2014年3月31日星期一

Oil And Gas Formation




Generally the scientist believe the crude oil and natural gas are formed by live things. Tiny sea plants and animals died were buried on ocean floor. Over time, they were covered by layers of sediment and rock.
Over millions of  years,the remains were buried deeper and deeper.The enormous heat and pressure turn them into oil and gas. They migrated from the source to the reservoir rock, and trapping by impermeable rock.


Question 1:  Is this live things transformation process continuous? Today a fish died in sea, would it become oil over millions of year later?

Question 2: Why from live things? Live things contains protein (CO-NH), Is amount of hydrocarbon to O and N ratio in reservoir reflect protein ratio?

Question 3: Formation oil and gas need the right temperature and pressure. However found some oil in surface only few meter from ground which is no high temperature and pressure condition.

Question 4: The hydrocarbon was found in some of planet, like Saturn, Jupiter, but without biology.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Pray for MH370


(8 March 2014) MAS flight MH370 has lost contact with Subang air traffic control at 2.40am,

We pray together for MH370.




Flightradar24 replay MH370 missing track.
another traffic website for marine/ship
"Black Box" is not black in colour




24 March 2014, PM Najib announced based on inmarsat new calculation narrow the to MH370 went to south corridor and "ended" at Indian Ocean, east of Australia.

MH370 ping 了七次,分别是时间2:11、3:11、4:11、5:11、6:11、7:11、8:11
“Doppler effect”
观 察者与波源互相接近时,波被“压缩”,波长变短、频率变高;互相远离时,波被“拉长”,频率降低。例如,当火车靠近时,人们会感到汽笛声越来越尖利刺耳, 而火车远离时,汽笛的声调越来越低沉。所幸国际海事卫星配备有精确到纳秒(nano-second)乃至皮秒(pico-second)级别的时钟,可以 测得精确细微的频率变化。
卫星位于赤道上,那七次信号,前组信号是被压缩,然后被“拉长”,就是飞机飞靠近赤道再远离,如果往北,七次信号全被“拉长”,但是先被压缩,然后被“拉长”,结论是往南飞了。
http://news.ifeng.com/world/special/malaixiyakejishilian/content-4/detail_2014_03/26/35137776_0.shtml#_from_ralated



video from:
http://live.wsj.com/video/flight-370-how-pings-revealed-the-flight-path/991D6CB0-852F-4D44-9B44-6107093815EC.html

Friday, February 21, 2014

SBM suffered with corruption scandal

SBM Offshore, world No 2 largest FPSO contractor recently suffered in corruption case. The company declined to comment the quote in Wikipeidia.

"The company is involved in one of the biggest worldwide corporate bribery and corruption scandals in recent history, with more than US$250,000,000 of bribes and other malpractices spanning many years.

It has been alleged that SBM Offshore has paid in bribes between 2005 and 2011, more than 250 million dollars (185 million euros) in many countries. This could be seen in a document from a former employee of the company (who identifies himself as a Former Employee). According to the website of the magazine Quote SBM confirms that the document is genuine."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBM_Offshore


Petrobas investigates SBM corruption claims
SBM Offshore has been accused of paying US$139mn to "employees and intermediaries" to guarantee platform supply contracts, according to state news service Agência Brasil.

Petrobras CEO Maria das Graças Foster promised a prompt outcome to the investigation.

"We have started an internal audit and the investigation is expected to last less than 30 days," Foster said. "During this time we won't give any information about the matter."

source: http://www.bnamericas.com/news/oilandgas/petrobras-investigates-sbm-corruption-claims


Wednesday, February 19, 2014

World LNG Price (November 2013)

Oil and Gas Processing (Gas Section)

