EG55P8/EG55Q4

Process Design, Layout and Materials

Oil and Gas Pipeline Design

Dr. Henry Tan, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen

[email protected]

1
 Agenda

1. Importance of pipelines in the oil and gas industry

2. Hydraulic design for optimal flow and pressure

management.
• Oil flow
• Gas flow
• Viscosity and Pressure drop

2
 Pipelines and process piping

• One of the most important components of the industrialized world’s

infrastructure is the vast network of pipelines and process piping.

3
 Pipelines for oil transportation

• Pipelines transport oil from the wells to refineries and storage facilities. First, the oil
is collected at the wellhead or some area where the oil is stored. From the
wellhead, it is pumped across the land through a pipe and discharged at its
destination, a refinery.
• Pipelines can be used the same way to deliver already refined fuels such as gasoline,
diesel and even jet fuel from the refinery to distribution facilities or a consumer. `

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 Risers

• Risers transport produced hydrocarbons and production materials, such as injection

fluids, control fluids and gas lift. Usually insulated to withstand seafloor temperatures,
risers can be rigid or flexible.

5
 Process design

An integrated process design using fluid mechanics, thermodynamics,

safety science, materials and chemical engineering.

Pipework Separator Relief Valve

6
 Oil and Gas

• Incompressible - Oil offers resistance to compression. Volume changes

are negligible with pressure.

• Compressible – Gas is compressible. Volume changes with pressure.

Density changes with pressure.

7
 Bernoulli’s equation – incompressible flow
Conservation of mass:

 v1tA1 =  v2 tA2 = m
Z Z
1 2

Conservation of energy

 v22   v12 
 m + m  g  Z 2  −  m + m  g  Z1  = P1 A1  v1t − P2 A2  v2 t
 2   2 

P1v12 P2 v22
 + + gZ1 = + + gZ 2
 2  2
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 Riser carrying oil
P1v12 P2 v22
Ptop = Pressure at top of riser  + + gZ1 = + + gZ 2
 2  2
zbase = L

Liquid ρ does not change with height for an incompressible fluid

density in
L riser = ρ
P Ptop
Bernoulli’s equation: base
+0= + gL
 

zbase = 0
Pbase = Pressure at base of riser
 Pbase = Ptop +  gL

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Oil leaking

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Bernoulli’s equation extended for
compressible gas flow

The gas density varies

during the flow.

dP v −v
2 2
+ g ( zB − z A ) +
PB
PA 
B
2
=0 A

Pressure Elevation Velocity

change term term
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 Gas law
P – pressure
V – volume
T – temperature
PV = znRT
R – Universal Gas Constant
n – number of moles
z – Gas Compressibility Factor

In the case of an ideal gas, the compressibility factor

z = 1, and the familiar ideal gas law is recovered.

The compressibility factor of a natural gas is usually between 0.8 and 1.2.

z
P=  RT MW – molecular weight
MW
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Molecular Weight and Gas Relative Density

Air is approximately 20% Oxygen, 80% Nitrogen

– molecular weight of air
MW,air = 0.8 x 28 + 0.2 x 32 = 29

A hydrocarbon gas is a 50/50 mixture of methane and ethane

– molecular weight of hydrocarbon gas
MW,gas = 0.5x 16 + 0.5 x 30 = 23

Gas relative density (specific gravity) = 23/29 = 0.79

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 Gas Hydrostatics
Extended Bernoulli’s equation for gas flow:
Ptop = Pressure at top of riser Ptop dP
 + gz z =0
ztop
zbase = L Pbase  base

Gas density ρ Assume the riser is at a constant temperature:

L varies with
P Pbase
height z. =
 base

zbase = 0
Pbase = Pressure at base of riser
Pbase Ptop
ln + gL = 0
base Pbase
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 Viscosity

Viscosity measures a fluid's resistance to flow and directly affects

the rate at which oil or gas can be transported through a pipeline.
The design must account for the temperature-dependent viscosity
changes affecting flow rates and pumping requirements.

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 Viscosity

SI unit:
[Pa.s.] Pascal-second

Other commonly used units: [cP] centipoise

Relation between units: 1 cP = 1 x 10-3Pa.s.

