Oil and Gas Special Report - Siemens

Discover better
designs, faster.
Multidisciplinary simulation and design
exploration in the Oil and Gas industry.
2016
2 Special report
STAR-CCM+: Discover
better designs, faster.
Virtual design exploration increases safety
and innovation while reducing costs.
siemens.com/mdx
Contents
5-8 2 -18 -22 -26

9-1 13 19 23
-32 6
27 -39 - 44 -4 -52
33 41 45 47
Contents
5-6 Introduction
Alex Read
7-8 Engineering design in the “Lower for Longer” Environment

Alex Read - Siemens PLM software
9-12 1D and 3D flow simulation helps meet deepwater flow assurance challenge
Deborah Eppel - Siemens PLM software
13-18 Offshore floater design

Jang Whan Kim, Hyunchul Jang and Jim O’Sullivan - Technip
19-22 Heater trouble shooting

Zhili (Alex) Qin - Zeeco Inc.
Prashanth Shankara - Siemens PLM software
23-26 Troubleshoot a vibrating heater

Titus sgro - Siemens PLM software
27-32 Jumper fatigue life

Oleg Voronkov, Alan Mueller, Alex Read and Sabine A. Goodwin - Siemens PLM software
33-39 Optimization of an offshore platform orientation

Gerard Reynolds and Andrew Staszak - Atkins
41-44 Population safety and power generation

Nicolas Ponchaut, Timothy Morse, Javier Castro, Gary Bigham - Exponent
45-46 Using CFD simulation to minimize risks

Dr Matt Straw, Norton Straw Consultants
47-52 Savvy separators - Introduction to computational fluid dynamics for separator design
Alex Read - Siemens PLM software
1 Special report
Introduction Alex Read
2 Special report
Alex Read Introduction
Introduction
The need to reduce exploration and software package. In addition, automated

development costs has never been more design-space exploration enables optimized
important to the future of the oil and designs to be found more quickly, even
gas industry. In addition, optimizing the when a significant number of design and
through-life production efficiency and the operating variables exist.
economic extension of the life of existing
and ageing fields is to key a successful In this special report we present how
future. All of this must be achieved while engineers and scientists from leading oil
maintaining the highest levels of safety and and gas companies are deploying Siemens’
environmental protection. simulation software in the design and
operation of a range of oil
In oil and gas, engineering designs have and gas products and systems. A diverse
traditionally been developed using empirical range of applications and challenges
analysis, physical testing and experienced- are discussed including:
based learning in the field. While these
approaches remain important, the rise of • Downhole tool optimization
simulation-based design offers engineers • Subsea and flow assurance risk reduction
the opportunity to explore designs and • Offshore and marine design
system operation digitally through detailed, • Technical safety
accurate prediction of a wide range of • Process equipment design performance
physical and chemical behavior.
Technical innovation is the key to the
Siemens’ simulation software enables future of the oil and gas industry. Siemens
engineers to explore designs digitally simulation software is enabling engineers to
through detailed, accurate computational rise to this challenge.
fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation and design
space exploration.
Using Multiphysics simulation, it is possible

to predict a wide range of physical behavior
with a high-degree of fidelity in even the
most complex scenarios. Multiphase flows, Alex Read
complex heat transfer, fluid-structure Director
interaction and chemical reactions can all Oil and Gas
be simulated within a single, integrated
Special report 3
Oil and Gas Guest Editorial
Engineering design in the

“Lower for Longer” Environment
Alex Read
Siemens PLM software
A recurring theme in the earning and solutions), but at reduced development operating conditions evaluated, and to
statements of oil and gas companies in time and cost, without compromising move beyond the physical test to simulate
recent months is the desire to survive not safety. First principles-based engineering real-world conditions at full scale, such as
only “lower (prices) for longer,” but to simulation tools will be a key enabler, subsea separators with real process fluids
usethe current market downturn, and the as companies will increasingly rely on at high temperature and pressure, or the
resulting urgency, as an opportunity to simulation-based design exploration. The behavior of a floating platform during a
reshape organizations to ensure that they initial driver will be to reduce engineering hurricane.
are stronger and better able to thrive in the costs and time, but companies will also
years ahead. Clearly, the industry needs benefit from simulation as an innovation The importance of simulation is evident
to reduce costs and continue to innovate enabler. in three specific examples: two from the
without compromising safety, but how? recent Siemens Oil, Gas, and Chemical
In other industry crunches, such as that Key to this has been the rapid improvement Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
experienced by automotive manufacturers in computer hardware and software Conference, and one from outside our
in 2008–09, simulation played a key role technology, as well as innovative industry.
in helping to reduce engineering design licensing models that enable, rather than
costs and lead times, while allowing penalize, the use of high-performance
manufacturers to continue to deliver new computing and cloud solutions. Through Fluid control valve (FCV) design by
and innovative solutions. the development of cloud computing, Schlumberger
engineers now have ready and cost- At the Siemens conference, Reda Bouamra
While each company’s view on how to effective access to computer resources that of Schlumberger shared the company’s
tackle this new paradigm will differ, for would have been unimaginable a decade work designing downhole FCVs. Scale
many it will be to continue the day job ago. These improvements allow engineers deposition is a significant flow assurance
(deliver quality and innovative products to increase the number of design and challenge as it can reduce production, is
4 Special report
Guest Editorial Oil and Gas
costly to remediate, and can cause FCVs to and potential flow codes to evaluate its product offering and sales, while
jam, so Schlumberger’s objective was to hydrodynamic design. However, both increasing profit. It wanted to undertake 40
develop an FCV that was less susceptible present challenges: physical testing is “product actions” in 5 years. This is no small
to scale. Its integrated CFD-experimental expensive, timeconsuming, and results undertaking as today’s vehicles are highly
design process helped the company have to be translated from model to full complex with roughly 9,000 customer
achieve this, while reducing engineering scale. Potential flow codes omit (or have requirements and 3,000 assessments
lead times and costs. Schlumberger used to be tuned to mimic) important physical needed for sign-off.
CFD to design a testing program, ensuring phenomena such as viscous effects and
it was as close to real well conditions as breaking waves. The business drivers and challenges,
possible, and focused on the scenarios of as laid out by Andy Richardson, JLR’s
most interest. It was able to validate CFD Technip also integrates CFD and physical head of simulation, could easily have
methods, enabling confident use of CFD to test programs by modeling the physical come from an oil and gas outfit: develop
explore conditions and designs not tested. test beforehand and focusing the test on new technologies while managing
the right area, reducing the chances of greatly increased system complexity;
One of the major benefits of simulation is failure. It validates the CFD against the identify failure modes and establish
the ease with which, having created the test, then uses CFD to explore additional countermeasures to achieve right first
initial validated model, alternative designs designs and conditions as well as behavior time design; reduce in-service failures;
or scenarios can be evaluated. This, plus at full scale under real sea conditions. simulate the full range of use cases; and
the detailed information provided, enables reach optimized product design efficiency
engineers to come up with and efficiently Using a validated “first principles” and reduced production costs.
test new, innovative solutions. design tool such as CFD means results
do not have to be tuned, which reduces JLR is well on its way to reaching its goal
The industry’s move toward standardized unforeseen problems late in the design of robust engineering design ready for
solutions, reusable across multiple cycle or field. The bottom line: By using sign-off before the first prototype is
projects, introduces the need to verify CFD-based design exploration, Technip is built, and it is doing so while delivering
equipment performance across a wide able to efficiently optimize design, using financially, with 15% or more growth
range of operating conditions. Validated a process that better represents operating in earnings before interest, taxes,
simulation provides a cost-effective conditions, thereby reducing risk. depreciation, and amortization in each
way to achieve this. The bottom line: An of the past 5 years. The bottom line: By
integrated CFD-experimental approach developing a culture of simulation during
enabled Schlumberger to reduce the time Evolution of simulation in the lean times, driven by a need to cut costs,
and cost of the design process, while automotive industry JLR was able to embrace the innovation
enabling evaluation of more designs in The final example comes from outside the potential generated by these techniques
real well conditions. oil and gas industry. Whether it is a global and fully capitalize on opportunities as
economic crisis, new competitors entering market conditions improved.
the market, or changes in regulation, the
Virtual wave basin at Technip auto industry has continually had to push The current “lower for longer” market
Jim O’Sullivan, vice president and to deliver innovative solutions at reduced conditions present significant challenges
chief technology officer at Technip time and cost. Those that have succeeded to the oil and gas industry.
USA, explained how Technip has used have done so by progressively reducing
a “numerical wave basin” approach reliance on traditional methods (expensive For engineering design teams, it is also
on projects ranging from full-scale, and time-consuming physical prototyping) an opportunity to review practices
vortexinduced motion of a deep draft in favor of extensive engineering and learn from others who have used
semisubmersible to ringing on a gravity- simulation. downturns to reshape processes through
based structure. Ringing relates to simulation while cutting development
structural deflections occurring at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) undertook a time and costs.
frequencies well above incident-wave strategic shift beginning in 2008. Its goal
frequencies. Traditionally, the offshore was to not only survive an economic Originally published in the Journal of Petroleum
sector has relied on physical testing downturn but to significantly expand Technology
“For engineering design teams, the current market is an

opportunity to review practices and learn from others
who have used downturns to reshape processes through
simulation while cutting development time and costs.”
Special report 5
Oil and Gas 1D and 3D flow simulation helps meet deepwater flow assurance challenge
Below: Cooldown analysis of

a subsea Christmas tree
Integration of 1D and 3D flow

simulation helps meet deepwater
flow assurance challenges
Deborah Eppel
While 1D flow simulation software can accurately and rapidly simulate simple tasks, such as long
straight runs, they are not adapted to complex 3D geometries such as separators, slug catchers
and dry trees. Full 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes, on the other hand, have the
proven ability to accurately predict flow in these situations, although typically at a much higher
computational cost. Generating combined 1D/3D simulations promises the best of both worlds: by
making it possible to simulate complex systems of piping and equipment at a much higher level
of accuracy than 1D-only simulations and in much less time than 3D-only codes, problems can be
prevented earlier in the design stage.
6 Special report
1D and 3D flow simulation helps meet deepwater flow assurance challenge Oil and Gas
Flow Assurance is the

