been briefly tested, but not demonstrated, on full scale on a large land-based facility in Norway. The project has also produced 3 fundamental publications on annular flows of gas and liquid and has developed improved techniques for measuring extremely thin liquid films.

A condition monitoring tool for measuring liquid carry-over from separators and scrubbers will be developed and tested. Controlling liquid carry over is essential for operation of equipment downstream of separators and scrubbers as, for example, compresso rs, are intolerant to large amount of liquids. Any liquid carried over has the potential to cause scale problems in process equipment causing decreased system performance and ultimately failure. Further, in gas transport lines following subsea separation, hydrate formation is a concern, requiring reliable methods for monitoring separator performance. The proposed condition monitoring tool is based on the combined use of tracer technology and modeling of low liquid load multiphase flow. The tracing techni ques are focused on the use of short-lived radiotracers for water and oil provided by the method of radiotracer generators. The modeling of low liquid load multiphase flow will be developed concurrently with multiphase flow experiments at the IFE Well Flo w Loop, which will generate input parameters to the model. New experimental advances in X-ray tomography of thin films are an important task in the project. The project's main delivery is a condition monitoring tool, enabling more accurate evaluation of l iquid carry-over. However, the condition monitoring tool itself is just a part of the deliveries from this project. A new prescription for describing the entrainment process in high density, low liquid load systems contributes to the fundamental understa nding of multiphase flow, and may have implications for process equipment design. Automated radiotracer generators for short-lived radiotracers may be used to monitor industrial processes involving fluid flow not only in the petrochemical industry, but al so generally in the process industry. Additionally, recruitment to the petroleum industry is an integrated part of the project through education of PhD and MSc Students and employment of a Post-Doctoral Fellow.

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Funding scheme:

PETROMAKS2-Stort program petroleum