Author(s)

P. Meliande, E. Nascimento, F. Mascarenhas & D. Galgoul

Abstract

Predicting transient effects, known as surge pressures, is of high importance for offshore industry. It involves detailed computer modeling that attempts to simulate the complex interaction between flowline and fluid in order to ensure efficient system integrity. Platform process operators normally raise concerns as to whether the water injection system is adequately designed in order to be protected against possible surge pressures during sudden valve closure. This report aims to evaluate the surge pressures in Bijupirá and Salema water injection systems due to valve closure, through a computer model simulation. Comparisons among the results from empirical formulations are discussed and supplementary analysis for the Salema system was performed in order to define the maximum volumetric flow rate that the design pressure was able to withstand. Maximum surge pressure values of 287.76 bar and 318.58 bar, obtained using empirical formulations in Salema and Bijupirá respectively, have surpassed the operating pressure design, while the computer model results have shown the highest surge pressure value to be 282 bar in the Salema system. Keywords: transient analysis, surge pressure, water injection system, computational simulation. 1 Introduction Techniques for assuring well production have been continuously implemented, and one of them is known as \“water injection”, which consists of applying water flow in wells to guarantee enough pressure to raise oil and gas flow. In a

Keywords

transient analysis, surge pressure, water injection system, computational simulation.