ability to identify and
prevent potential fluid
related problems from
impacting oil and gas
production throughout
the asset life.
Above: Polyhedral mesh of a subsea Christmas tree
Special report 7
Oil and Gas 1D and 3D flow simulation helps meet deepwater flow assurance challenge
Above: Amalysis of a Y junction with two valves
$140
$100 NOMINAL
REAL
$50
$0
AVERAGE BRENT SPOT PRICES
MAY ‘87 JUNE ‘90 JAN ‘99 JAN ‘05 JAN ‘08 JAN ‘11 ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION AND BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Challenges of deepwater drilling and piping and risers back to production facilities sizing well tubing, flow lines, and receiving
production and tricky ocean currents in deeper water. facilities in order to maximize the initial
As the amount of oil and gas that can easily These difficult conditions can lead to flow production while avoiding excess slugging
be produced has declined, exploration and assurance problems such as slugging and the and liquid surges later in the life of the field.
production companies have turned towards formation of hydrates and waxy paraffins in Multiphase flow simulation of the well and
less accessible hydrocarbon sources including an environment where remediation is far more pipeline network with a 1D code such as
deepwater and ultra deepwater basins. expensive and time-consuming than in normal OLGA addresses thermal insulation and arrival
However, the challenges associated with offshore conditions. temperature requirements as well as liquid
extracting oil and gas from such environments inventories, flow patterns, and potential for
are considerable. To cite but a few: water instabilities in production systems.
depth reaching 3000 meters and beyond, Advantages and limitations of 1D
higher pressures of both well fluids and ocean simulation tools In order to provide usable run times, 1D
bottom water, high temperatures of well fluids Flow assurance analysts typically use 1D simulation has traditionally reduced 3D
that can run up to 300oF/150oC in near- modeling tools for an overall view of a field’s multiphase flow to a simplified 1D component.
freezing ocean water, much longer runs of production scheme. 1D simulation is used for This requires estimating the flow regime
8 Special report
1D and 3D flow simulation helps meet deepwater flow assurance challenge Oil and Gas
Above: Flow streamlines around an oil rig
– for example stratified, annular or plug – the boundary conditions and observe the into what is happening in the complex areas.
historically accomplished by conducting effect of these changes on fluid flow patterns These changes would of course affect the 1D
expensive physical experiments to provide or distributions of other variables, such as gas environment and the 3D results would need
the 1D flow coefficients. The accuracy of composition. to be re-entered into the 1D simulation which
the 1D simulation is thus limited by the would be re-run. Depending on the stage in
physical conditions in which the experiment CFD is becoming increasingly important in the the design process and the level of accuracy
was performed; as the oil and gas industry deepwater environment because engineers needed, several more iterations of manually
moves to increasing depths, experiments often have no empirical data to guide them. exchanging boundary conditions between the
performed at shallower depths become less Several obstacles, however, have prevented 1D and 3D simulations might be needed. All of
and less relevant.Another concern is that the engineers from taking greater advantage of these iterations would have to be repeated for
geometries of deepwater equipment often CFD. For example, CFD simulations for the every design change or new
surpass the level of complexity that can be complex geometries found in subsea drilling set of operating conditions.
simulated using “off-the-shelf” components and production can be computationally
provided in 1D simulation tools. expensive and used to take an unacceptably
long period of time to solve. However, Seamless integration between 1D and
Situations where the pipeline changes improvements in solution algorithms and 3D simulation
direction, meets up with another pipeline, the move towards massively parallel high The recent automation of information
or flows into a resevoir all represent inherent performance computing configurations have exchange between 1D and 3D codes greatly
3D problems. There are many others. Even overcome this obstacle. reduces the time required to perform this
in long 1D pipes, flow conditions may arise, Another potential obstacle is that engineers type of analysis while improving the accuracy
such as recirculating flow in risers, that want to use CFD to simulate complex subsea of the results by providing seamless flow
go beyond 1D’s predictive capabilities. In equipment, but want to continue handling of information between the two. The most
another example, gas lift is sometimes used simple geometries such as straight pipeline prominent example is the integration of
by pumping pressurized gas through the runs with faster 1D codes. However, with the STAR-CCM+® with OLGA, a leading 1D code.
pipe to push the water forward and prevent 1D and 3D software each simulating specific The STAR-CCM+ user can run OLGA as a
slugging, another inherently 3D phenomena sections of the fluid flow, each code becomes slave process which causes the two codes to
that cannot be easily modeled with 1D codes. dependent upon the other for information exchange data at each time step, much more
such as flow velocities, flow rates, and frequently than is possible using manual
pressures at the boundaries between 1D and methods.
3D simulated components. In the past, this
Increasing need for 3D simulation required a cumbersome process whereby the In a typical example, a long pipeline was
3D simulation can address these issues thanks analyst moved data back and forth between modeled using OLGA while STAR-CCM+ was
to its ability to simulate multiphase flow in a 1D and 3D simulations. The analyst would used to simulate the multiphase transient
3D environment with no need for assumptions first simulate the entire system in 1D while characteristics of the slug catcher at different
based on empirical data. A CFD simulation knowing that accuracy would suffer in those flow rates and gas/liquid ratios. The analysis
provides fluid velocity, pressure, temperature, areas where the geometry is complex. Next, enabled engineers to successfully optimize
gas composition, and other variables the analyst would extract flow conditions the design of the slug catcher to handle the
throughout the solution domain for problems at the boundaries of the geometrically wide range of flow conditions throughout the
with complex geometries and boundary complex areas and use them as the boundary asset life, thereby greatly reducing the risk of
conditions. As part of the analysis, an engineer conditions for the 3D simulation. The 3D having to replace it at a potential cost of tens
may change the geometry of the system or simulation would provide much greater clarity of millions of dollars.
Special report 9
Oil and Gas Offshore floater design
A cost-effective
computational tool for
offshore floater design
Jang Whan Kim, Hyunchul Jang and Jim O’Sullivan
Technip
10 Special report
Offshore floater design Oil and Gas
Figure 1: Three generations of spar platforms by Technip
Introduction spars – a classic spar, truss spar and a cell The design cycle at Technip
Offshore floating platforms are complex spar (see Figure 1). The spars are typically A typical design spiral at Technip involves
engineering systems with numerous moored with a taut or semi-taut mooring hull sizing to satisfy operating, installation
design challenges for the engineer from system with risers for flow of fluid from the and transportation conditions. The design
the perspective of safety, reliability seabed to the platform. Classic spars are process starts with global performance
and longevity. Amongst their various fully cylindrical, truss spars have cylinders analysis in extreme operating conditions.
applications, floating platforms are the at the top and a truss at the bottom to Global performance refers to motion
lifeline of offshore Oil and Gas production, minimize heave while cell spars consist in water, and is typically carried out by
a multi-billion dollar industry with of a number of vertical cylinders. As using semi-empirical potential flow based
far-reaching impact around the world. discussed later in this article, Technip is now motion solvers that analytically combine
These platforms are subject to extreme extending its floater design portfolio to gravitational and inertial forces and
environments ranging from harsh waves other platform types such as tensioned leg empirically handles rotational/viscous forces.
to hurricane force winds over a long platforms (TLP) and semi-submersibles. Scale model tests are done to calibrate the
period of time and ensuring platform and global performance analysis tools, even
occupant safety is of paramount concern The design challenges for offshore spar though typically these tests properly model
to the designer. Technip is a world leader platforms are many: only the gravitational and inertial forces
in project management, engineering and • Accurate knowledge of the environmental (Froude Number) and not the viscous forces
construction for the energy industry in the loads to be experienced by the platform (Reynolds Number). If the requirements of
subsea, onshore and offshore segments. • Estimates of structural loads and performance are not met, the entire process
As an industry leader in offshore floating dynamic motions on the platform from is carried out again before new model tests
platforms, Technip is constantly innovating extreme wind, current and non-linear/ until the final performance criteria are met.
in the design and construction of these random waves. Even with the long history of model tests
complex systems by taking advantage
of modern design tools like numerical
simulation. This article details the
deployment of simulation at Technip in the
design spiral for offshore platforms for cost-
effective, faster and efficient design.
Offshore platform design

– The challenge
Of the 21 spars operating or under
development, Technip claims delivery of
17. These platforms range in a water depth
from 590 to 2382 meters using both dry
and wet tree completions. A spar is the only
inherently stable platform with a center of
buoyancy above the center of gravity – it
cannot flip over. There are three different Figure 2: Typical design spiral without CFD (left) and with CFD (right)
Special report 11
Figure 3: Typical solution from EOM – Euler solver in red, Navier Stokes in blue and overlay region in green
Figure 4: Profile of long crested wave around vertical column
CFD will grow in acceptance doing those

Note that many of these design issues
design simulations model tests cannot do
deal with the air-sea interface (the free
well, or at all.
surface).
The traditional design spiral at Technip

STAR-CCM+ as a Numerical
involves the semi-empirical (in-house) tool
wave tank
called MLTSIM for the hull model to obtain
To implement numerical simulation in their
hydrodynamic coefficients. An in-house
design spiral, Technip uses STAR-CCM+®,
catenary modeling tool, FMOOR, is used
a modern, fully-integrated simulation
for mooring modeling and as a screening
package well suited for various
tool through a quasi-static analysis. Finally,
applications in the Oil and Gas industry.
Figure 5: Comparison of column moment with model tests are performed to calibrate the
Key differentiating features of STAR-CCM+
test data empirical tools. Recently, CFD has been
compared to other simulation tools are
included in the design cycle to augment
the accurate capturing of the free-surface
the design cycle and the model tests,
to model breaking and impact waves,
removing much a-priori uncertainty in
motion models including Dynamic Fluid-
for spars, there are always uncertainties testing results and a-posteriori extension
Body Interaction (DFBI), embedded DFBI
in model testing. Furthermore, the model of modeling results once the CFD model is
and overset mesh, and powerful pre/post
tests still would not completely answer validated (i.e., model the model with CFD).
processors.
questions regarding wave slamming on However, due to the cost of using CFD, the
structures, structural resonance from semi-empirical tools, with more than 20
One of the prohibitive factors of using CFD
wave loading, wave run-up on columns years of data correlation, will continue
engineering simulation is the computational
and green water on the deck (air gap). to play the main role in design iteration.
cost that is dictated by hardware resources
12 Special report
Figure 6: Trimmed mesh on GBS (left) and wave profile around GBS (right) Figure 7: Comparison of static (black curve) and
dynamic (red curve) overturning moment on GBS
Technip is constantly innovating in the design and

construction of offshore floating platforms by taking
advantage of modern design tools like numerical simulation.
available and computing time. The in-house floating platforms. In the event of shallow domain as shown in Figure 4. The moments on
hardware resources at Technip included water extreme waves, this 5th-order the column from EOM matched well with the
a dedicated CFD cluster (144 computer model is not the proper physics model. To data from model tests, thereby validating the
cores) which can simulate 30 seconds to 1 overcome this, a fully nonlinear wave model methodology (see Figure 4).
minute of real time platform motion in less was developed in-house for shallow water
than a day. Advanced computing resources extreme waves. In addition, simulation This method was introduced in their design
available at Texas Advanced Computing of spar platforms required a very large spiral with excellent results. A sample of how
Center (TACC)comprises of more than domain for wave-absorbing upstream of the the EOM helped in the design cycle of various
10,000 cores, which is 10% of the total platform. STAR-CCM+ has a wave damping projects is given below:
number of cores in the Stampede cluster capability in the downstream direction only.
available through TACC’s industry partner • Ringing Analysis for Gravity-Based
program (STAR). Access to TACC enables To minimize the computational cost from Spar (GBS): Ringing is a phenomenon
multiple simulations of 3 hours of real-time a very large domain, Technip developed experienced by tension leg and steel
motion in around a day, compared to single an Euler-Overlay method where an Euler gravity-based platforms when responses
simulation of 30 seconds in around a day. solution is used in the far-field without the of considerable amplitude are generated
The 3 hour period is important offshore hull structure and a Reynolds Averaged by these structures at their resonance
because that is the average length of time Navier Stokes (RANS) method with DFBI is period and higher harmonics, potentially
for a storm to pass over a given location. used near the platform. An overlay method causing fatigue damage over the life
using the momentum and volume fraction of the field. EOM was applied to a
A typical hydrodynamic simulation of an sources is used at the intersection of the ringing analysis of a new Gravity-Based
offshore platform would require a large RANS and Euler regions to blend the two Platform subjected to short-crested
mesh to capture the free surface. This is solutions smoothly. This method reduces irregular waves. Details of the trimmed
accentuated when simulating for extreme the domain size greatly, thereby decreasing hexahedral mesh around the GBS, free
environments involving violent, non-linear the computational time and hardware surface profile and the pressure profile
waves leading to higher computing time resources required by eliminating the need on the structure are seen in Figure5. The
and cost. There are other gaps in the to solve RANS equations over a wider area. 2nd order solution from EOM is obtained
simulation methodology that also need to for a wave over a period of 15 seconds
be addressed. Technip set out to address with the shortest capture period being
all the technology gaps in the existing The Euler Overlay Method (EOM) 7.5 seconds. Model tests for this GBS
simulation methodology with the aim of a applied to real world problems were problematic with the irregular
final design tool with fully integrated CFD Technip has used EOM with STAR-CCM+ waves limiting the loading force. CFD
methodology in the design cycle. successfully to provide extreme design analysis with EOM enabled proper study
loads on structures for a variety of offshore of this GBS at a higher loading force.
STAR-CCM+’s Volume of Fluid (VOF) method platforms. A proper validation of the numerical Comparisons of the structural load on
has numerous wave models for different model with experimental data is the key to the spar from a static and dynamic wave
scenarios that have been well validated deciding on the appropriate numerical analysis. are shown in the Figure 7. Numerical
for free surface capturing. With respect to To validate the EOM, Technip simulated model computations show the dynamic
floating offshore platforms, the 5th order tests from Chaplin et al. (1997) involving a amplification of the structural load from
Stokes Wave model in STAR-CCM+ is well long-crested wave and a vertical column. the dynamic waves due to the resonant
suited for deep water simulations which These 3D computations involved a 2m CFD response of the structure to higher-
is the environment for a majority of spar domain and a 105 m long Euler solution harmonic loads.
Special report 13
Figure 8: Pressure profile on TLP with wave elevation: fixed-hull model for springing analysis
• Air Gap/Ringing Analysis of a Tensioned response and the weather-side tendon response amplitude operators (RAO), an
Leg Platform (TLP): Air gaps under an tension resulting from the natural frequency engineering statistic to determine the
offshore platform are extremely important of the TLP at heave and pitch. Comparisons behavior and response of the platform in
to consider as they determine how waves of air gap in the time domain with model waves. Numerical analysis with the EOM
impact the underside of the structure. tests also shows that CFD agrees well with model shows excellent prediction of heave
Technip utilized EOM for air gap and ringing model tests in predicting the air gaps and RAO for the semi-submersible.
analysis of a TLP. A catenary model built relative wave elevations.
in STAR-CCM+ was used to simulate the • Dry-Tree Semi-Submersible Hull
tendons. The tension in the tendons reflects • Semi-Submersible Motion Simulation: The Optimization: The oil and gas industry has
the ringing response and the tendon tension EOM was used for motion analysis of a devoted substantial efforts to find a dry
on the leeside and weather-side are seen in semi-submersible platform in the design tree solution for the semi-submersible in
Figure 8. The numerical results agree well phase. A mooring and riser model was used deep water with harsh environment. The
with model tests with the leeside tendon to calculate the motion of the moorings key design aspect of a dry-tree Semi is to
tension coming from the wave frequency and riser. Model tests offered data on heave minimize heave motion to accommodate
14 Special report
A B
C D
Figure 9: Pressure head on semi-submersible with wave elevation (top); Figure 10: Heave RAOs from CFD for several hull forms for dry-tree
Comparison of heave RAO from CFD and white-noise wave test (bottom) semi-submersibles
design limits of topsides equipment de- can be used after model testing to extend numerical simulation in the design cycle. The
coupling platform motion and riser system. the design into variations that shorten the Euler Overlay Method using STAR-CCM+ has
Technip has been developing new hull forms overall optimization process. In addition, proven to be a highly useful tool for the design
that suit industry demands in worldwide simulation provides more information on the spiral, offering an efficient, cost-effective
design environments. EOM-based CFD physics involved compared to model tests. An design process.
simulations have been used to provide example of the savings can be gathered from
heave-motion performance of the trial the total computational cost of simulations
hull forms for the optimal dry-tree semi- for the TLP and Semi-Submersible analysis,
submersible design. costing $538 and $752 respectively on 640
cores for simulating real time motion of 5
“The success of numerical
minutes and 1 hour respectively. This is a very simulation at Technip
Conclusion negligible fraction of the model testing costs owes a lot to the very good
The above examples show the value of and overall total project costs with potential features of STAR-CCM+
simulation as an effective replacement savings in design time and cost running into to handle analysis of
for model tests early in the design phase millions of dollars. The return on investment
to identify the more optimal offshore for simulation is extremely high for design
platform structures”
platform designs before moving to model of offshore platforms. With improved wave Jang Whan Kim
tests, thereby reducing time and cost of models and mooring/riser modeling, Technip Technip
tests and shortening the design time. CFD intends to reap greater benefits from using
Special report 15
Refining and Petrochemical Heater trouble shooting
16 Special report
Heater trouble shooting Refining and Petrochemical
It’s Getting Hot in Here!