Figure 1: Typical PFD of Oil and Gas Processing
The typical process flow diagram (PFD) of oil and gas processing for most of fixed or floating offshore production. Two sections consists crude oil stabilisation and associated gas compression.
This section is continue to discuss the gas processing part in offshore production platform. The HP-MP-LP Separators separate gas from oil. The gas from LP and MP Separators will be recompressed by small compressor driven by electric motor. The re-compressed gas co-mingle with the gas from HP Separator. The gas send to HP Compression train for sale gas, gas lift or gas injection.
The HP Compression train included gas scrubber, gas cooler, anti-surge recycle and driver (gas turbine, steam turbine or electric motor). The gas compressed to higher pressure via several stages of compressors. Each compressor is driven by same shaft. Number of stage compressor is depended on final discharge pressure and compression ratio of compressor. The common compression ratio is maximum 4.
The imperial practice is equal compression ratio of each stage HP Compressor due to high efficiency and cost effective.
The gas treatment system allocate at interstage HP compression train. They are Gas Dehydration, Mercury Removal, Gas Sweetening, Hydrocarbon Dew-point Control Unit, or Natural Gas Liquid Recovery Unit. The gas treatment system depend on gas export requirements.
The treated gas is exported via gas flowline or LNG/CNG tanker to onshore processing plant.


Figure 2: Floating Oil and Gas Production






Oil Rig / Offshore Structure


Type of design offshore platform subjects to water depth, geology condition and cost effective solution. The various types of offshore platform shown as below:
  1. Fixed Steel Structure
  2. Compliant Tower
  3. Jack-up Platform
  4. Concrete Gravity Base Structure
  5. Tension Leg Platform (TLP)
  6. Semi-submersible Vessel
  7. Floating Production System
  8. Spar Platform


1. FIXED STEEL STRUCTURE


The traditional offshore structure consists of weld steel, tubular framework or jacket to support the topside facilities. Piles driven into the seafloor secure the jacket.
Modern design with bridge linked jackets tending to favour a separate well head platform, processing platform and accommodation platform due to safety concern.
The Fixed Steel Structures are restricted to shallow water developments with water deep about 1500 ft.

2. COMPLIANT TOWER




Compliant towers are similar to fixed platforms in that they have a steel tubular jacket that is used to support the topside facilities. Unlike fixed platforms, compliant towers yield to the water and wind movements in a manner similar to floating structures. Like fixed platforms, they are secured to the seafloor with piles. The jacket of a compliant tower has smaller dimensions than those of a fixed platform. Compliant towers are designed to sustain significant lateral deflections and forces, and are typically used in water depths ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 ft.




3. JACK-UP PLATFORM






The Jack-up Platform consists of a triangular shaped (sometimes rectangular), box section barge fitted with three (sometimes four) moveable legs which enable the vessel to stand to the seabed in water depths of up to approximately 120 m (400 ft).


4. CONCRETE GRAVITY BASE STRUCTURE

The Concrete Gravity Base Structure have been constructed using a base manufactured from reinforced concrete. The design of base includes void spaces or caissons to provided the structure with a natural buoyancy which will enable it to be floated to field development location. Once on location the void spaces are flooded on the seabed whilst the topside modules are lifted into place. The void spaces then used as storage compartments for crude oil, or filled with permanent iron ore ballast. The colossal weight of concrete structures obviates the need to install foundation piles, hence the name gravity base structure.



5. TENSION LEG PLATFORM (TLP)





A Tension Leg Platform (TLP) is a buoyant platform held in place by a mooring system. The TLP’s are similar to conventional fixed platforms except that the platform is maintained on location through the use of moorings held in tension by the buoyancy of the hull. The mooring system is a set of tension legs or tendons attached to the platform and connected to a template or foundation on the seafloor. The template is held in place by piles driven into the seafloor. This method dampens the vertical motions of the platform, but allows for horizontal movements. TLPs are used in water depths from 1500 ft to 7000 ft.




The "conventional" TLP is a 4-column design which looks similar to a semisubmersible. Proprietary versions include the Seastar and MOSES mini TLPs; they are relatively low cost, used in water depths between 600 and 4,300 feet (200 and 1,300 m). Mini TLPs can also be used as utility, satellite or early production platforms for larger deepwater discoveries.



6. SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE VESSEL



These platforms have twin hulls (columns and pontoons) of sufficient buoyancy to cause the structure to float, but of weight sufficient to keep the structure upright. Semi-submersible platforms can be moved from place to place; can be ballasted up or down by altering the amount of flooding in buoyancy tanks; they are generally anchored by combinations of chain, wire rope and/or polyester rope during drilling and/or production operations, though they can also be kept in place by the use of dynamic positioning. Semi-submersibles can be used in water depths from 200 to 10,000 feet.


7. FLOATING PRODUCTION SYSTEM

FPSO (floating production, storage, and off-loading) vessel is converted from liquid cargo vessel or new built. FPSO equipped with processing facilities and moored to a location.

Basically, Floating Production Systems are ideal solution for
  • The field is small and marginal
  • The field is isolated and an established pipeline infrastructure does not exist
  • The field is located in very deep water where it would not be possible to install a conventional fixed platform
A major advantage of FPSO lies in the fact that they can simply lift anchors and depart to pastures new when oil production reaches a commercially unprofitable level.

You may interest:
FPSO - Armada Perkasa (youtube)
The Making of FPSO TGT1 (youtube)
The Making of Armada Sterling FPSO (youtube)
New Round FPSO
FPSO Contractor Fleet Size
BP Scheihallion FPSO Offstation (youtube)


8. SPAR PLATFORM


SPAR is a deep-draft floating caisson, which is a hollow cylindrical structure similar to a very large buoy. Its four major systems are hull, moorings, topsides, and risers. The spar relies on a traditional mooring system (that is, anchor-spread mooring) to maintain its position. About 90 percent of the structure is underwater. Historically, spars were used as marker buoys, for gathering oceanographic data, and for oil storage. The spar design is now being used for drilling, production, or both. The distinguishing feature of a spar is its deep-draft hull, which produces very favorable motion characteristics compared to other floating concepts. Low motions and a protected centerwell also provide an excellent configuration for deepwater operations. Water depth capability has been stated by industry as ranging up to 10,000 ft.
The upper section is compartmentalized around a flooded centerwell containing the different type of risers. This section provides the buoyancy for the spar. The middle section is also flooded but can be economically configured for oil storage. The bottom section (keel) is compartmentalized to provide buoyancy during transport and to contain any field-installed, fixed ballast. Approximate hull diameter for a typical GOM spar is 130 feet, with an overall height, once deployed, of approximately 700 feet (with 90% of the hull in the water column).
The first Spars were based on the Classic design. This evolved into the Truss Spar by replacing the lower section of the caisson hull with a truss. The Truss Spar is divided into three distinct sections. The cylindrical upper section, called the “hard tank,” provides most of the in-place buoyancy for the Spar. The middle truss section supports the heave plates and provides separation between the keel tank and hard tank. The keel tank, also known as the “soft tank,” contains the fixed ballast and acts as a natural hang-off location for export pipelines and flowlines since the environmental influences from waves and currents and associated responses are less pronounced there than nearer the water line. 
 
 
 

Artificial Lift

Production wells are free flowing. When a well pressure has declined to the point at which the well no longer produces by its natural pressure. Some artificial methods are: (Beam pump, Electrical Submerged pump and Gas lift)


Beam Pumps

Also called as Donkey Pumps ,are most common artificial lift system used in land based. A motor drives a reciprocating beam, connected to a polished rod passing into the tubing via a stuffing box. The sucker rod continues down to the oil level and is connected to a plunger with a valve.

On each upward stroke, the plunger lifts a volume of oil up and through the wellhead discharge. On the downward stroke it sinks (it should sink, not be pushed) with oil flowing though the valve.


Advantages:
  1. Can be used for wide range production capabilities
  2. Can produce most wells to depletion at limited rates and depths
  3. Highly reliable and relatively easy to analyse by using several different means
  4. Corrosion and scale problems easily treated
  5. Can produce high temperature or viscous oil
  6. Low cost production operation
Disadvantages:
  1. Installation not suitable for crooked hole work
  2. Depth and volume limited by rod weight and strength
  3. High gas-oil ratio wells as well as sand and paraffin content in production fluids
  4. Weight and size can prohibit use in offshore installations
Electrical Submerged Pumps (ESPs)
A motor driven centrifugal pump with rotating blades on a shaft on the bottom of tubing.


