Flow assurance and surge analysis

Contact john@ifluids.com (or) info@ifluids.com
Contact john@ifluids.com (or) info@ifluids.com , www.ifluids.com
Flow Assurance and Surge Analysis
Flow Assurance refers to the successful, safe and efficient transfer of fluids within a pipeline
and although it is commonly a term refered to within the Oil and Gas industry, it is equally
applicable to the district heating, water, nuclear and petrochemical sectors industries.
Surge Analysis is a flow assurance activity and refers to the analysis of pressure changes in
pipework. It is usually undertaken on liquid pipelines where fluid compression is negligable
and where sudden changes in flow velocity can cause over / under pressurisation of pipework.
Application Cases
• Surge analysis and dynamic simulation of pumped pipeline systems and networks.
• Preparing conceptual hydraulic designs, to advise on optimum pipeline routing and
sizing, equipment selection and operating philosophy.
• Pump selection and optimisation of wet well volumes, with switching levels, to
minimise the number of pumping cycles and reduce energy costs.
• Air valve selection and calculation of pipe diameters with gradients that will ensure
stable flow development in drained sections of descending pipelines.
• Commissioning support and trouble-shooting on-site, with transient flow and pressure
measurement/recording.
• Feasibility, capital and running cost estimates of pumping and pipeline systems
A typical surge analysis would appraise the system, quantify the problems, identify the primary
cause, select the preferred solution, prove recommendations and eliminate any secondary
effects in consultation with the client in order to provide the optimum solution, both in terms
of cost, timescales and practicality.
A Scope of Work along the lines of that detailed below would be agreed with the client prior
to any surge analysis being undertaken.

• Contract review and handover to assigned engineer in accordance with the latest
Quality Management Procedure.
• Engineering familiarisation with the project and study objectives.
• Client liaison, to discuss system philosophy and request additional data.
• Review of the hydraulic design to evaluate compliance with current Codes of Practice
and manufacturers’ recommendations.
• Preparation of a mathematical model to be used for the steady state and transient
analysis phases of the study which will incorporate detailed surge analysis / flow
assurance capabilities conducted by specialists.
• Computation of steady flow and pressures to determine achievable flowrates for
extremes of static and friction conditions.
• Execution of computer simulations of transient events to determine the maximum and
minimum surge pressures which are then compared with the system rating.
• Determination of maximum out of balance load forces between nodal locations
throughout the computer simulation to be used by stress engineers as part of their
separate stress analysis study.
• If necessary, appropriate surge suppression / alleviation techniques are proposed and
verified.
• Provision of a report, including graphical results and full engineering
recommendations.
• A full record of the study and the mathematical model are retained in accordance with
the requirements of our Quality Management System.
Flow assurance and Surge Analysis encompasses a range of objectives, often in different
phases of a pipelines' lifecycle and simulation softwares are an ideal choice for assisting in
each of these phases.
DESIGN
In the design phase, complete designs can be simulated for verification of pipeline size, flow
and pressure operating conditions and system capacity. The equipment characteristics can be
accurately simulated and correctly sized.
In some cases, a system may be very sensitive to certain control parameters. There is no better
way of maximising confidence in the overall system design than being able to simulate the

complete interaction between the pipe work, the equipment and the control scheme. Pipe work
can be correctly sized and rated, control set-points and control parameters can be tuned, system
bottlenecks can be identified and surge suppression equipment can be correctly sized.
In the district heating industry, there is additional emphasis on efficient temperature
distribution to ensure the delivery of heat to its customers and users.
Surge pressures (or water hammer as it is also known) are generated in a pipeline whenever
there is a sudden change in flow, for example, as a result of a valve opening / closing, pump
start up /shutdown or interaction between equipment on a system during normal or abnormal
operation, which may cause problems such as:-
• Unacceptable high and low pressures
• Severe pipe loads
• Unwanted trips and shutdowns
• Pipe movement and vibration
• Equipment damage
• Operation of relief valves / bursting discs
• Pipeline Leaks
The design process may of course be an extension to a current system. It may include a need
to study a change of usage or it may involve decommissioning of an existing system. Future
objectives for the system can be checked with current configurations to ensure that long-term
objectives can be achieved without the need for future expensive retrofit solutions.
PLANNING
In the planning phase, software based simulation can be used to consider the effects of future
changes to the way equipment may be operated. This may be the establishment of normal start
up procedures, planning for equipment maintenance or equipment decommissioning. The user
may wish to determine future operating conditions in terms of future flows, pressures,
temperatures, product positions or inventory distribution. Understanding future conditions
allows the user to prepare and schedule equipment for the next operation well in advance.
FORECASTING
Forecasting tools can be linked with the planning functions that estimate future product
demands (such as a consumers gas usage or heat usage) and so the simulator can simulate the
entire system supply/demand and its subsequent equipment and dynamic response. This allows
the user to prepare or control the future event.
One of many advantages & strengths lies in its ability to quickly and efficiently study a systems
sensitivity to changes in a pipelines' or equipment’s conditions. It allows a user to set up a
sequence of simulations that consider the same base design but vary specific parameters from
one simulation to the next. Changes to all equipment parameters can be made to establish the
systems sensitivity to the parameters variance.

OPERATING PHASE
In the Operating phase, software based simulation can be used to troubleshoot current
system operating problems. These problems may include: -
• Over-pressurisation and surge related issues
• System bottlenecking problems
• Poor temperature distribution in district heating systems
• Equipment performance issues
• Product quality issues
• Gas and air blockage issues in liquid pipelines
• Liquid drop-out issues in gas pipelines
• Equipment sizing issues
• Badly sized surge suppression equipment
• Incorrect telemetry settings
• Poor PID tuning and control system interference
Software based simulation are extremely powerful as a PC based desktop tool if you want to
unlock the real power of analytical analysis, connect it to the real time world and allow it to
calculate the current conditions of the pipeline. The availability of real time information is
valuable to the operator and engineer alike and allows the engineer to conduct studies using
the current, validated conditions of the pipeline.
For more information regarding iFluids Engineering Services & Past Project Track Record
please visit here
♦ Flow Assurance Studies
♦ Multiphase Flow Modeling
♦ Pipeline Efficiency Studies
♦ Surge Analysis Studies
♦ Thermal Analysis Studies
♦ Pipeline Leak Detection and Feasibility Studies

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