Zeeco solves the mystery
of a heater malfunction
using STAR-CCM+
Zhili (Alex) Qin
Zeeco Inc.
Prashanth Shankara
Figure 1: X-cut plane section through the gear housing showing mesh details of the model
Introduction Zeeco Inc. is a provider of combustion

In engineering consulting, troubleshooting and environmental solutions, involved in STAR-CCM+ is
the problems faced by your customer in an the engineering design and manufacturing
efficient, timely manner is the bread and of burners, flares and incinerators. In an efficient and
butter of the business. As such, it is highly
critical to be equipped with the right tools
addition, Zeeco also offers engineering
consulting to their clients. One such
cost-saving
in addition to having competent engineers
tackling the problem. This article showcases
customer came to Zeeco with a problematic
heater that was suffering from low
engineering
one such example where a modern numerical performance. This article highlights how tool for
simulation software in the hands of good Zeeco used, STAR-CCM+®, to virtually
engineers transforms into an efficient, troubleshoot the heater and identify the troubleshooting
effective virtual troubleshooting tool. cause of the heater’s inefficient operation.
Special report 17
Industrial Heater – The issues

The problematic industrial heater is shown
in figure 1. The modeled system included
burners on both sides at the bottom and a
radiant section on top with process tubes
running along the length and breadth of the
heater. The convection section and stack
were not included in the model. The process
tubes carried processed fluids that entered the
heater at the top and exited at the bottom. A
combustion air distribution duct was attached
to the burners to distribute the air equally
to each of the burners for combustion. The
walls of the heater are made of firebrick and
ceramic fiber module.
The heater had the following issues while in

operation and Zeeco was tasked with finding
the cause and providing solutions for these:
Coking: Coking is the formation of coke on the
inside of the heater tubes, reducing their heat
Figure 2: Initial distribution of the three different oil filling levels
transfer capacity. The process tubes carried
hydrocarbon fluid and the heavier species
in the fluid were prone to coking. During
operation, it was noticed that there was
coking inside the process tubes.
Run Length: The heater was initially designed
to run for 9-10 months. Due to problems with
the coking, the heater only ran for 3-4 months
after which the heater had to be shut down to
clean the coking inside the tubes.
Thermal Behavior: The temperature readings

on the tube metal showed non-uniform
temperatures and heat flux distributions at Figure 3: Oil distribution changes in time for the middle oil level
the tube surface. Visual troubleshooting of
the heater and its various components is
extremely difficult and impractical because
there is no easy way to access to the interior
of the system. Zeeco decided to turn to
virtual simulation to gain insight into the
heater performance. The multiphysics
simulation software STAR-CCM+, was used as
a troubleshooting tool for this purpose.
CFD Setup of the heater

A CAD model of the heater geometry was
prepared for analysis using Solidworks. The Figure 4: (a) Streamlines showing transient flow features between the intermeshing gears and (b)
computational model included the heater transient velocity flow field changes in the gearbox
radiant section with process tubes, burners
and air distribution ducts. The domain was
discretized in STAR-CCM+ using trimmed was refinery fuel gas, including hydrogen conjunction with the realizable k-ε turbulence
hexahedral cells (figure 2) and Navier-Stokes and hydrocarbons like methane and propane. model. Radiation was accounted for by the
equations were solved in these cells. Only half STAR-CCM+offers a full suite of combustion choice of the Gray Thermal Radiation model in
the heater was modeled with around 13M models to simulate various combustion STAR-CCM+.
cells and symmetry condition was assumed phenomena. The multi-component species
for the other half. The computational mesh model was used to introduce the various fuel-
was refined sufficiently around the burners gas components into the heater. The Eddy Identification of heater issues from
to resolve the flow field and combustion Break-Up (EBU) model in STAR-CCM+ was simulation
accurately. The heater was 85 feet long, used to model the non-premixed combustion Figure 3 shows the predicted combustion
around 25 feet tall and 10 feet wide and of the species by solving the individual flame profile depicted by iso-surfaces of the
modeled in scale. transport equations for mean species on combustion output species. The combustion
the computational mesh. Ignition was not air enters the distribution ducts from right to
The segregated flow solver in STAR-CCM+ is considered based on the characteristic of the left, leading to the flame height decreasing
ideally suited for low-speed flows and was heater flame and the standard EBU model was from right to left as the air available for
used here. The fuel gas mixture in the heater deemed sufficient to model the combustion in combustion decreases. The burner at the far
18 Special report
plane of each burner. Quantitative analysis of

the oxygen concentration shows that excess
oxygen is around 5% which is in accordance
with the heater design.
The process fluid entered the heater from the

top and exited at the bottom, resulting in the
temperature increasing from top to bottom. A
visual analysis of the tube metal temperature
as seen in figure 6 confirms this behavior. Flue
FIGURE 5: Pressure gas temperature at the tubes shows hot spots
condition changes in on the right side while the left side is cooler.
time in the gearbox
For any heater, a proper uniform distribution
of heat flux at the tube surface is necessary
for optimal operation. A non-uniform heat
flux distribution results in poor heating and
makes the hydrocarbons inside the heater
prone to coking. Figure 7 shows the heat
flux distribution on the tube surface. The
left, right and middle sections of the heater
are investigated to analyze the heat flux
distribution. The weighted heat flux at various
locations is compared for the three sections
in plot 1. The weighted heat flux represents
Figure 6: Volume fraction of oil between the the ratio of the local heat flux to the overall
intermeshing gears and for the three different
average heat flux for all tube surfaces. It can
oil filling levels at 1/3 r (additionally for filling
be seen that the tube surface on the left is
level high at 1/2 r)
absorbing less heat than the surface on the
right side.
Figure 7: a) Volume fraction of oil in the Heater issues and recommendations

gearbox and b) on gear flanks after 1/3 r For process heaters, it is very typical to see
and 1 r higher heat flux at lower levels where the
combustion flame enters the heater as opposed
to the higher elevations inside the heater
where there is a lesser heat transfer and lower
heat flux. From plot 1, it is apparent that at
a lower elevation, the left side of the heater
has a weighted heat flux of 125%, while this
value jumps to 145% on the right side. This
shows that the tube surface on the right side
is absorbing 20% more heat than the left
side, leading to coking of hydrocarbons at
these higher temperatures. The heat transfer
distribution on the tube surfaces is thus
identified as the cause of the poor functioning
of the heater. It was recommended to introduce
more baffle plates and turning vanes inside the
combustion air distribution duct to change the
flow pattern. This will result in more uniform
air distribution to all the burners, thus reducing
the excessive heating of one end of the heater
compared to the other.
Zeeco used STAR-CCM+ to successfully

Figure 8: Temporal development of the volume fraction of oil on the flanks of gear 1 and gear 2 simulate the heater operation and identify
the cause of the heater malfunction.
Recommendations were suggested based
on the numerical simulations for improved
left shows anomalous behavior with higher 4 depicts the carbon monoxide (left) and
performance. STAR-CCM+ enabled Zeeco to
flame length which is caused by a special unburnt hydrocarbon (right) concentration at
solve an engineering challenge of a customer
duct design at the far left end. The close the central plane of each burner and shows
in a timely, cost-effective manner, reinforcing
proximity of the flame (front view) to the side that the CO burns out quickly, showing that
the capability of STAR-CCM+ to function as a
wall was confirmed by visual observation completion of combustion is not an issue.
key weapon in the arsenal of any engineering
through viewing holes in the heater. Figure Figure 5 shows the oxygen level at central
consulting organization.
Special report 19
A process heater is a direct-fired heat

exchange device. It uses the hot flue gases
from combustion of a commonly available
fuel in a petrochemical or refinery to heat a
fluid flowing through coils. These coils are
placed inside the heater. The liquid inside the
tubes could be crude oil, naptha, a mixture
of steam and methane or others. In some
cases, the heater only heats the fluid. In
other cases, the the fluid may undergo high
temperature reactions to produce valuable
chemicals. These chemicals are further
processes downstream of the heater. The
processes occurring inside the tubes and
the combustion occurring in the heater is a
coupled phenomenon. It therefore makes
these heater very complex to design and
operate. Heat transfer from the burners in the
heater needs to be precise to transfer enough
heat without causing damage to the tubes or
unwanted coking reactions inside the tubes.
The heater needs to operate safely, transfer

required amount of heat and produce
products in correct proportions by promoting
desired reactions while minimizing pollutant
gas formation such as NOx. The flow inside
the coils of the heater could be multiphase
or the tubes may be filled with catalysts of
various shapes. This adds further complexity
to the problem.
STAR-CCM+® offers a wide range of reaction

and combustion models to simulate the
processes in such heaters. In a new release
in near future, CFD analysts will be able to
couple the reaction inside the tubes with the
combustion phenomenon in the heater in a
seamless manner to increase the fidelity of
the results. Moreover, the burner design itself
can be optimized using rigorous optimization
methods using the Optimate™/Optimate+™
add-on. This helps engineers in minimizing
the number of experimental trials and arrive
at superior designs faster.
20 Special report
Picking up Bad Vibrations:

Porter McGuffie troubleshoot a
vibrating heater
Titus Sgro
The bane of most engineers is dealing with

physics that have not been considered
during the design process and consequently
troubleshooting the problem caused by it.
This phenomenon is universal across the
engineering world, with operating issues
in equipment cropping up in countless
different ways. Some unanticipated physical
behavior can easily be accommodated and
fixed. Others, like those often encountered
by Porter McGuffie are much more difficult
to diagnose and solve.
Porter McGuffie, Inc. (PMI), a Lawrence,

Kansas-based computational mechanics
and engineering measurement services
company, provides engineering solutions
backed by FEA and CFD analysis to a wide
range of fields. One particular design
problem they were asked to resolve was
the piping inside a heater unit that was
visibly and audibly shaking (and startling
its operators). The cause of the shaking in
the heater’s piping system (figure 1) was
unknown. The oscillatory displacement was
approximately one inch in each direction
under certain operating conditions. This
level of vibration was considered too high
for safe operation. To limit the vibrations,
the unit throughput had to be lowered
significantly.
To begin their analysis, PMI visited the site

of the heater. They attached accelerometers
to the heater’s piping to get precise
measurements of the vibration of the pipes.
Measurements (obtained at the locations
shown in figure 2) indicated that the most
significant vibrations were occurring at
frequencies of 10 Hz and 9 Hz, as illustrated
Figure 1: Geometry of piping, colored
in figure 3. Later analyses identified these
by sections
Special report 21
Figure 3: Vibration frequency measured at locations 9 and 10
Figure 2: Locations of
accelerometers on the test system
frequencies as the mechanical resonant

frequencies of the two separate loops in the
system. Additional analysis of the vibration
data revealed that the envelope of the
vibration amplitude had a periodicity to it.
The primary period was approximately 27
seconds in length, and the secondary period
was approximately 13.5 seconds in length,
as illustrated in figure 4. This amplitude
variation traded back and forth between
the two loops in the heater, with one loop
vibrating at ~10 HZ and then the other at ~9
Hz. This amplitude variation was nearly 180
degrees out of phase between the
two loops.
Figure 4: Analysis to periodicity of vibrational amplitudes
Using this data, PMI was able to correlate
the change in vibration levels to the flow
of hydrogen in the two-phase distillate
stream. To identify the cause of the change
in hydrogen flow, PMI performed a CFD of pressure indicated. Figure 5B shows the circumstantial evidence of the cause of the
analysis on the heater piping system, measured and simulated period of pressure shaking, Porter McGuffie was not satisfied
recreating the entire flow regime in pulses through the radiant and convection and investigated further, coupling the
STAR-CCM+. The setup itself made use of sections for each flow configuration. STAR-CCM+ run with Algor (a finite element
STAR-CCM+’s Eulerian multiphase model to As is clearly shown, there is very good analysis code), using PMI proprietary
track the gas and liquid phase species in the agreement between the simulated and coupling software. Applying the force load
pipes, as well as the S-gamma submodel to measured frequency calculations, giving data from the CFD simulation, PMI was able
track the size of individual liquid droplets. credence to the time-domain pressure and to predict the displacement of the pipes
force traces queried from the model. (figure 7). The red highlights show the
To enable tracking of various quantities area in the actual heater that was having
within sections of the model, five regions The simulation results indicated that the the most vibrational displacement. Figure
were created: the inlet pipe, the convection flow patterns in the convective region, 8 shows a comparison of the measured
section, cross-over section, radiant characterized as stratified flow, did not accelerations superimposed over the FEA-
section, and the outlet tee. To accurately oscillate noticeably. On the other hand, predicted accelerations, detailing obvious
read the conditions of the heater, PMI the radiative section’s flow regime showed correlations.
set a considerable number of 3D force significant annular slugging (where the
monitors at every elbow and pipe within the liquid phase flows along the wall with Porter McGuffie was able to provide its
simulation as well as pressure and mass flow a gas central core) that caused highly customer with a detailed explanation of
monitors at the entrance to each section unstable flow patterns (figure 6). The why their heater was exhibiting such high
for both liquids and gases. Flow regimes slugging pattern that formed matched the amplitude vibrations. The two-phase flow
were identified within the simulation frequency of the piping vibrations. These in the radiant section led to significant
through visual inspection from still images slug patterns also correlated with the pressure variation in the radiative section
and animations. Figure 5A shows the Fast pressure pulses measured in the radiant, of the simulation, which caused mass flow
Fourier Transform of one of the pressure cross-over, and convection sections. While variations in the H2 line. The pressure
graphs, with the peak period oscillations this would be enough to provide good variation qualitatively agreed with the
22 Special report
122
Approximate Primary CFD
1722 Inlet Flow
sssssss
Case # Measured Calculated
Configuration Configuration
1 1624 Period (s) Period(s)
sssssss
1 Reduced A/B 14,500 13.3 11

