Technical Agenda
Sunday, 18 January
1600 - 1800:
Collection of Badges and Documentation
1900:
Welcome Reception and Dinner
Monday, 19 January
Session 1: Assessing the Risk
The risks associated with gas hydrate formation are significant. There are various techniques in
minimising these risks, from early design stage, to operation,
monitoring, and mitigation. It is essential to understand the
physics and mechanisms of gas hydrate formation and
dissociation. A vital element in assessing the risk is the hydrate
stability zone under various operating conditions. The hydrate
stability zone could be determined by experimental techniques
and numerical modelling.
In this session, we will address the physics of gas hydrates, their formation/dissociation conditions, various methods for their prevention, and some of their interesting properties. Furthermore, we will assess the hydrate risks in gas and oil development from early design stage to monitoring and mitigation. The basic principles in experimental techniques and the latest advances in modelling are among other topics to be discussed in this session.
Session 2: Hydrate Management Using MEG
Thermodynamic inhibitors were the first hydrate inhibitors. MEG
is the most widely used for continuous treatment but methanol is
typically used during well start-up. Because of the high vapour
pressure of methanol there are significant losses during
regeneration. Dissolved ions in produced water, CO2, and H2S all
contribute to significant fouling problems in the regeneration
process equipment. Every system is different due to process
parameters and chemical reactions. This session will explore
through case histories the reasons for fouling and some
mitigation options that have been employed. The final
presentation will be a case history where MEG and MeOH have
been supplemented by a LDHI.
Session 3: Use of KHIs in Hydrate Management
Low dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHI) have been used in the oil
industry for about 10 years. It has only been in the last few years
that these products have generally been accepted iny the
industry. Systems are now being developed that are specifically
designed to use LDHI’s.
This session will concern itself with the use of kinetic hydrate
inhibitors (KHI), a sub-group of LDHI’s. This session will involve
theory and application and testing of KHI. In this session the use of
KHI will be specifically discussed, as well as combinations of KHI
and thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors. In addition to the
application of KHI, methods to test KHI will be presented.
Tuesday, 20 January
Session 4 : Use of AAs in Hydrate Management
In contrast to thermodynamic and kinetic hydrate inhibitors, anti-agglomerant
low dosage hydrate inhibitors allow hydrate crystals
to form, but keep the particles small, well-dispersed and therefore
prevent pipeline plugging. The fluid viscosity remains low and this
allows the crystals to be transported in the produced fluids.
Due to their mode of inhibition, anti-agglomerants do require the
presence of a suitable liquid hydrocarbon phase and GOR.
However, within these limitations, anti-agglomerants have been
shown to perform effectively at high levels of sub-cooling, making
them suitable for deepwater applications. They have also been
shown to perform well during the restart of operations after
extended shut-in periods.
Points of discussion in this session include:
- Where and how anti-agglomerants are being used including a case study.
- The laboratory qualification and selection of anti-agglomerants LDHIs.
It is also anticipated that there will be a look at the wider environmental impact and fate of hydrate inhibitors.
Session 5: Future of Hydrate Control
Cold flow concepts relate to a production system operating inside
the hydrate region by forming a non-blocking slurry of hydrate
particles. Several organisations are working on approaches to
generate such flows to ensure robustness towards likely
operating scenarios, and to allow efficient processing. This
session will look at the present status of this work and discuss
future prospects.
Hydrate management using electrically heated flowlines is more established, with successful field applications in Norway and the Gulf of Mexico. With increasing challenges to provide flow assurance solutions for long subsea tie-backs, the number of these applications will increase significantly. This session will review the current status, and assess how the technology is likely to develop. Key aspects of any hydrate management strategy are monitoring and early detection methods for potential blockages. The importance of these aspects and the need to reduce risk in current and future projects will be discussed.
Session 6: Remediation of Hydrates
While much progress has been made in predicting and controlling
hydrate formation by engineering design in new projects, hydrates
still occur and must be dealt with in a safe, cost effective manner.
Many facilities that do not benefit from current design technology
are particularly susceptible to dealing with hydrates and the
problems that their removal presents.
In this session traditional options that are available for hydrate removal will be discussed as well as emerging hydrate removal treatment techniques. There will also be 2 – 3 case histories presented and attendees will be involved in designing removal options before the actual real life solutions are presented. These case histories will cover both offshore and land based examples. This will allow attendees to learn how other operators/suppliers approach problem hydrate incidents.
Wednesday, 21 January
Session 7: Beneficial Application of Hydrates
Naturally occurring hydrates are being looked upon as a future
energy source. At present, the amount of organic carbon
entrapped in hydrates exceeds all other fossil fuel reserves. On
the other hand, if global warming occurs, temperatures will raise
and decompose some of these methane hydrates in the earth.
Methane is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases.
Carbon dioxide hydrate is also important on a global scale. CO2
may form hydrates during enhanced oil recovery and cause
operational problems. Capturing CO2 from coal-fired power
plants and storing it in solid form as gas hydrate or pool of CO2
below hydrate cap is believed to be an alternative geological
sequestration method for mitigating global warming. In this
session hydrates as an energy resource and a remedy to global
warming will be discussed.
