Qualification of Thermal Performance of Pipe-in-Pipe System

Oilfield service companies and pipeline contractors usually require independent pre-qualification of any proposed pipe-in-pipe system.  Measurement of the overall heat transfer coefficient (U value) of the thermal insulation system is part of the pre-qualification process where temperature reduction could result in wax or hydrate formation.  As well as overall thermal performance the pipeline, the U value at the waterstops and field joints are usually also assessed.

As testing is expected to be carried out on representative sections of the full size system some techniques employ radiant heating elements to replicate the conditions in the pipeline.  At BHR we do not use this approach but prefer to transport liquids around a flow loop to replicate the fluid conditions when flowing under turbulent conditions and to also accurately simulate the fluid heat capacity under cool-down conditions when a pipeline has been shut-in.

Research Goals

• Provide independent and impartial measurement of thermal performance under controlled conditions and against acceptable measurement standards
• Establish thermal and hydrodynamic equilibrium in the measurement section, representative of the operating environment under fully developed turbulent flow conditions M
• Measure the heat transfer under thermal and hydraulic equilibrium, and calculate the OHTC
• Measure temperature during cool-down and also to estimate the heat transfer coefficient and cool-down times  

Applications

• Deepwater and HPHT offshore field developments