028
2227
sssssss
2 A/B 19,500 27 23
026
3 C/D 14,500 13.3 14
4 C/D 19,500 27 29
024
To Exchanger
5 A/B 19,500 27 27
022 Outlet
7 A/B 24,500 24.5 22
0
0 021 022 027 024 027 026 027
8 A/B 35,000 N/A 19
Figure 5A: FFT of pressure from time to frequency Figure 5B: Comparison of measured experimental data to CFD results
domain
hydrogen flow oscillation frequency

measured on site. The force magnitudes
predicted in the CFD simulation and the
structural vibration analysis also lined
up well with the measured data. Further
experimentation and simulation have
shown that while the amplitude of the flow
pulsations vary with overall throughput,
the frequency of the piping vibration
remains constant. Again, this is in good
agreement with the measured data. Thus,
it is clear that a resonant mode of the
piping was being excited.
PMI was able to turn around the

measurements and simulations within a
few weeks’ time using STAR-CCM+. The
use of Eulerian Multiphase Model with
S-gamma submodel allowed the analysis
of a large two-phase system that took
approximately one week to run using a few
million cells on twelve processor cores. The
more traditional Volume of Fluid model
method, using the correct grid density,
would have required more than 50 billion
cells and weeks of run-time per simulation.
Mike Porter, principal engineer at PMI,

Figure 6: CFD calculated flow of liquid in the pipes, showing heavy slugging
stated that without simulation with
STAR-CCM+, there would have been no
way to see what the fluid flow was doing
within the pipes, and it would have taken
s))s))))))))s)ss))s))s))))s)))s)s)))s))s))))))))))))))
many months of analysis and research to
555
diagnose and correct the problem. All in
all, Porter McGuffie was able to do the
complete testing, analysis and create a
5
555
recommended redesign within the span of
a few weeks, not the several months’ turn-
))))))))))))))))))
5
sssssssssssssssssssssssssss around time common with more traditional
ssssssssssssssssssssss
methods and tools.

5555
55
With PMI’s suggested changes scheduled
to be incorporated this October, it is nearly
5555
55 5555 55 5555 52 5255 53 certain that the subject heater will be able
))))))))
to operate at full capacity. Porter McGuffie

will then maintain its record of a 100%
success rate for their analysis and design
Figure 7: CFD calculated displacement of Figure 8: Comparison of FEA-predicted solutions, a claim that most engineering
flow pipe, accurately predicting locations of accelerations and measured accelerations companies and departments within much
heaviest vibrations larger corporations can only envy.
Special report 23
Oil and Gas Jumper fatigue life
24 Special report
Jumper fatigue life Oil and Gas
Using Simulation to
Assess the Fatigue Life of
Subsea Jumpers
Oleg Voronkov, Alan Mueller, Alex Read and Sabine A. Goodwin
Introduction FIV. This work describes an example of The multiphase flow encountered in jumpers
Structural vibrations of subsea piping how Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) covers the complete flow map including
systems stem from either external is being used in complement to other slug, annular, dispersed, stratified and wavy
currents passing around the structure analysis methods by providing higher fidelity flow. For simulation of FIV, it is critical that
(Vortex-Induced Vibration or VIV) or from information that is otherwise unattainable, to the movement of the interfaces between
transient flows of mixtures inside the pipes reduce risk, reduce over-design, and increase different phases in the pipes is accurately
(Flow-Induced Vibration or FIV). These profit margins. captured and thus a multiphase model
vibrations compromise the structural is required. The Volume of Fluid (VOF)
integrity of subsea systems and in extreme multiphase model available in STAR-CCM+®
circumstances can reduce their fatigue life Tackling the Problem of FIV with was used to simulate the transient behavior
from years down to weeks. simulation of the mixture and the development of
Siemens is a member of a Joint Industry slugs in the jumper. VOF uses the Eulerian
The transient multiphase flow inside subsea Programme (JIP) run by the international framework and is a practical approach
piping is complex and gaining insight energy consultancy Xodus Group and the for applications containing two or more
through physical subsea measurements is Dutch innovation company TNO to establish immiscible fluid phases, where each phase
expensive and challenging. As a result of and validate best practices for FIV. The constitutes a large structure in the system.
this, the industry has relied heavily on simple ultimate goal of the JIP is to contribute
analysis methods to predict the effects of to industrial capability of determining A key objective of this work was to address
FIV. These approaches tend to be overly the likelihood of piping fatigue due to the need to understand the role FSI plays
conservative, making the decision process excitation from multiphase flow. Potential in the fatigue life of subsea structures. The
concerning structural integrity of subsea benefits could include improving screening, dynamic open architecture in STAR-CCM+
piping systems difficult. This has had a simulation and prediction models through makes it well-suited to help provide answers
significant economic impact on the Oil and the use of CFD and empirical methods. [1] because it seamlessly enables FSI simulations
Gas Industry as failure is not an option and ranging from one-way coupling of either
thus expensive ‘over-design’ is common This work is a demonstration example of slug FIV or VIV all the way up to two-way
practice for reducing risk, with a price tag of flow in a jumper, modeled with two-way coupling, including both the internal mixture
up to hundreds of millions of dollars. fully-coupled Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI). and external flow of the pipes.
The simulations were carried out on a generic
Siemens is working closely with industry to geometry of a jumper [3], to make it publicly The focus of the simulation work presented
develop a set of best practices for modeling available to Siemens' customers. here is on FIV using co-simulation (fully-
Special report 25
The dynamic
open architecture
in STAR-CCM+
seamlessly enables
FSI simulations
ranging from one-
way coupling of
either FIV or VIV Figure 1: Jumper geometry in the shape of an M with a circular cross section for FSI
co-simulation
all the way up to

two-way coupling,
including both the
internal mixture
and external flow
of the pipes.
Figure 2: VOF mesh generated using the generalized cylinder mesher in STAR-CCM+
coupled two-way interaction), where the ability to customize their FSI simulations particular application because the geometry
STAR-CCM+ handles the multiphase flow and by leveraging the power of JAVA to allow consists of cylindrical sections, and the
Abaqus FEA (SIMULIA) is used for predicting them to easily integrate their own legacy direction of the flow is parallel to the vessel
the dynamic structural deformations of the codes or their FEA software of choice for FSI wall. Using extruded prismatic cells reduces the
jumper. The two domains are interconnected simulations. overall cell count, ensures orthogonal cells and
using the SIMULIA Co-Simulation improves the rate of convergence. The final
Engine (CSE). Although this method is VOF mesh has ~4 million polyhedral cells and is
computationally intensive, it demonstrates Computational Jumper Geometry depicted in figure 2.
a more general approach to the end user The generic jumper geometry (figure 1) in
because it can be deployed for predicting this study is made of steel, with a circular The Abaqus finite element model for the
the behavior of complex systems including cross section and a traditional M-shape [3]. co-simulation consists of 21,000 four-node
non-linear structures and highly complicated The jumper is clamped on both ends and the shell elements and is shown in figure 3.
geometries. Alternatively, because the multiphase flow passing through the pipes First, a stand-alone structural modal analysis
specific generic jumper geometry for this consists of a 50-50% volume mixture of air was performed to characterize the dynamic
work is geometrically and structurally and water (defined as stratified flow with behavior of the structure. The stiffness in
relatively uncomplicated (e.g. there is no water on the bottom and air on top at the inlet each coordinate direction was computed by
contact with the sea floor), this particular boundary). Fluid domain (cyan in figure 1) is applying a load to the pipe to get the resulting
simulation could also be performed with a extended beyond the deformable structure force-displacement relationship and an
simpler approach by, for example, modeling (yellow in figure 1) to avoid influence of eigenvalue analysis was done to obtain the
the jumper with beam elements, using 1-way boundary conditions on the flow inside the natural frequencies of the jumper. For this
coupling or completely performing the FSI jumper. case, an equivalent mass representing both the
problem in STAR-CCM+ using its structural mass from the flow inside the pipes (assuming
stress analysis model. For the VOF mesh, the generalized cylinder a uniform mixture of air and water) and the
mesher available in STAR-CCM+ was used added mass resulting from the displacement
In addition to direct co-simulation coupling in conjunction with the polyhedral volume of the water surrounding the pipe was used.
with Abaqus, STAR-CCM+ also offers users mesher. This approach works well for this This added mass coefficient was taken from
26 Special report
Convective Courant Number value of ~0.5 on

most of the phase separation surface. This
corresponds to 1/100th of the period of the
4th natural mode and 1/63th of the period of
the 7th natural mode of the structure and
~1/150th of time for the mixture to travel
along pipe bend. Gravity was included in the
simulation and the inlet velocity was set to 3
m/s, defined as 50-50% stratified flow with
water on the bottom and air on top.
The undeformed structure was used as
the initial condition for the Abaqus runs.
In addition to the added mass described
above, the structural model also included
a mass proportional damping to account
Figure 3: FEM model used for co-simulation has 21k 4-node shell elements for damping from the external water
surrounding the pipes and some additional
damping in the joints on jumper ends
[5]. The value of the damping coefficient
representing the mass proportional damping
was obtained by running a fully two-way
coupled simulation on a flexible round pipe
placed in water. For all simulations, attention
was focused on the first seven natural
modes of the structure with their natural
frequencies ranging from 0.59 to 2.82 Hz
(table 1).
The bends in the jumper are the primary

locations where significant loading occurs
as a result of the large momentum from the
change in direction of flow. Figure 6 shows
the forces and their Fast Fourier Transform
(FFT) on each of the bends depicted in
figure 5. It is clear that the multiphase
Figure 4: First four natural modes of the jumper flow encountered by the bends is highly
complex with a lot of identifiable peaks in
frequency. This means that there are many
transient pressure loadings that have the
potential to give rise to changing stresses and
oscillatory vibrations, thus affecting fatigue
and lifetime of the jumper. The primary
Table 1: Natural frequencies for each mode in the jumper. dominant frequencies observed in the FFT of
the forces on the bends were low with time
scales of up to ten seconds. These are due to
the separation of the phases in the mixture
(development of slugs) as it flows through
the jumper. Although these frequencies are
much lower than the natural modes of the
structure, they are a critical component for
predicting the fatigue life of the jumper.
Figure 7 visually depicts the water volume

fraction for each of the sections in the
jumper and shows the evolution of the slugs,
Figure 5: Bends in jumper are the primary locations where loading occurs.
starting with the formation of short slugs
with an average of ~2 pipe diameters long in
the first lift. As the mixture moves through
literature [4], [5]. Figure 4 shows the first four rigid and fixed structure. These rigid results the jumper and arrives at the fourth bend,
natural modes of the jumper and table 1 lists were used to gain a better understanding of longer slugs are forming and as they pass the
the frequencies of each mode. the internal forces due to the mixture in the second lift they have reached a length of ~12
system and served as the initial solution for pipe diameters long.
the two-way coupled co-simulation.
FIV Analysis with STAR-CCM+ For co-simulation, on the VOF side, the When taking a closer look at the dominant
and Abaqus FEA second order implicit segregated solver using slug frequencies (see table 2), once again,
STAR-CCM+ was first executed in a stand- the k-omega SST turbulence model was the observation is made that the slugs
alone mode, making the assumption of a run unsteady, with a time step providing a have relatively large time scales with the
Special report 27
first dominant frequency around 0.09 Hz.

