Flow Assurance and Operability are key to the success of most offshore development projects. At INTEC, the expression “Flow Assurance and Operability” is treated as a single word. Flow Assurance can’t be accomplished without intimately addressing Operability, and vice versa.

Flow Assurance encompasses the thermal-hydraulic design and assessment of multiphase production/flow systems as well as the prediction, prevention, and/or remediation of flow stoppages due to solids formation and/or deposition, particularly due to hydrates and waxes. In all cases, Flow Assurance must consider the capabilities and requirements for all parts of the system throughout the entire producing life of the system. Important system parameters established as part of this system design effort include flow diameters (tubing and flowlines), maximum and minimum production/flow rates, insulation (tubing, flowlines, wellheads, trees, and manifolds), chemical injection and storage requirements, flow blockage intervention needs, strategies, and techniques, host facility requirements (flow receivers, fluids handling, pigging, blockage prevention/intervention/remediation capability, etc.), and capital / operating costs.

To assure Operability of a system design, the entire system from the reservoir to the separators (and often beyond) must be considered to assure that the entire system can be built and operated successfully and economically.  Key attributes considered in this process include operating parameters, flow diameters, flow rates, insulation for tubing, flowline, and manifold, chemical injection requirements, host facilities, intervention needs and techniques, operating strategies and procedures, etc.. All production modes including startup, steady state, rate change and shut-in throughout the system life cycle, must be considered. Operating strategies and procedures for successful system designs will be robust. That is, they are developed with system unknowns and uncertainties in mind and can be readily adapted to work with the system that is found to exist, even when that is different than assumed during design.

INTEC has made significant contributions in the assessment of system operability design issues and in developing operating strategies to avoid the formation of hydrate or wax plugs at any time during system operation. These capabilities have been developed on long-offset, deepwater, subsea development projects for several clients. INTEC's capabilities in this area continue to evolve.