Slug flow control using topside measurements: A review

Abstract

Slugging flow is a condition caused by a liquid obstruction at the riser base. It exhibits cyclic behaviour. The cycle consists of a protracted time of no gas production at the riser's top, followed by the arrival of a liquid slug with a length greater than the riser height, and ultimately the breakthrough of a significant gas surge. The cycle time might range from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the system size and flow conditions. In offshore oil production, feedback control is a practical and cost-effective way to prevent slug flow. To control the flow rate or the pressure in the pipeline, adjusting the choke valve opening on the topside facility is generally utilised as the control input. From a practical standpoint, designing a control system based on topside data rather than seabed measurements is preferable. Controlling the topside pressure alone is difficult and ineffective in reality, but combining it with the flow rate results in a more reliable control solution. Measuring the flow rate of a multiphase flow, on the other hand, is difficult and expensive. All the topside measurements-based slug control techniques was critically reviewed and necessary recommendations for enhanced control performance provided. In conclusion, this review acknowledged that slugging is a well-defined flow pattern, yet despite having been studied for several decades, current slug control methods still have robustness issues. Slug flow problems are expected to become even more intense in the future as a result of longer vertical risers driven by deep-water Exploration and Production (E&P).

Keywords

• Subsea
• Topside measurements
• Multiphase flow
• Flow regimes
• Slug flow