Because of this, each separate slug moving
along the pipe produces kind of impulse
loading resulting in structural vibrations
mainly with structural natural frequencies.
This can be seen from the FFT of jumper
displacements at controlled points (figure
8). In addition, one of the slug frequencies is
observed to be close to the 1st fundamental
mode of the system at 0.54 Hz (table 2).
Prediction of Fatigue Failure

Von Mises stresses and displacements
for the system were computed and the
largest tensile stresses were observed in
the cantilevered section of the pipe that
is clamped in the simulation and hooks
into neighboring equipment in real-life
scenarios (see figure 9). This location was
thus identified as a prime candidate location
for prediction of fatigue failure of the jumper
because usually a weld is located at this place
and it is subjected to tension at this point.
The time dependent behavior of the stress

at this location and its FFT are shown in
Figure 6: Forces and their FFT on the six bends defined in the jumper geometry
figure 10. A distinct peak with a dominant
frequency occurs at 1.3 Hz and falls close to
the frequency of second natural mode. But
in addition to this, a low frequency response
of 0.09 Hz is once again present, due to
the transient motion of slugs in the jumper.
Using the results of the stresses at this critical
location as an input, the Rain Flow Counting
technique was used to estimate the damage
to the jumper from the presented portion of
altering stress. The result, showing range in
stress relative to the mean stress and number
of cycles, are depicted in figure 11. The
Palmgren-Miner rule, using the S-N curve [2]
shown in figure 12, predicted a short fatigue
life of only about 5.5 years with a fatigue
design factor of 5. This is a good example
that demonstrates the value of using high-
fidelity simulation to assess fatigue life early
in the design process: A potential structural
vibration problem is identified up front and
additional simulations can be performed at a
low cost to redesign the jumper and mitigate
the problem.
Figure 7: Slug formation as the mixture travels through the jumper
Conclusion
Flow induced vibration and its effect on Investment in more expensive simulation tools will
fatigue life of a generic jumper was assessed
using a two-way coupled FSI simulation with be very beneficial in failure analysis prediction
STAR-CCM+ and Abaqus FEA. Simulations and prevention of subsea systems. Anticipation
were performed with the multiphase VOF
model in STAR-CCM+ and were found to be of structural integrity early in the design space is
very robust with minimal numerical problems.
The dominant frequencies from the slug
expected to help quantify and reduce the amount
formation in this particular jumper geometry of conservatism currently used by the Oil and Gas
were much lower than the natural frequencies
of the structure. This suggests that a coupling
Industry, keeping production flow rates as high as
between the fluid and structure could be possible, thus increasing their profit margin.
treated via a one-way coupling. However, for
28 Special report
a one-way coupling, the added fluid mass

and added fluid damping due to the internal
VOF flow would be particularly difficult
to assess in any predictive manner. Thus
these fully two-way coupled simulations
provide insight to the expected damping
which in turn greatly influences the lifetime
estimates. Additionally, the method
demonstrated in this work is expected to add
significant value for the Oil and Gas Industry
as it can be applied to complex real-world
problems involving non-linear structures and
complicated subsea equipment.
Investment in more expensive simulation

tools will be very beneficial in failure analysis
prediction and prevention of subsea systems.
Anticipation of structural integrity early in the
design space is expected to help quantify and
reduce the amount of conservatism currently
used by the Oil and Gas Industry, keeping
production flow rates as high as possible, thus
increasing their profit margin.
Figure 8: Monitored points (top), plots of Y-displacement as a function of time (middle) and the
corresponding FFT (bottom) at each of the monitored points
Table 2: Dominant slug frequencies in the Figure 9: Location in jumper where the Figure 11: Fatigue life estimate using the
mixture maximum tensile von Mises stresses occur Rain Flow Counting Method
Figure 10: Time-dependent behavior and corresponding FFT of maximum tensile stress in the Figure 12: S-N curve used for fatigue life
jumper estimation [1]
References
[1] http://www.xodusgroup.com/press/press-releases.html
[2] Guide for the fatigue assessment of offshore structures. American Bureau of Shipping, Houston, TX, USA. November 2010.
[3] L. Chica: Fluid Structure Interaction Analysis of Two-Phase Flow in an M-shaped Jumper. University of Houston, College of Technology, Mechanical Engineering
Technology. STAR Global Conference 2012. January 28, 2012.
[4] J.P. Pontaza, B. Abuali, G.W. Brown, F.J. Smith: Flow-Induced Vibrations of Subsea Piping: A Screening Approach Based on Numerical Simulation. Shell
International Exploration and Production Inc., Shell U.K. Limited. SPE 166661. 2013.
[5] J.P. Pontaza, R.G. Menon: Flow-Induced Vibrations of Subsea Jumpers due to Internal Multi-Phase Flow. Shell Projects and Technology. OMAE2011-50062.
Special report 29
Oil and Gas Optimization of an offshore platform orientation
30 Special report
Optimization of an offshore platform orientation Oil and Gas
A Functional Method for

the Optimization of a Tension Leg
Offshore Platform Orientation
Utilizing CFD
Gerard Reynolds and Andrew Staszak
Atkins
Introduction
Technical safety in the oil and gas industry
is of paramount importance. With most
Tension Leg Platforms (TLP) being
geographically remote, costing upwards
of $3.5 billion, containing a multitude
of process and operational hazards, and
crowding personnel onboard, it is crucial
to minimize the risks to people and assets.
This can be achieved through the process
of Inherently Safe Design (ISD), in which
technical safety has direct influence on
the design, from concept through to
commissioning. The platform orientation is
one design aspect that can play a significant
role in the ISD process, limiting the
adverse effects should an incident occur.
Traditionally, the platform orientation has
been determined by engineering judgment,
heavily weighted by past experiences. While
this approach initially appears to be cost-
and time-effective, it has the potential to
lead to a non-ideal design solution which Figure 1: The aim of this study was to find the optimum theta, angle between True North and
could cause safety and operational issues to Platform North, based on a set of parameters.
go unaddressed and increased costs in later
design stages.
This article will discuss how the orientation Optimization Parameters • The wind chill, which can affect the
and layout of an offshore platform can The parameters considered for the ability for personnel to work on the
have a significant impact in developing a optimization study were as follows: platform. This is particularly important in
better and more informed design, keeping • The natural ventilation (wind), which cold climates and extreme weather areas
with the ISD principles. A case study will can reduce the potential accumulation where working conditions can influence
be discussed where STAR-CCM+® was of toxic and flammable gases as well as the number of personnel required for
integrated with additional analysis tools to provide indications of potential vapor operation.
optimize the orientation of a fixed offshore cloud explosion consequences. • The lifeboat drift-off direction, which
platform. It will demonstrate a technique to • The helideck impairment, which can can impact the safety of the crew in an
find the optimum platform orientation, i.e. impact helicopter operations due to emergency situation.
the platform orientation which results in the hot turbine exhaust gases, affecting • The hydrodynamic drag, which can affect
best design compromise between specified both general operations and potential tendon fatigue life, hull integrity, and
parameters. emergency operations. structural design requirements.
Special report 31
Natural Ventilation (Wind)

Guidance for ventilation rates is contained in
the Institute of Petroleum (IP) 15 document.
In the event of an unintended hydrocarbon
release, higher ventilation rates typically
translate into the formation of smaller
flammable gas clouds. This parameter is
therefore intended to be maximized.
Exhaust
The Civil Aviation Protocol (CAP) 437
dictates that restrictions be put in place
to the helicopter operations if there is a
temperature increase of 2 ºC above ambient
within the operational zone above the
helideck. Temperature rise is used to define
potential impairment to operations, in some
cases this may limit operations altogether
or require adjustments to payload weight, Figure 2: For a given hydrocarbon leak rate, increasing the ventilation rates aids in dispersing the
flammable gas cloud, typically producing smaller explosions in case of ignition, and less probability
approach paths, etc. For many offshore
of fatality and damage to the structure.
facilities, particularly in extreme weather
areas, helicopters are used as the primary
means of transportation and evacuation
Helideck Operational Zone
during an emergency. Thus, it is imperative
that the helideck remains available through
as many expected weather conditions as
possible. Additionally, platforms look to
minimize exhaust impacts to drilling, crane,
and elevated deck operations. The helideck
impairment from exhaust fumes is therefore
intended to be minimized.
Wind Chill
Wind chill is quantified by the perceived
decrease in temperature felt by the body
won exposed skin and is regulated by
NORSOK S-002. Wind chill can impact the
number of personnel required to operate
a facility. In some cases, environmental Exhaust Outlets
effects such as wind chill have been known
to increase the potential for operator
error. In order to provide personnel with
acceptable working conditions and maximize Figure 3: The offshore platform is powered by burning some of the gases it produces.
The exhaust outlets need to be positioned in such a way that the exhaust fumes minimize
safety, wind chill effects are intended to be
potential impairment to the helideck operational zone throughout the year.
minimized. It is important to note that this
can be counter to increasing ventilation for
the reduction of flammable clouds during an
unintended release of hydrocarbons. One
intent of the optimization approach is to find
a balance between these two potentially
competing goals.
Lifeboat Drift-off
If a lifeboat is deployed during an
emergency, it is imperative to maximize the
potential survival of the craft by limiting
exposure to potential hazards. A lifeboat
deployment may also suffer from loss of
power, thus left to environmental effects to
reach safety. To maximize the potential for
survival, the lifeboat should drift safely away
from the platform, assisted by the current.
Adverse drift-off, the length of time to reach
a safe area, and potential drift back into the Figure 4: Wind chill index map showing the danger of frostbite to personnel
32 Special report
Figure 5: In case of emergency, lifeboats should drift away from Figure 6: With water depths reaching up to 7,000 ft, the tendon fatigue
the platform rather than into or underneath the platform. resulting from wave impact and drag loading is a significant cost factor.
Here, the platform depth is compared to the height of the Burj Khalifa,
which is the tallest building in the world.
facility is intended to be minimized. orientation are still typically made solely Of course, using formal models doesn’t
Tendon Stress based on previous experience and come without limitations. There are a few
TLP platforms are typically used in water qualitative judgment, which can lead challenges associated with using CFD to
depths reaching up to 7,000 ft. To be cost- to unintentional biases. This study aims resolve issues related to offshore platforms:
efficient and comply with the American at improving the accuracy of experts’ • Firstly, from a technical point of view,
Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended predictions through the use of numerical offshore platforms are very large and
Practice (RP) 2T, the stress in the tendons tools in order to meet the following design have extremely complex geometries.
resulting from maintaining the platform objectives: This makes it difficult, if not impossible,
in place despite wave impact and drag • Maximize ventilation to explicitly resolve all objects within the
loading from the current needs to be • Minimize helideck impairment from available time frame.
minimized. Tendon requirements can lead exhaust • Secondly, from a project management
to weight and structural design limitations, • Minimize wind chill effects point of view, projects are strongly
as well as require unnecessary buoyancy • Minimize tendon stress schedule-driven: stakeholders want
complications during operations. • Minimize adverse lifeboat drift-off their platform to start running as early
Why Use CFD?

Good judgement is fundamental in solving
any engineering problem. However,
numerical simulations can help in making
a good design even better. In his book
Expert Political Judgment: How Good is It?
How Can We Know?, social scientist Philip
Tetlock shows how solutions derived from
formal models such as CFD consistently
outperform decisions based solely on
expert judgement. Today, with powerful
Multidisciplinary Design Exploration (MDX)
and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
(MDO) tools such as HEEDS, it has never
been easier to make a design reach its best
potential.
Figure 7: Social scientist Philip Tetlock [1] compared 20,000 predictions made by experts in their
In the oil and gas industry however, fields with the predictions given by formal models, such as CFD. Every time, the formal models
decisions relating to the platform outperformed expert judgment.
Special report 33
Figure 8: Mesh on the platform, showing local refinements around the exhaust outlets and the helideck
Figure 9: Mesh refinement around the exhaust outlet
as possible since each day of delay will and Safety is usually around 1% of the • Segregated multi-component gas model
cost upwards of $10 million in deferred total project cost, which greatly limits the • Gravity model to deal with the buoyancy-
revenue. amount of influence technical safety bears driven exhaust flow
• In addition, the platform orientation is one on the final design. The mesh parameters were set as follows:
of the first design aspects to be decided. The physics parameters used in • Large scale objects are explicitly resolved
However, in very early design stages, STAR-CCM+ to represent the exhaust are as • Small scale objects are represented by sub-
information is scarce. Many uncertainties follows: grid drag terms
need to be dealt with regarding the • Steady-state • Two to five million hexahedral cells
location of the equipment, etc. • Two-layer realizable k-epsilon turbulence • Locally refined on platform and
• Finally, the budget allocation for Health model helideckRefined exhaust outlets
34 Special report
Methodology
The methodology is summarized in the table below:
FAST
SLOW
Step 1: Simulate wind from 16 direction Step 2: Calculate helideck impairment from Step 3: Calculate mean air speed through
and 2 wind speeds exhaust for each scenario the platform
HOT
COLD
Step 4: Calculate wind chill on the platform Step 5: Determine lifeboat drift collision Step 6: Calculate drag loading on hull as a
probability surrogate for tendon stress
Results
The cost functions for each individual design
objective were calculated and are illustrated
in Figures 10 to 14. Figure 15 shows the
linearly weighted cost function for the
combined objectives. The combined cost
function shows that the optimum orientation
of the platform, once all objectives are taken
into account, is for its North to face True East-
Southeast. This result does not coincide with
any of the ideal orientations found for the
individual design objectives, but is the best
compromise between all these objectives.
Conclusion and future considerations

