SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction
Volume 6, Number 3, September 2011, pp. 132-137

SPE-134140-PA

Water Hammer in Offloading Systems: Contribution of Detailed Modeling to Design and Safety

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DOI  More information 10.2118/134140-PA http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/134140-PA

Citation

  • Pierre, B. and Gudmundsson, J.S. 2011. Water Hammer in Offloading Systems: Contribution of Detailed Modeling to Design and Safety. SPE Proj Fac & Const  6 (3): 132-137. SPE-134140-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/134140-PA.

Discipline Categories

  • 4.5 Pipelines, Flowlines and Risers
  • 4.5.2 Pipeline Transient Behavior (Water Hammer, Slug Prediction)
  • 4.5.5 Offshore Pipelines

Keywords

  • Off-Loading, Pressure Transient, Water Hammer, Design, Safety

Summary

The second-largest oil spillage in Norwegian petroleum history occurred on 12 December 2007 when the Statfjord A offloading system ruptured. Results of numerical simulations of pressure transients in the offloading system are presented. Of particular interest is the influence of acoustic properties of pipeline sections on propagation of pressure transients. The damaged-offloading-system geometry and characteristics, as well as the acoustic properties, are described. The paper describes numerical simulations of pressure transients in the offloading pipeline. The paper shows how detailed modeling and accurate estimation of acoustic velocities influence local maximum increases in pressure in an offloading system.

© 2011. Society of Petroleum Engineers

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History

  • Original manuscript received: 2 June 2010
  • Meeting paper published: 20 September 2010
  • Revised manuscript received: 21 October 2010
  • Manuscript approved: 9 November 2010
  • Published online: 27 July 2011
  • Version of record: 1 September 2011