Gas Compounds Viscosity Liquid Compounds Viscosity

(cP) (cP)
Air @ 5 oC .017 Octane @ 5oC 0.75
Methane @ 5 oC 0.01 Water @ 5oC 1.4
Steam @ 100 oC 0.012 Heavy crude @ 15oC 24
Medium crude @ 15oC 5
Light gas condensate @ 1
15oC

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 Pressure drop

v2 Pressure drop is defined as the

Ptotal = P +  gz + difference in total pressure between two
2 points of a fluid carrying network.

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 Reynolds Number and flow pattern
 density of the fluid
 vD v average velocity of the flow
Re =
 D pipe internal diameter
 fluid viscosity

•Turbulent Circulating currents (eddies) cross the

streamlines to give a movement of fluid
Re>4,000
molecules other than in the direction of flow

•Laminar Velocity of fluid molecules are in the direction

of flow with only minor movement across the
Re<2000
streamlines caused by molecular diffusion

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 Laminar flow in a pipe
Consider laminar flow in pipes.
Viscous retardation will cause ( P + dP )  r 2 − P r 2 +  ( 2 r  dx ) = 0
velocity to vary with distance
from the pipe wall. dv
 =
 dr

R r P + dP P 1 dP r
dv = − dr
 dx 2

Boundary condition: v r = R = 0
dx

 ( R2 − r 2 )
1 dP
v=
4  dx

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Pressure drop of laminar flow in a pipe
R

Average velocity v=
 0
2 rvdr
 R2
x
dP 32  v
=
dx D2

32  v
Pressure drop P = 2
L
D

 vD
Re =


64  v 2 L
P =
Re 2 D
 Flow in a pipe
 vD
Re =

For Laminar flow

64  v 2 L
P =
Re 2 D

Turbulent flow cannot be solved analytically, and an empirical friction factor, f, is introduced.

v 2 L
P = f
2D

– f is the Moody friction factor for Turbulent flow

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Pipe
Roughness
Chart

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23
 Pressure Drop Calculation
• Oil with a density of  = 800 kg/m3 and • Calculate Reynolds number:
a viscosity of  = 3 cP (0.003 pa.s)   v  D 800  3.5  0.1
flows in a 200m along a pipe with an Re = = = 93333
 3 10 −3
internal diameter D = 0.1 m. The pipe
material is commercial steel. Calculate • Turbulent flow
the frictional pressure loss. The fluid
velocity is 3.5 m/s. • Relative roughness = 0.0004

• Find the friction factor from the

Procedure
Moody chart: f = 0.02
• Calculate Reynolds number
• Establish turbulent or laminar • Calculate the frictional pressure
• Determine relative roughness loss using Darcy’s equation:
• Calculate the appropriate friction
factor from Moody diagram f    L  v2
P =
• Use Darcy’s equation to calculate the 2 D
pressure loss.
0.02  800  200  ( 3.5 )
2

= = 19.6kPa
2  0.1

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 Relative Roughness

Pipe internal diameter = 0.1m

Material of pipe is commercial steel

Relative roughness = 0.0004

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 Case study: Keystone Pipeline project
Transport crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to
refineries in Illinois and Texas, and to a
distribution centre in Oklahoma.

• In the Keystone Pipeline project, the

pipeline was required to operate at
higher pressures due to the viscous
nature of dilbit (diluted bitumen), which
is thicker than conventional crude oil.

• This increased pressure and viscosity

raised concerns about the potential for
leaks and the pipeline’s integrity, as
higher pressure can strain the pipeline
system.

• Concerns were also raised about the

pipeline’s ability to transport the oil
safely without spills, which could have
27 serious environmental impacts.
 Summary
• Incompressible flow of oil P1v12 P2 v22
 + + gZ1 = + + gZ 2
 2  2

• Compressible flow of gas

dP vB2 − v A2
+ g ( zB − z A ) +
PB
PA  2
=0

• Viscosity and Pressure drop

v 2 L
P = f
2D
– Laminar flow: f=64/Re
– Turbulent flow; f from Moody diagram

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