The optimum orientation of the platform,
with Platform North facing True East-
Southeast, was obtained using simulation
tools based on five design objectives:
ventilation, exhaust, wind chill, lifeboat
drift-off and tendon stress. The approach
taken in this case study considers an early
stage of design, with parameters covering
both safety and operational issues. As the
design progresses, the number of parameters
Step 7: Combine all results using annual wind and current probability distributions considered is expected to change, as will
Special report 35
Figure 10: Cost function for the ventilation objective, showing that Figure 11: Cost function for the exhaust objective, showing that the
the ideal orientation from a ventilation perspective is for Platform ideal orientation from the exhaust perspective is for Platform North to be
North to be aligned with True North-Northwest aligned with True East. However, results would be acceptable anywhere
between θ = 250 and 330 degrees.
Figure 12: Cost function for the wind chill objective, showing that the Figure 13: Cost function for the lifeboat drift-off objective, showing that
ideal orientation from a wind chill perspective is for Platform North to the ideal orientation from a lifeboat drift-off perspective is for Platform
be aligned with True Southeast. Note that the cost function curve is the North to be aligned with True South-Southeast, although any orientation θ
opposite of the one obtained for the ventilation. This is explained by the between 180 and 260 degrees would be equally acceptable.
fact that the wind chill is driven by the air speed in the same way as the
ventilation, as well as temperature. In this specific case, the temperature
was not cold enough to have much of an effect.
Figure 14: Cost function for the tendon stress objective, showing Figure 15: Cost function for all combined objectives obtained by linear
that the orientation doesn’t have any real influence on the tendon weighting of the individual cost functions. It shows that the optimum
stress. This result may be explained by the symmetrical nature of the platform orientation is facing True East-Southeast.
platform.
Legend
their weighted contribution. The idea is that models such as CFD are deployed, this References
the orientation can be further optimized as function method can be used to achieve an [1] Philip E. Tetlock: Expert Political Judgment:
the design process progresses or in some Inherently Safe Design. Further work could How Good is It? How Can We Know?
cases completely alter the selection based involve optimizing the facility layout based
on safety and operational prioritizations. on: turbine stack design and positioning, For more information, contact
If a proper balance of previous experience, helideck positioning, module placement, CFDHouston@atkinsglobal.com
qualitative judgement, and the use of formal flare tower design, etc.
36 Special report
STAR-CCM+ global
academic program.
Educating tomorrow's engineers today.
siemens.com/mdx
Special report 37
Oil and Gas Population safety and power generation
Degassing Africa’s
Lake Kivu for population safety
and power generation
Nicolas Ponchaut, Timothy Morse, Javier Castro, Gary Bigham
Exponent
Introduction a limnic eruption, gas-laden deep water is exploited. It approached the U.S. energy
Lake Kivu is an African rift valley lake lying displaced to shallower depths and thus lower services firm ContourGlobal to design and
between Rwanda and the Democratic pressures, allowing the gas to bubble out of construct a system to extract the methane
Republic of Congo (DRC). One of several solution and trigger a gas eruption – an event and use it to greatly expand the country’s
East African rift lakes that hold high that would imperil the lives of the more electric generating capacity, while at the
concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide, than 2 million people living along the lake’s same time stabilizing the lake against future
Lake Kivu is unique in containing methane shores. overturns. The result is a 300-ton floating
as well. The carbon dioxide comes from facility that extracts gas-laden water from
subaquatic springs that feed it into Lake Such an eruption happened in Cameroon deep in the lake, separates the methane and
Kivu’s deepest waters. The methane comes twice in the 1980s. The deadlier of the some of the carbon dioxide, then injects the
from bacteria decomposing organic matter two came in 1986, when a cloud of carbon degassed water back into the lake.
at the lake bottom, from the springs, and dioxide erupted out of Cameroon’s Lake Nyos
from bacteria converting carbon dioxide into in a 100-meter column of water, asphyxiating The $200 million KivuWatt biogas project,
methane. The gases are kept in solution by more than 1,700 people as far as 25 consisting of the gas extraction platform
the hydrostatic pressure in the deep waters. kilometers from shore. Lake Kivu, holding and an initial 25 megawatt generating plant,
one thousand times more gas than Nyos, began operating on December 31, 2015.
This poses a danger because a landslide or presents an even greater danger. At its formal inauguration in May 2016,
volcanic activity, or even the ever-growing Rwandan president Paul Kagame announced
concentration of dissolved gases, could But the government of Rwanda saw Lake the project will scale up to 100 megawatts
cause a vertical disruption of the lake water Kivu’s methane-laden waters as not just a by 2020, nearly doubling the country’s total
column. In such an event, also known as risk to be mitigated, but a resource to be generating capacity.
38 Special report
Population safety and power generation Oil and Gas
This will be a boon to Rwanda’s economic eventually result in a large-scale release of on a floating barge, extracts gas-laden water
development. Today its capital city, Kigali, gases at the surface of the lake. from the lower resource zone (depth of 350
is the nexus of a dynamic national economy to 360 meters) through four extraction risers.
whose yearly growth has averaged a robust The highest concentrations of methane (CH4) The facility then separates the dissolved
eight percent over the past decade. But as in Lake Kivu are at the lowest depths, in the gases (CH4, CO2 and some H2S) from the
the country and its capital have developed, upper resource zone and the lower resource water and re-injects the degassed water back
its electricity supply has failed to keep pace. zone. The gas extraction facility, contained into the lake through four discharge risers.
Total installed capacity before KivuWatt was
only 156 megawatts. Close to 80 percent of
its 12 million citizens still have no connection
to the grid, and those who do have faced
high electric costs because of the country’s
dependence on imported diesel and heavy
fuel oil to power its generators.
CFD used to analyze degassed water

plume, assess risk of
lake overturn
As part of the KivuWatt project, engineering
and scientific consulting firm Exponent, Inc.
applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
to analyze the degassed water discharge
plume from the gas extraction facility, and to
characterize the dynamics of the plume. Two
key concerns were raised with the degassed
water plume: Could there be recirculation
between the water intake risers and the
degassed water discharge points? And
could the dynamics of the plume lead to an
overturn of the lake and a catastrophic gas
eruption?
Exponent’s simulations showed that the

degassed water plume ultimately stratifies
within a density gradient, that recirculation
does not occur, and that the discharge plume
does not result in uplift or overturn of the
lake for the conditions evaluated.
Characteristics of Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu has an unusual thermal structure.
At depths below approximately 80 meters,
the water temperature increases with depth.
However, the water also contains large
quantities of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2)
and salt, with concentrations that increase
with depth. The density increasing effects of
CO2 and salt maintain the lake stratification
despite the inverted temperature profile.
The density structure of the lake is a series
of relatively homogeneous mixed zones
separated by density gradient layers.
The gases in Lake Kivu are kept in solution by

hydrostatic pressure at depth. If a disruption
to the lake due to a landslide or volcanic
activity caused a parcel of gas-laden water
to be brought to shallower depths where the
hydrostatic pressure is below the saturation
pressure (the pressure necessary to keep all
the gases in solution), gas bubbles would
form in the water. The bubbles would form
a buoyant plume that would carry even
more gas-laden water to shallower depths
and release even more gases. This could Figure 1: KivuWatt methane extraction platform on Lake Kivu
Special report 39
Oil and Gas Population safety and power generation
Hydrodynamic simulations
To answer the key questions – will the
degassed water recirculate back into the
intake risers and prevent effective gas
extraction, and will the degassed water
plume upset the lake stratification and lead
to a gas release – Exponent conducted
several simulations of the degassed water
plume using STAR-CCM+. The density of the
water, and hence the plume dynamics, is
heavily affected by the water temperature
and by the concentration of methane, carbon
dioxide and salt. Thus the computational
method tracked these quantities throughout
the simulation. Background conditions in the
lake, including mixed zones separated by
density gradients, were also included in the
model.
A Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS)

model was used, with a k-omega turbulence
model. The computational domain was a
cylinder with radius of 120 meters centered
on the risers. The top of the domain was at
a depth of 240 meters, the bottom of the
domain was the lake bed at 365 meters.
Pressure boundaries were used on the
sides and top of the domain to allow water
flow in and out of the domain. A vertical
symmetry plane was applied between the
two sets of intake and discharge risers. Water
temperature, pressure, and species mass
fractions (water, salt, CO2 and CH4) were
imposed as the initial state, as well as inflow
conditions on the pressure boundaries. The
computational domain was discretized using
a polyhedral mesh that was refined around
the risers and diffusers. The simulation
assumed no horizontal currents.
Plume density
The density of the plume, both at the point of
discharge and as it evolves and dilutes in the
lake water, is the most important parameter
that dictates the plume behavior. The density Figure 2: Lake Kivu, Rwanda, and location of the barge for the extraction facility
depends primarily on four variables: water
temperature, salinity, concentration of CH4,
and concentration of CO2. Higher temperature
decreases density, while higher salinity
increases density. The gas concentrations Simulated plume behavior but rather stratifies above them; and the
have a complicated effect on density. If the In the extraction scenario that Exponent dynamics of the degassed water plume do
gas concentration is small enough that the examined, raw water was extracted from a not cause uplift of the water column, so the
local hydrostatic pressure is sufficient to hold depth of 355 meters, and degassed water gas extraction process does not present a risk
the gases in solution, then the dissolved gases was reinjected at 280 meters. The four of lake overturn, for the extraction scenario
have a relatively modest (but still important) discharge risers terminated with a diffuser that was modeled. The simulation results also
effect on the density. The presence of that directed the discharge flow horizontally. showed that the degassed water stratifies
dissolved CO2 increases the density, while the Simulation results are shown in Figures within a density gradient. This is because if
presence of dissolved CH4 actually decreases 6 to 8. To illustrate the characteristics of the degassed water is discharged outside
the density. the discharge plume, the concentration of a density gradient (where there is almost
of a passive scalar tracer (set to 1 for the zero change in density with depth) and is
However, if the gas concentration is high degassed water discharge and 0 for the denser than the surrounding water, there is
enough that the gases cannot be kept in ambient lake water) is shown in Figure 6. nothing to stop the plume from sinking until
solution by hydrostatic pressure, bubbles will it reaches a density gradient, regardless of
form in the water, dramatically decreasing local Conclusion how much mixing occurs. By adjusting the
density. Both effects – dissolved gases and In addition to answering the critical discharge depth, the degassed water plume
gases in bubble form – must be accounted for questions, Exponent found that the degassed can be controlled to stratify within any
to correctly calculate the plume density. water plume does not enter the intake risers density gradient of choice.
40 Special report
Population safety and power generation Oil and Gas
Figure 3: Vertical density profile in Lake Kivu, with the different zones Figure 4: Diagram of the floating gas extraction barge (not to scale)
labeled
Figure 5: Computational domain for the plume simulation Figure 6: Passive scalar values for the degassed water plume: The four
discharge risers are visible with the location of the intake points also
shown. The simulation vertical symmetry plane is through the center of
the image. The dark blue line shows the 95 percent dilution contour.
Figure 7: Density of the degassed water discharge plume: The dotted line Figure 8: Streamlines of the degassed water plume: The view is
indicates the simulation vertical symmetry plane. rotated 90 degrees from the view in Figures 6 and 7.
Special report 41
Oil and Gas Using CFD simulation to minimize risks
Using CFD simulation to

minimize risks of hydrate
formation and reduce
mitigation costs
Dr Matt Straw
Norton Straw Consulting
Deeper water, longer tieback lengths and complex production conditions continue to raise
the risks of hydrate formation and costs associated with its avoidance in subsea production
systems and pipelines.
Hydrate avoidance schemes usually involve thermal management philosophies typically simulations are not appropriate as they are
a combination of thermal management and aim to ensure production fluids do not reach unable to simulate the behavior of fluids
chemical injection. The latest generation of hydrate appearance temperature during explicitly, which is particularly important
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation operation and for a specified period following during cool-down, when free convection
software is providing operators and leading a shutdown. To deliver systems that meet this of the contained production fluid plays an
subsea engineering companies with a tool philosophy, it is important to have confidence important role in thermal performance.
for reliable definition of operating strategies in thermal design of the subsea production
and effective design of insulation systems on system and pipeline. This confidence can
subsea production system equipment such be gained either from time-consuming Benefits of CFD simulation
as Christmas trees and manifolds. CFD is able and expensive full-scale testing or through Subsea system and equipment design can
to accurately predict thermal performance of appropriate numerical simulation. make use of CFD simulations in many areas.
the most complex systems and now further Starting with a CAD model we can perform
technology development makes it possible to While 1-dimensional heat transfer calculations a wide range of simulations obtaining
simulate hydrate formation mechanisms at an may be appropriate for assessing pipelines, unparalleled detail throughout the solution
unprecedented level of detail. 3-dimensional CFD simulation is the domain for the most complex geometries
only appropriate technique for accurate and operating conditions. As part of a CFD
This article will provide details on current thermal performance assessment of more simulation, an engineer may change the
advanced simulation techniques available geometrically complex pipelines (such as geometry of the system, the operating
to engineers designing and operating pipe-in-pipe, bundles), subsea production conditions or production fluids and observe
subsea production systems and also provide systems (Christmas trees, manifolds and the effect of the changes on such phenomena
indications of how future technology connection systems) and subsea structures. as fluid flow patterns and multiphase flow
development might change the way hydrates CFD simulations are needed as they can regimes as well as heat transfer rates and
are managed. account for the details of the geometry system temperature distributions. In addition,
and the more complex flow and thermal it is possible to predict other associated
behavior such as multiphase flow and natural physics including sand erosion rates, fluid
Increasing risk of hydrate formation convection. Finite element analysis (FEA) or chemical concentrations and even areas
Hydrate formation can lead to serious tools designed primarily to perform structural susceptible to internal and external corrosion.
production issues if not effectively accounted
for during system design. Hydrates have
the potential to rapidly form partial or even
complete blockages in a system. This may
lead to loss of production or even a complete
shutdown. While blockages can form very
quickly, the hydrate remediation process
can take days or even months, resulting in
high costs and significant loss of production.
The technical and economic implications
of hydrate remediation are high on the
agenda for any exploration and production
company. Current operating and shutdown
strategies aim to avoid hydrate formation
conditions through a combination of thermal
management and chemical injection. Current
CFD simulation of flow through subsea production system equipment
42 Special report
Using CFD simulation to minimize risks Oil and Gas
Currently, CFD software can be used to obtain