Advantages:
  1. Can be operated in deviated or directionally drilled wells although recommended operating position is in straight section of well
  2. Can be operated in deep wells with small casings
  3. Very efficient and economical
Disadvantages:
  1. Narrow producing range
  2. Large volumes of gas can be destructive to the pump
  3. Run life adversely impacted by poor quality electric power supply


Gas Lift
High pressure gas is injected into the production fluids within the tubing string. Leads to decrease in the weight of the fluid column and permits the well to flow.
When the gas lift is started up, several gas lift valves must operate in sequence. During the unloading process, the fluid in the annulus between the tubing and the casing is displaced, along with the high pressure injection gas, through the top gas lift valve into the tubing bore.

Advantages:
  1. Simple to operate
  2. Equipment used is relatively inexpensive
  3. Flexible
  4. Both high volumes and low volumes can be produced
  5. Effective handling of corrosion and high gas-oil ratio production
  6. Low operating costs
  7. Lower failure rate
Disadvantages:
  1. Source of high pressure gas must be available
  2. Not cost effective when used for one-well lease or small fields
  3. Not very effective for producing deep wells where there is high drawdowns or low bottomhole pressures
  4. Accurate gas measurements are not easily obtained
  5. Surging flow can be a source of operating problems with surface equipment
 
 

Gas Compression at Offshore (Part 1)

The main purpose of gas compression at offshore are below:
  1. Gas Export
  2. Gas Injection to well
  3. Gas lift
  4. Fuel gas
Compressors are generally classified as reciprocating or centrifugal machines. Reciprocating compressors are generally very robust design. However centrifugal compressors have fewer moving parts and reliable.

Reciprocating Compressor

Reciprocating compressor use positive displacement principle. Generally, reciprocating compressor has low speed compared with a centrifugal compressor


Single acting compressor


Double acting compressor

Double acting compressor has suction and discharge stoke at same time. For every cylinder stoke, one side of compressor discharges compressed gas while the other opposite side is on the suction stoke and vice versa.
 
 

Oil and Gas Processing (History)

Oil has been used for lighting purposes for many thousands of years. In areas where oil is found in shallow reservoirs, seeps of crude oil or gas may naturally develop, and some oil could simply be collected from seepage or tar ponds.

Historically, we know the tales of eternal fires where oil and gas seeps ignited and burned. One example is the site where the famous oracle of Delphi was built around 1,000 B.C. Written sources from 500 B.C. describe how the Chinese used natural gas to boil water. The oil was produced from bamboo-drilled wells in China. The well reach 1000 meters deep.


In western history, it was not until 1859 that "Colonel" Edwin Drake drilled the first successful oil well, with the sole purpose of finding oil. The Drake Well was located in the middle of quiet farm country in northwestern Pennsylvania, and sparked the international search for an industrial use for petroleum.


Photo: Drake Well Museum Collection, Titusville, PA

These wells were shallow by modern standards, often less than 50 meters deep, but they produced large quantities of oil. In this picture of the Tarr Farm, Oil Creek Valley, the Phillips well on the right initially produced 4,000 barrels per day in October, 1861, and the Woodford well on the left came in
at 1,500 barrels per day in July, 1862.

The oil was collected in the wooden tank pictured in the foreground. As you will no doubt notice, there are many different-sized barrels in the background. At this time, barrel size had not been standardized, which made statements like "oil is selling at $5 per barrel" very confusing (today a barrel is 159 liters). But even in those days, overproduction was something to be avoided. When the "Empire well" was completed in September 1861, it produced 3,000 barrels per day, flooding the market, and the price of oil plummeted to 10 cents a barrel. In some ways, we see the same effect today. When new shale gas fields in the US are constrained by the capacity of the existing oil and gas pipeline network, it results in bottlenecks and low prices at the production site.

