Speaker:  

Doug Turner, Senior Technical Advisor, ExxonMobil Production Company, Common Skills Center

Abstract:

Eight mechanisms have been identified, including two primary and six supportive mechanisms, which will allow for oil and gas production systems to be operate temporarily within the hydrate stable region without resulting in a hydrate blockage.  While primary mechanisms address the physical interaction between hydrate particles and the supporting flow system and production fluids, supportive mechanisms limit the amount of hydrate that can be formed in the system.  Although some mechanisms are mutually exclusive, other combinations of mechanisms are generally synergistic, and can further decrease operational risk when transitioning from cold to warm conditions. Although hydrate formation may occur in many of the mechanisms, a hydrate blockage does not result for a certain period of time so that a transient production system eventually removes hydrate without hindrance to flow. 

Biography:

Mr. Turner has a BS, MS and PhD from the Colorado School of Mines in Chemical Engineering where he studied “Hydrate Equilibria Changes in Porous Media” and “Hydrate Formation in Water-in-Oil Emulsions”. Following his PhD, he joined ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Flow Assurance group, where he coordinated the Hydrate Laboratory and continued studies in hydrate slurry flow with potential “Cold Flow” application. In 2011, Mr. Turner joined the ExxonMobil Development Company Flow Assurance Team, where he developed several subarctic projects in Canada East and led the qualification of “Cold Transient Operations”. In 2015, he was assigned as the company STP Advisor on Hydrates.