accurate predictions of thermal performance
of the most complex systems both during
production and after shutdown, as a system
cools. Using the CFD approach we are able
to predict exactly where and when hydrate
appearance temperatures are present within
a system and then use this information
to modify the system or insulation design
to avoid such conditions. This approach is
necessary to develop a hydrate avoidance
strategy that aims to maintain a system that
remains completely outside of the hydrate
formation zone for defined periods. It is Production fluid temperature profiles through a subsea inline tee during operation where the main
now widely accepted that CFD can provide flow line is operating but the valve on the upper branch is closed leading to a cold spot around the
reliable thermal simulations to demonstrate ball valve
avoidance of hydrate appearance
temperatures. A number of operating subsea especially beneficial for thermal performance
the location and amount of hydrate that
developments have used CFD for thermal assessments where simulations of long cool-
may form in the system. This development
design, some backedup by comprehensive down events on subsea systems are common.
work could lead to a step change in the way
testing programs. These substantial reductions in the overall
CFD simulation is used to develop subsea
operating philosophies and thermal insulation time required to perform simulations make
designs. In the future, using CFD-based it possible to utilize CFD to optimize subsea
Where next for flow assurance CFD system designs and evaluate a wide range
simulations, the hydrate avoidance strategy
simulation? may move towards an approach where better of operating strategies. Armed with such
Recent technology developments mean it valuable information it is possible to identify
understanding of the hydrate formation
is now possible to go further than just using an approach that can avoid hydrate formation
potential reduces conservatism without
CFD for thermal design where the strategy in the most effective manner and at the
increasing operational and commercial risks.
is complete avoidance of hydrate formation lowest possible cost.
conditions. Computeraided engineering
(CAE) software company Siemens has
Reducing time to simulation solutions
developed simulation techniques that
There have been some perceived barriers to Conclusion
incorporate multiphase flow models and
the use of detailed CFD simulation (and other Hydrate risk is often regarded as the most
the mechanisms that take place leading up
3D CAE techniques) as an integral part of the vexing flow assurance problem in subsea
to and during hydrate formation. This has
engineering process. One of the more time- production. Advanced CFD simulation
been developed in its well-established STAR-
consuming aspects of CFD simulation has can be used reliably to develop effective
CCM+® CFD software. In this approach, all
historically been the model construction and hydrate avoidance schemes. Furthermore,
production fluid phases are accounted for set-up phase where we need to import CAD or recent developments mean there is now
and, in addition, STAR-CCM+ also accounts build our own 3D geometrical models. the potential to progress towards hydrate
for the temperature, pressure and chemical
management, through simulation of
compositions required to simulate hydrate STAR-CCM+, the CFD package that Norton hydrate formation in the most complex
formation. The formation rate depends Straw Consultants uses for its consulting production systems. Used correctly, leading
on local temperatures, pressures and fluid work, substantially reduces the time required edge simulation techniques can provide
and phase composition. Under formation to obtain simulation results. The software unparalleled engineering insight and
conditions the consumption of dissolved provides the ability to automatically import understanding that makes it possible to
methane, required for the hydrate formation the CAD geometry from a customer’s design develop improved subsea system designs and
process, is simulated as a reaction process in team. It also repairs any problems with the operating strategies that can significantly
which a fraction of free water is converted CAD such as surface holes or overlapping reduce the technical and commercial risks
into hydrate. Not only does this method and non-manifold surfaces. This level of associated with flow assurance.
identify locations where hydrate formation automation can cut geometry preparation
conditions are present but also predicts time from weeks to days (or even hours)
for the most complex subsea production Dr Matt Straw is a Director of Norton
system equipment and components. The Straw Consultants, an engineering
software’s automatic hexahedral and and technology consultancy for the
polyhedral meshing tools can then produce oil and gas industry. He has been
a high-quality computational mesh, which is involved in the development and
needed for the simulation process. Further, application of CFD in the oil and
the ability to complete the simulation, gas industry for 15 years and has
process and assess the results, update the been involved in flow assurance and
design and perform a revised simulation thermal design of a number of major
within a single software environment subsea developments. Using its oil
reduces the overall time to delivery of useful and gas capability and experience in
results. Setting up of parametric studies or the field of fluid dynamics simulation,
even design optimisation studies can now Norton Straw Consultants is working
become an automated process, which can alongside leading simulation company
add significant value to the engineering Siemens providing industry-related
process. The continued development of advisory and consulting services in
parallel computing means simulations can be the development of their simulation
performed on multiple processors providing software for the oil and gas industry.
Contours of erosion rates on subsea component significant speed-up in simulations. This is
Special report 43
OILand
Oil ANDGas
GASSavvy
GUEST
separators
EDITORIAL
44 Special report
Savvy separators Oil and Gas
Savvy separators -
Introduction to computational
fluid dynamics for separator
design
Alex Read
CFD for separators project extensions, such as tying in additional and temperatures introducing significant
If you work in the field of process and wells to an existing facility. additional cost and safety concerns.
separation, chances are you have come
across computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A subsea separator’s job is to separate gases Using CFD, the flow patterns in upstream
CFD produces a wide range of emotions and liquid prior to pumping. Ensuring the piping, inlet devices and within the separator
ranging from abject fear, often involving separator meets its process requirements can be predicted to ensure adequate
flashbacks to a long forgotten university is important. The pump or compressor residence time. Each separation mechanism
class and a dizzying array of partial- downstream will not perform as desired if can be studied such as estimating the
differential equations, to curiosity and even there is carry-over or under (liquid in the tendency for liquid droplet re-entrainment
enthusiasm. The purpose of this article is to gas stream and gas in the liquid stream). due to high gas velocities and improving
allay those fears, answer some questions Should this occur, operations will have a very the performance of internals by increasing
and help you become an educated consumer expensive problem to resolve. the uniformity of the flow to the demisters
of CFD. (see Dr. Lee Rhyne’s SPE webinar “CFD
In addition to meeting the minimum process Optimization of Scrubber Inlet Design” for
Many would start by asking the “so what” requirements, there are other design examples).
question: Why and when should CFD be considerations. There may be a need to reduce
cared about? This question will be answered, its weight to ease installation, understand CFD achieves this with relative ease
followed by a brief introduction to CFD how changes in upstream piping impact and speed, using actual process fluids,
including the major multiphase models, performance to provide a standardized design temperatures and pressures. After simulating
answering some frequently asked questions able to connect with many Subsea Processing the initial design, we can run “what-if”
(FAQs) and ending with a short case study Systems (SPS) configurations, minimize its design studies to see how the design can be
example of CFD and automated design size to reduce the amount of real estate used, improved. In short, successful use of CFD
exploration being applied to a cyclone minimize the pressure drop and the use and results in discovering better designs, faster
separator, all of which will be achieved cost of internals. and at a lower cost.
without recourse to a single equation! This is predicated on the assumption that
Hand calculations, such as Stokes law, can the CFD study was conducted correctly,
So why should CFD be part of the separator be used to estimate the required residence and therefore the results can be trusted.
design? time, but this involves assumptions about the Many of the uncertainties of CFD can be
flow (for example, no short-circuiting or even systematically tested for (such as a mesh
In today’s “lower for longer” market, cost distribution across the flow area). Physical refinement study), or can be interrogated by
reduction is front and center for all. CFD tests can be run, however these present their an engineer who understands the relevant
helps in all the phases of a project: from own challenges: cost and time, difficulty physics at hand (and not CFD). A common
reducing the initial project costs (CAPEX) and visualizing the complex multiphase flow, concern is that results must be “tuned” to be
operating costs (OPEX) to helping manage testing with process fluids and high pressures accurate. This is not necessarily the case as
Special report 45
Oil and Gas Savvy separators
Figure 1: Different cell types: tetrahedral (blue), hexahedral (green), polyhedral (red)
accuracy can be obtained through systematic of a separator filled with Lego bricks. CFD simulate a vortex using one cell, the solver
testing, quantification and minimization of will tell you what the velocity, pressure, only has one point at which it calculates
uncertainty and error, and by ensuring the temperature and so on, is at the center of the velocity and pressure to represent
problem is adequately posed and modeling each brick. For completeness, in time- the vortex. As the number of cells is
assumptions are appropriate for the problem varying problems, time is discretized by increased, decreasing the size of each cell,
at hand. The first step in interrogating a solving for time increments, such as every the resolution and therefore accuracy of
CFD solution is to use good engineering 0.1 seconds. the representation of the vortex improves.
judgment. Does the flow field make sense, 3. S electing the physics to simulate, whether A similar approach is used to ensure or
and if not, why? How does it compare the flow is single phase or multiphase, minimize the influence of the mesh over the
with hand calculations, prior designs that thermal or isothermal. solution, the mesh is progressively refined
have validation data and simpler analysis 4. The CFD program then iteratively solves (reducing cell size) until quantities of interest,
methods? In the early stages, CFD mistakes the equations to convergence. such as pressure drop, stop changing. A short
are often typos, so if it looks like the code note on a well-established method for grid
solved a different problem to the one being These steps also represent the four areas of convergence studies can be found at ¹.
investigated, there’s a good chance it did! uncertainty and where attention should be
focused. There are also different cell types:
Next, it takes a deeper explanation to hexahedral (six sides), polyhedral (many
understand the major steps in the simulation If a 3D CAD model or drawings of the sided, but typically soccer ball shaped with
process and the potential impact of these on geometry exist and are available, defining 12-14 sides) or tetrahedral (four sides).
the results. the domain typically is not an issue. Defining
the flow conditions at the inlet and outlet is Historically, tetrahedral meshes were
CFD attempts to solve the Navier-Stokes more challenging. In separator simulations often used, since building hexahedral
equations which describe the behavior of it is typical to prescribe a droplet size meshes was difficult and time consuming,
fluids. Unfortunately, solving the Navier- distribution at the inlet, which requires particularly for complex geometries. This is
Stokes equations is computationally knowing or estimating this. Typically, undesirable as tetrahedral cells have poor
intractable, so for all practical problems, the boundary condition information is available numerical properties, they artificially make
Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) from other analysis methods – for example, the fluid behave as if it is more viscous. As
form is used. These suffer from the “closure from a 1D model of the system, from a consequence, many more tetrahedral
problem” as they have more unknowns due CFD by extending the domain of interest cells are required to attain the same level
to averaging which are resolved through the upstream to some point where there is less of accuracy as when using hexahedral or
use of turbulence models. Models are also uncertainty or by hand calculations, for polyhedral meshes.
used to incorporate more advanced physics, example, to estimate minimum droplet sizes.
such as multiphase flow dynamics. Setting up The engineer who performed the CFD study Fortunately, meshing packages have
a CFD study involves four steps: should be able to explain what conditions improved significantly in the last decade,
1. Defining the domain of interest, geometry, were used, what these mean physically and so it is now possible to build polyhedral
flow entry and exit and boundary why they are appropriate. or hexahedral meshes, even on complex
conditions (for example, velocity at the Next, the domain (geometry) needs to be geometries, without significant overhead.
inlet) discretized or meshed. This is an important After building the mesh, the engineer
2. Discretizing or meshing the domain: and potentially time-consuming part of the must select the physics to consider. One
Rather than solving for the fluid behavior analysis. A good mesh begets good CFD. benefit of CFD is the ability to simplify
(velocity, pressure etc.) at every point in problems to consider only the physics of
space, we segment the volume using a The mesh (number, size, and type of cells interest, making it easier to interrogate
mesh, then solve the equations only at used) can influence the answer. As an and understand results and trends. This
the center of each cell in the mesh - think example, if a CFD simulation is trying to is also a double-edged sword as over
46 Special report
Figure 2: Droplets modeled using VOF Figure 3: Geometry and flow visualization for baseline design
simplifying can miss important effects. Particle-in-cell (MP-PIC). In the separator