Soon, oil had replaced most other fuels for motorized transport. The automobile industry developed at the end of the 19th century, and quickly adopted oil as fuel. Gasoline engines were essential for designing successful aircraft. Ships driven by oil could move up to twice as fast as their coal-powered counterparts, a vital military advantage. Gas was burned off or left in the ground.

Despite attempts at gas transportation as far back as 1821, it was not until after World War II that welding techniques, pipe rolling, and metallurgical advances allowed for the construction of reliable long distance pipelines, creating a natural gas industry boom. At the same time, the petrochemical industry with its new plastic materials quickly increased production. Even now, gas production is gaining market share as liquefied natural gas (LNG) provides an economical way of transporting gas from even the remotest sites.

With the appearance of automobiles and more advanced consumers, it was necessary to improve and standardize the marketable products. Refining was necessary to divide the crude in fractions that could be blended to precise specifications. As value shifted from refining to upstream production, it became even more essential for refineries to increase high-value fuel yield from a variety of crudes. From 10-40% gasoline for crude a century ago, a modern refinery can get up to 70% gasoline from the same quality crude through a variety of advanced reforming and cracking processes.

1 barrel (42 gallons) crude oil breakdown to various products in gallon

Chemicals derived from petroleum or natural gas – petrochemicals – are an essential part of the chemical industry today. Petrochemistry is a fairly young industry; it only started to grow in the 1940s, more than 80 years after the drilling of the first commercial oil well.

During World War II, the demand for synthetic materials to replace costly and sometimes less efficient products caused the petrochemical industry to develop into a major player in modern economy and society.

Products Flow Chart of Petroleum Based Feedstocks

Before then, it was a tentative, experimental sector, starting with basic materials:

  • Synthetic rubbers in the 1900s
  • Bakelite, the first petrochemical-derived plastic, in 1907
  • First petrochemical solvents in the 1920s
  • Polystyrene in the 1930s
And it then moved to an incredible variety of areas:

  • Household goods (kitchen appliances, textiles, furniture)
  • Medicine (heart pacemakers, transfusion bags)
  • Leisure (running shoes, computers...)
  • Highly specialized fields like archaeology and crime detection
With oil prices of $100 a barrel or more, even more difficult-to-access sources have become economically viable. Such sources include tar sands in Venezuela and Canada, shale oil and gas in the US (and developing
elsewhere), coal bed methane and synthetic diesel (syndiesel) from natural gas, and biodiesel and bioethanol from biological sources have seen a dramatic increase over the last ten years. These sources may eventually
more than triple the potential reserves of hydrocarbon fuels. Beyond that, there are even more exotic sources, such as methane hydrates, that some experts claim can double available resources once more.
With increasing consumption and ever-increasing conventional and unconventional resources, the challenge becomes not one of availability, but of sustainable use of fossil fuels in the face of rising environmental impacts, that range from local pollution to global climate effects.
Reference sources:
  1. Oil and gas production handbook: 
    An introduction to oil and gas production,
    transport, refining and petrochemical 
    industry
    Håvard Devold, 2013

Saturday, January 25, 2014

PSV Inlet Line 3 Percent Rule


When I was young process engineer, I learnt sizing of pressure relief valve, include inlet line sizing rule:
API RP 520 Part II (Ed 2003), section 4.2 recommends that the total non-recoverable pressure loss between the protected equipment and the pressure relief valve should not exceed 3 percent.



WHY?
In API RP 520, section 4.2 "PRESSURE-DROP LIMITATIONS AND PIPING CONFIGURATIONS"
"Excessive pressure loss at the inlet of a pressure-relief
valve can cause rapid opening and closing of the valve, or
chattering. Chattering will result in lowered capacity and
damage to the seating surfaces."

"When a pressure-relief valve is installed on a line directly
connected to a vessel, the total non-recoverable pressure loss
between the protected equipment and the pressure-relief
valve should not exceed 3 percent of the set pressure of the
valve except as permitted in 4.2.3 for pilot-operated pressure relief
valves."

