Oil & Gas Transportation

Slug Catcher at Hannibal Terminal

• Slug catcher separates residual liquid from gas at end of pipeline
• Gas pipeline from off-shore field to land-based Hannibal terminal
• Every few days a sphere is passed through the pipeline to remove residual liquid
• Plan to increase pipeline capacity
• Does capacity of slug catcher also have to be increased?

• Provided a platform to evaluate the slug catcher performance at the pick capacity
• Established that the existing geometry can handle peak loads, eliminating the need to make a replacement purchase of over $25M
• Established that any excess liquid will move downstream as aerosol
• Provided the ability to model free surface flows, such as motion of slugs in complex piping and flow systems

Umbilical, Risers, Flexible Piping

• Very high reliability requirements
• Transmitting signals and transporting flows over much longer distances
• Tubing exposed to harsh conditions
• Develop reliable piping for variety of offshore applications
• Requires structural reliability while handling thermal stresses and fatigue
• Manufacturing of multi-tubes including the steel wrapped around
• Complex multi-layer, varying material manufacturing channels

• Build the core tubing and additional helical tube models in an easy to use environment 
• Account for different material proprieties
• Evaluate thermal, flow loading and bending stresses. Account for all applied loads including
  • High bending angles
  • Hydrostatic loads
  • End tension
  • Gravity 

Flow Assurance

• Deeper water depths leads to complex tubing design and manufacturing concerns including
  • Depositions
  • Wax formation
  • Thermal management
  • Erosion inhibitors
• Active heating, insulation and bundle design in harsh environment and deep waters

• Ability to optimize thermal and structural behavior of tube bundles used for deep and ultra deep waters
• Can develop technology for fouling, wax and hydrate formation by obtaining detailed thermal management information, including insulation in the analysis
• Thermal uniformity for start up and shut downs
• Thermal stress and fatigue

LNG Spill and Fire

• Accident scenario and safety concerns
• LNG leaks and the dispersion in the liquid
• LNG evaporation and tracking of the dispersed gas
• Vapor cloud formation and ignition as the vapor cloud reaches the water surface
• Spreading of the pool fire and the associated 
• Multi-body hydrodynamics

• LNG transport and tank design
• Safety and risk assessment
• Pool fire modeling
• Multi-body hydrodynamics