As with boundary condition selection, the In LMP, the continuous flow field is solved world, LMP is often used to study the motion
engineer performing the analysis should using the RANS CFD approach. In the example of droplets in the gas stream.
be able to explain the models used, their of droplets falling through air, the air is the
physical meaning and appropriateness for continuous phase and the droplets are the For Eulerian multiphase, the full RANS
the problem at hand. dispersed phase. The continuous phase is equations are solved for each phase. Using
solved in an Eulerian framework with a fixed the concept of “interpenetrating continua,”
In the separator world multiphase modeling mesh and the flow motion relative to the the continuous and dispersed phases
is key. There are three main multiphase mesh. The full name for LMP is Eulerian- interact through source terms for drag, lift,
models used in CFD: Lagrangian multiphase, but the Eulerian is virtual mass and turbulent dispersion. This
1. Free-surface or Volume Of Fluid (VOF) dropped for expediency. makes it an immensely flexible model, able
2. Eulerian-Lagrangian Multiphase often to simultaneously handle any number of
shortened to Lagrangian Multiphase or For the dispersed phase, the trajectory phases and any range of volume fractions.
LMP of each particle or droplet is solved for Sub-models can be included to account
3. Eulerian Multiphase (EMP) using Newton’s second law of motion. The for additional physics such as breakup and
calculation of the droplet or particle motion coalescence of droplets or bubbles, or heat
In the VOF approach, the interface between is performed from the reference frame of the and mass transfer.
the phases is resolved with the mesh. As in moving droplet, rather than the fixed mesh,
figure 2, if droplets of water fall under gravity which is known as a Lagrangian method. In The disadvantages of EMP are that each set
through air, CFD can capture the motion of order to reduce the computational cost and of RANS equations comes at a cost (studying
the droplet using the VOF model if there is make it applicable to scenarios with a large many particle sizes or phases becomes
adequate mesh resolution to capture the number of droplets, each droplet represents computationally expensive) and the user
shape and motion of the droplet in the mesh. an ensemble of droplets. Inputs to the motion needs to understand, and choose, appropriate
calculation include sub-models for the drag sub-models and settings. The downside of
Consequently, this model is well suited for force and dispersion of droplets or particles EMP’s flexibility is that it can be applied to a
flows with a well-defined interface between due to turbulence. Additional sub-models wide range of multiphase flows, which results
the phases, such as stratified flow, where the can be introduced to include breakup and in multiple sub-models to be understood and
mesh can be refined locally to capture the coalescence of droplets. The interaction applied.
interface. A common application of VOF is to between the phases can be either one- or
model the sea and its behavior around ships - two-way. One-way is where the motion of For analysis of separators, EMP can be used
there is a clear interface between the sea and the droplets is influenced by the continuous to model the full vessel, but is particularly
the air. phase but the continuous phase does not effective in mixing regions where volume
“see” the droplets, two-way is where both fractions exceed the limitations of LMP and in
VOF can be used to model flows other than phases influence each other. The one-way tracking small droplets or bubbles with VOF is
stratified but the mesh needs to be refined to coupling is often applied. This method is an computationally expensive.
capture the multiphase effects at the interface efficient and accurate way to model droplet
between the phases, such as entrainment of or particle flow but is less applicable when the Having built the mesh, specified boundary
fine droplets into the gas phase. However, volume fraction of droplets or particles is high. conditions and chosen appropriate modeling
this increases the computational cost of the Opinions on the volume fraction cut-off vary assumptions, the solver uses iterative
analysis. In the separation world, VOF is often but are usually in the 5-10 percent range, at techniques to successively improve the
used to evaluate the bulk flow properties of which point the model accuracy and stability solution until “convergence” is attained.
the vessel. When the flow is dispersed, either deteriorate. For particle flows, more advanced Mathematically, convergence describes the
Lagrangian Multiphase (LMP) or Eulerian models can be used to address this, such as limiting behavior, particularly of a series
Multiphase (EMP) is typically used. Discrete Element Method (DEM) or Multiphase towards its limit. In CFD, the series is the
Special report 47
Oil and Gas Savvy separators
flow field (values for velocity, pressures etc.).

The flow field reaches its limit when the
values for velocity, pressure and so on, stop
changing from iteration to iteration.
Convergence is often judged by monitoring

residuals. Residuals measure the amount
by which the discretized equations are not
satisfied. A typical rule of thumb is that
residual values should have dropped by three
orders of magnitude.
If the residual values do not drop and the

flow field continues to change, this may
indicate that the steady-state assumption
does not work due to inherent unstable
phenomena like turbulence. Alternatively, it
may indicate problems such as poor quality
cells in the mesh or an ill-posed problem
such as the location or values of boundary
conditions.
Figure 4: Baseline cyclone geometry

Case study: Design space exploration
of a gas-solid cyclone separator to
improve separation efficiency
Having described the steps in setting up a
CFD study and building confidence in the
result, the following is an example of how CFD
should be used to understand and improve
the design and performance of a gas-solid
cyclone separator.
The CFD simulations were run using

STAR-CCM+®, a Siemens PLM software. Figure
3 shows the geometry of the separator,
streamlines through the device with an
isosurface showing areas of low pressure,
volume rendering of pressure contours and
a comparison between CFD using multiple
methods and experimental data for mean
axial velocity at two locations in the cyclone.
The purpose of these simulations was model
verification, which is why multiple methods
were used for the same case.
The baseline geometry for the design study is

from an European Research Community On
Flow, Turbulence and Combustion (ERCOFTAC)
paper where the geometry and experimental
data - Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) - of the
mean velocity profiles across the cyclone are
available. Having validated the base model,
CFD allows us to explore design alternatives
quickly and easily. It can also be used in
conjunction with tools that will automate the
simulation process and efficiently explore
the design space. In this case, the HEEDS
multidisciplinary design exploration software
from Siemens PLM, in conjunction with
STAR-CCM+, was used. For the design space
exploration study, a constant gas velocity of
25 m/s was applied at the inlet. Sand particles
with a diameter of 1.2 µm were introduced
at the inlet, such that they accounted for one
percent of the volume fraction of the flow. LMP Figure 5: Geometry of improved design, velocity magnitude along a plane section through the center
with a one-way coupling to the continuous of the cyclone and design study history showing the progressive improvement in separation efficiency
48 Special report
Figure 6: Correlation plot
techniques can be highly effective in (correlation of 0.74 and 0.71 respectively).

phase was used, along with the Reynolds Stress
identifying better designs.
Turbulence model (RSM).
Summary
An impediment to the application of these To the non-specialist engineer, CFD can
The automation and design space exploration
methods is their multitude: Users must be initially daunting, particularly in more
tool HEEDS™ uses algorithms to predict the
understand which method to use for any advanced areas such as multiphase flow and
next exploration point in the design space.
given scenario. HEEDS uses a hybrid and separation. While detailed knowledge of
HEEDS requires the engineer to provide:
adaptive algorithm called SHERPA, which sub-models will remain with the specialist,
• Design objective(s): There can be more
will switch between different exploration non-specialist engineers can critique CFD
than one and these can be competing.
methods (DOE, genetic algorithm and so on) results by evaluating whether the physical
In this case, the objective is to maximize
depending on the information it has about the meaning of the results be explained and
the separation efficiency of the cyclone.
analysis such as the number of variables and asking about the modeling decisions taken
• Constraints to be applied: In this case,
time and resources available. The benefit of and their anticipated influence on the results
the pressure drop across the separator
using these methods is that they find better and quantities of interest. By introducing the
cannot exceed a certain value or else the
designs in less iteration than an engineer on main multiphase models used, this article
design will be deemed infeasible.
their own or other optimization methods. In aims to help in this process.
• Different load cases to be evaluated, for this case, 125 designs were evaluated over five
example if the separation performance is
days (always running two cases concurrently). CFD compliments other analysis methods
different at different particle loadings.
After 44 tries, the separation efficiency (analytical or experimental). Its successful
• Design variables: Their extents and improved by 19 percent, while increasing the application can have a significant, positive
sensible increments are to be defined.
pressure drop by ~1 percent. financial impact on projects: by reducing
In this case, we vary the radius of the
the cost of design, improving and validating
cyclone, the length of the constriction
The correlation plot shows the relationship equipment performance and mitigating
and parallel wall sections.
and degree of correlation between two problems before they occur. Linking CFD with
variables, such as the radius of the cyclone automated design space exploration tools can
Many different approaches have been
and the cyclone separation efficiency. The further the understanding and improvement
developed to help explore the design
numbers on the top right-hand side show of separator designs.
space efficiently. These are often referred
the correlation between the two variables
to as optimization algorithms and include
represented in the square (1.0 indicates
among others Design of Experiments
perfect correlation). The correlation plot helps References
(DOE), genetic algorithm, downhill
the engineer to interrogate large amounts of 1 http://journaltool.asme.org/templates/
simplex and particle swarm. Optimization
data (100-plus designs), and to understand jfenumaccuracy.pdf
is often a misnomer since for most
quickly what influences the design. In this 2 https://www.nafems.org/join/resources/
industrial applications no single optimal
case, the cyclone radius has a significant cfdconvergence/Page0/
solution or design exists. However, these
impact on its efficiency and pressure drop 3 http://www.ercoftac.org/
Special report 49
STAR-CCM+: Discover better
designs, faster.
Freedom to innovate - Apply CFD at full scale under
real operating conditions.
siemens.com/mdx
50 Special report
STAR-CCM+: Discover
better designs, faster.
Improved product performance through
multidisciplinary design exploration.
Don’t just simulate, innovate! Use multidisciplinary design

exploration with STAR-CCM+ and HEEDS to improve the real world
performance of your product and account for all of the physics
that it is likely to experience during its operational life.
siemens.com/mdx
5 Special report
About Siemens PLM Software
Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory
Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management
(PLM) and manufacturing operations management (MOM) software,
systems and services with over 15 million licensed seats and more than
140,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens
PLM Software works collaboratively with its customers to provide
industry software solutions that help companies everywhere achieve a
sustainable competitive advantage by making real the innovations that
matter. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and
services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.
Headquarters Europe
Granite Park One Stephenson House
5800 Granite Parkway Sir William Siemens Square
Suite 600 Frimley, Camberley
Plano, TX 75024 Surrey, GU16 8QD
USA +44 (0) 1276 413200
+1 972 987 3000
Asia-Pacific
Americas Suites 4301-4302, 43/F
Granite Park One AIA Kowloon Tower,
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USA Hong Kong
+1 314 264 8499 +852 2230 3308
© 2017 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. Siemens

and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG.
STAR-CCM+ is a trademark or registered trademark of Computational
Dynamics Limited. HEEDS is a trademark or registered trademark of
Red Cedar Technology, Inc. All other trademarks, registered trade-
marks or service marks belong to their respective holders.

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What are some of the challenges facing the oil and gas industry?

What are some of the challenges facing the oil and gas industry?

How can simulation and computational fluid dynamics help address these challenges?

How can simulation and computational fluid dynamics help address these challenges?

Discover better

5-8 2 -18 -22 -26

7-8 Engineering design in the “Lower for Longer” Environment

13-18 Offshore floater design

19-22 Heater trouble shooting

23-26 Troubleshoot a vibrating heater

27-32 Jumper fatigue life

33-39 Optimization of an offshore platform orientation

41-44 Population safety and power generation

45-46 Using CFD simulation to minimize risks

The need to reduce exploration and software package. In addition, automated

Using Multiphysics simulation, it is possible

Engineering design in the

“For engineering design teams, the current market is an

Below: Cooldown analysis of

Integration of 1D and 3D flow

Flow Assurance is the

Above: Amalysis of a Y junction with two valves

Above: Flow streamlines around an oil rig

Figure 1: Three generations of spar platforms by Technip

Offshore platform design

Figure 4: Profile of long crested wave around vertical column

CFD will grow in acceptance doing those

The traditional design spiral at Technip

Technip is constantly innovating in the design and

It’s Getting Hot in Here!

Introduction Zeeco Inc. is a provider of combustion

Industrial Heater – The issues

The heater had the following issues while in

Thermal Behavior: The temperature readings

CFD Setup of the heater

plane of each burner. Quantitative analysis of

The process fluid entered the heater from the

Figure 7: a) Volume fraction of oil in the Heater issues and recommendations

Zeeco used STAR-CCM+ to successfully

A process heater is a direct-fired heat

The heater needs to operate safely, transfer

STAR-CCM+® offers a wide range of reaction

Picking up Bad Vibrations:

The bane of most engineers is dealing with

Porter McGuffie, Inc. (PMI), a Lawrence,

To begin their analysis, PMI visited the site

Figure 3: Vibration frequency measured at locations 9 and 10

frequencies as the mechanical resonant

1 Reduced A/B 14,500 13.3 11

hydrogen flow oscillation frequency

PMI was able to turn around the

Mike Porter, principal engineer at PMI,

methods and tools.

to operate at full capacity. Porter McGuffie

all the way up to

Convective Courant Number value of ~0.5 on

The bends in the jumper are the primary

Figure 7 visually depicts the water volume

first dominant frequency around 0.09 Hz.