"Keeping the pressure loss below 3 percent becomes progressively
more difficult at low pressures as the orifice size of a
pressure-relief valve increases. An engineering analysis of the
valve performance at higher inlet losses may permit increasing
the allowable pressure loss above 3 percent."

Clearly, the API guideline is to avoid the PSV chatter.
In 2007, API is responded that the 3% rule is under investigation:[1]


In March 2010 Ballot outlines: [2]
- Typical blowdown set by the manufacturer for PRVs is 7 to 12% of the set pressure 
- Original basis of 3% inlet pressure loss was related to blowdown settings in the range of 4 - 5 %
- A suitable margin relative to the blowdown shall be specified by the user
- When exceeding 3% inlet loss, an engineering analysis shall include but is not limited to the following:
a. Verification from the manufacturer the minimum blowdown value for the PRV model based on the manufacturer’s standard setting. 
b. Prior to any increase in blowdown to allow for higher inlet pressure drop, the manufacturer shall be consulted to make sure that an increase in blowdown is possible.
c. Re-evaluation of the flow capacity of the valve taking into consideration the reduction in pressure at the inlet to the valve.
d. The user shall conduct a thorough review of the valve’s inspection/maintenance records and obtain experience from Operations, to identify any indications of chatter

History of Inlet Pressure Drop
- API RP 520 introduced maximum PRV inlet pressure drop in 1963
- API sponsored 1940’s work at University of Michigan by Sylvander and Katz “The Design and Construction of Pressure Relieving Systems”
- University of Michigan Press (1948) pages 72-73 excerpts:

  • “Pressure drop through inlet piping has a two-fold importance in relief system design. First, flow capacity varies with the pressure drop available. Second, the operating characteristics of many relief devices indicate that improper pressure drop on the inlet side may cause intermittent operation.“
  • “For a relief valve having approximately 4 per cent blow-down (that is, the valve will snap shut when the pressure has decreased to 4 per cent below the opening or set pressure), these recommendations are made:

- Combined pressure loss of 3% maximum related to PRVs with 4% blowdown (margin of 1%)

In Spring 2011Metting [3]

In November 2011, Hydrocarbon Processing featured a Special Report [5] Title : "Relief Device Inlet Piping: Beyond the 3 Percent Rule"


Current status, (3/7/2013), API RP520 Part 2, 6th Ed Committee Draft [4]
PSV Inlet Pressure Loss Criteria:
The total non-recoverable
pressure loss between the protected equipment and the pressure-relief valve should not exceed 3 percent of
the pressure relief valve set pressure except as noted below: 
  • Thermal relief valves
  • Remotely sensed pilot operated relief valves
  • keeping the pressure loss below 3 percent becomes progressively more difficult at low pressures as the orifice size of a pressure relief valve increases
  • An engineering analysis is performed for the specific installation



Reference link
1. API replied
2. Spring 2010 API CRE Meeting
3. Spring 2011 API Meeting Minutes
4. API RP520 Part 2, 6 Ed, Committee Draft
5. Relief Device Inlet Piping: Beyond the 3 Percent Rule, Hydrocarbon Processing, Novmber 2011 issue 
 
 

Gas Density Calculation (Estimation)

Quick estimation of gas density

Density = P/(RT)   (kg/m3)
P= Pressure (Pa)
R= Individual gas constant (J/kg.K) = Ru/MW
T= absolute temperature (K)
Ru= Universal gas constant (8314.472 J/kmol.K)
MW= Gas Molecular weight

Example:
Air molecular weight = 29 kg/kmol
Pressure = 1 bara = 100,000 Pa

  


World Crude Oil Production

Total world crude oil production more than 80 million a day.



The crude oil trade at $41.77per barrel at 6 Feb 2009. The peak price at around $140 per barrel in July 2008. The US financial crisis cause the price down sharply.



Who are the crude oil producers and consumers:


Attachment:
1. http://www.4shared.com/file/88106647/a14277cb/TotalOilSupplyBarrelsperDay.html
2. http://www.4shared.com/file/88106605/2b20d3e3/WTOTWORLDw.html
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