TWI designs oil and gas facility that mimics real-life conditions

Specialists at TWI, a research and technology organisation, have designed and commissioned a high-pressure flow loop. This facility will enable test environments to be more realistic representatives of the field conditions, in terms of flow and mass transport, within the oil and gas industry.

Enhancing experiments in the oil and gas industry

The flow loop allows the circulation of sour fluids – containing heptane, cyclohexane, toluene, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, methane and water – at pressures of up to 89 bar and temperatures of up to 130°C. During operation of the rig, the fluid is conditioned in the bypass loop. This fluid mixture can then be pumped through a pipe section or other component under test and the temperature, pressure and flowrate monitored remotely.

At present, the rig is used to test polymer-lined steel section for a joint industry project. However, upon completion of this work, TWI customers will have the opportunity to use this facility for other applications – such as conditioning of sections of fibre-reinforced composites, sealing assemblies and exposure testing of electronic components.

TWI’s facilities for permeation monitoring of gas and liquid phases, along with rapid gas decompression and fluid sampling facilities, can be used to enhance experiments in the oil and gas industry.

Edited from source by Elizabeth Corner

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/03072015/twi-designs-oil-gas-facility-that-mimics-real-life-conditions/