Speaker: Trent Brown, DNV GL Principal Flow Assurance Consultant
Abstract: Flow assurance was born primarily out of the need to address complex, high-cost problems in multiphase flow, heat transfer, and phase equilibria/fluid properties in subsea wells, flowlines, and risers. In liquid systems, these problems either do not exist or are easier to address. For instance, paraffin deposition is a widespread issue in oil pipelines, but is routinely handled via pigging. However, other issues, unique to liquid transportation systems, arise. These include numerically difficult solutions, the need for simultaneous modeling on small and large scales, difficult thermal behavior, leak detection, pipe forces, batching, drag reduction, unusual fluids, slack line, and detailed control schemes and process equipment. The presenter has spent 20 years doing subsea flow assurance and the last five years focusing on liquid systems and has found them equally challenging. The presentation will compare and contrast liquid systems with subsea systems and provide practical examples of the single-phase issues.
Biography: Trent is responsible for directing and performing technical consulting projects for gas and liquid pipeline hydraulic and thermal designs, surge analyses, capacity analyses, optimization, leak detection, and development of operating strategies at DNV GL. He also provides support to companies doing specialized development work involving thermal and hydraulic issues for pipelines and wells.
Previously, Trent worked for Conoco in the Production Research group performing research and technical consulting on flow assurance issues such as transient multiphase flow, paraffin deposition, and hydrate formation. He was a co-founder of Multiphase Solutions, Inc. where he was a principal consultant in flow assurance and developed software for real-time and offline models for dynamic process simulation and dynamic multiphase flow simulation. Prior to joining DNV GL, Trent was the Engineering Manager for ITP, Inc. where he supervised and performed thermal and mechanical designs of highly insulated pipe-in-pipe systems.
Trent has a B.Sc., M. Sc., and Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.
#fluidproperties #phaseequilibria #multiphaseflow #heattransfer #flowlines #flowassurance #Projects,FacilitiesandConstruction #risers #subseawells #singlephase #ProductionandOperations