Hot-water Tracing of Gas Lines to Prevent Hydrate Formation 7

ABSTRACT
I

I n 1961 a hot-water tracing system w a s installed i n

the Wildcat Hills Field, a high-pressure, sour gascondensate field i n Alberta operated by Canadian F i n a
Oil Limited. The function of t h e t r a c e r system i s to
maintain the g a s temperature above t h e hydrate-formation point i n 14.8 miles of gas-gathering lines.
The tracer system w a s p u t in service i n December
1961, a n d h a s operated without interruption. Flow and
temperature d a t a have been collected during t h e past
2 years to evaluate t h e general perfornlance of t h e

system. 1n t h e summer of 1963 a detailed study of the

system and of its operating characteristics w a s initiated.
The performance of t h e system i s discussed in this
paper in light of operating experience and of this study.
I n view of t h e past 28 months of operating history of
t h e tracer system, i t i s safe t o conclude t h a t effective
hydrate control can be achieved by underground hotw a t e r tracing. The main advantages of this type of
installation a r e t h a t i t i s simple, flexible, safe, and
requires little operating attention.

INTRODUCTION

about 4,800 f t and the surface relief i s i n t h e order of

600 ft. There a r e muskegs in t h e valleys between t h e
ridges. A hot-water line, generally referred to a s t h e
"tracer Ilne", and the cold-water return line a r e laid
parallel t o t h e g a s line in a common ditch. A11 three
lines a r e buried. Fig. 1 i s a schematic diagram of t h e
system.
Valves and piping were installed so t h a t t h e entire
tracer system can be operated a s one long loop along
the 14.8 miles of g a s line, o r divided into a number of
independent loops. The valves, o r manifolds, a r e below
ground and a r e housed i n concrete vaults. I n normal
operation t h e system i s divided into 8 independent
loops. Six loops out of the eight a r e located so t h a t t h e
heater, the surge tank, and t h e pump a r e located a t t h e
well sites. These loops a r e referred to by t h e numbers
of the individual wells. Two heater stations, H. St. No.
2 ancl H. St. No. 6, a r e located on the main trunk line
between wells.
All of the components of t h e tracer system-piping,
heaters, vaults, surge tank, building, pumps, etc.-are
uniform. The general route of the tracing fluid i s shown
on Fig. 2. W a t e r a t approsimately 140-150 F i s pumped
from the surge tank into a wellhead heat exchanger
where the well effluent i s preheated by the water. From
the heat exchanger the w a t e r enters the tracing line a t
temperatures from 110-130 F. The tracer line i s laid
beside the g a s line i n a ditch of such depth t h a t t h e
cover over the g a s line i s always 42 in. The spacing
between the tracer and g a s line i s approximately 2 in.
The return water line is laid i n the same ditch on t h e
side of the sour-gas line remote from the hot-water line,
approximately 2 f t from the sour-gas line. From t h e
return line the w a t e r enters the heater a t temperatures
of 70-80 F , and from the heater the water enters t h e
surge tank. I n t h e case of t h e heater stations, t h e water
is pumped directly into t h e tracer line. The water temperature and flow r a t e in t h e heat exchanger a r e adjusted i n such a way t h a t t h e well effluent, a f t e r
expanding to pipeline pressure, enters t h e line a t approximately 75-90 F. The flow r a t e in t h e tracer line i s

The well effluent f r o m t h e Wildcat Hills Field contains a n average of 4 percent H.S and 6.5 percent CO..
There a r e approximately 8 bbl of condensate ancl 0.6
bbl of free w a t e r produced with every MMscf of g a s a t
t h e operating wellhead conclitlons of 1,200 psig and
110 F. The well effluent from 7 wells i s gathered t o a
t r u n k line and transported t o a processing plant 3
miles south of t h e field.
There a r e several methods known today to prevent
hydrate formation i n high-pressure gas-gathering lines.
Such methods, f o r example, a r e dehydration a t t h e
well head, heating t h e g a s by line heaters, and alcohol
o r glycol injection. I n this case, a method new t o t h e
natural-gas industry w a s used i n which t h e g a s line i s
traced with a hot-water line. The application of this
method w a s proposed by T. Nitescu, President of Canadian F i n a Oil Limited. The basic thought 1)ehincl this
idea w a s that, if the soil around t h e g a s pipe were
maintained a t o r above the gas-line temperature, there
would be no h e a t loss from t h e g a s to t h e soil.
The tracer system was built during the fall of 1961.
The well effluent, including t h e condensate and water,
i s now transported t o t h e plant i n one single line traced
by the hot-water line.
DESCRIPTION O F T H E TRACER SYSTEM

A detailed description of t h e field ancl t h e original

design of the tracer system w a s presented in a n earlier
paper.' Therefore, a t this time, only t h e most important
features of the system a r e discussed, with the main
emphasis on i t s operating characteristics.
The Wildcat Hills Field i s situated about 45 miles
northwest of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The terrain i s
typical foothills country, dominated by ridges running
northwest-southeast. The elevation of the ridges i s
"Canadian F ~ n a0 1 1 Limited, Calgary. Alberta. Canada
jPl.esented at the s l m n g meeting of the Rocky Mountain District.
API Divlsion of Production. April 1964.
'References are a t the end of the paper.

Fig. 1

- Hot-water

Tracer and Gas-gathering System

Wildcat Hills Field

regulated to maintain the g a s outlet temperature a t

75-80 F. The water flow rate is regulated by a bypass
installed between the hot-water line and the cold-water
return line or by changing the impeller in the pump.
The major equipment and piping installed in the
tracer system a r e shown in Table 1. A total of nine
heaters were installed originally, of which only eight
a r e being used a t the present time. The capacity of the
heaters is 3,000,000 B t u l h r each. The length of the
tracer loops varies from 1.28 miles to 7.7 miles, including the return line. The total volume of the tracer system including pipe, heaters, and the surge tank is about
2,075 bbl.

All tracer lines a r e 3.5-in. OD carbon-steel pipe with

wall thickness of 0.188 in. The valves a r e ASA 150
series and all fittings a r e Schedule 40. The heateks and
surge tanks a r e 15 psi working pressure. Tracer fluid
is water with 20 percent inhibited ethylene glycol.
Ethylene glycol was used to provide protection against
freezing during the initial start-up and in case of a
long shut-down period. To reduce corrosion, oxygen is
kept out of the fluid system by maintaining 10 to 12
psi sweet gas blanket over the water in the surge tank.
The tracer lines a r e wrapped with polyethylene tape
f o r protection against external corrosion.

HEAT EXCHANGER

--

CHOKE

BY - PASS

<\-

Fig. 2 - Typical Wellsite Installation

Wildcat Hills Field
OPERATING D A T A
T h e tracer system has been operated continuously
since December 1961. Flow and temperature data have
been collectecl weekly. In the summer o f 1963, testing
was estended b y observing the gas and water temperatures not only at the inlet and outlet o f the loops but
at intermediate points. T h e undisturbed soil temperatures and all flow rates were recorded. Temperatures
i n the surface lines were measured w i t h glass or dial
thermometers, and i n the underground lines with thermocouples. T h e thermocouple is cemented t o the outside
o f the pipe and the leads terminate i n a junction box
aboveground. Because the skin temperatures were a
f e w degrees lower t h a n the inside temperature, systematic corrections were made.
T h e average operating conditions and the total heat
added t o the system b y the 8 heaters via the heat
exchangers and the tracer lines during t h e period from
August 1, 1963, t o January 31, 1964, are shown i n Table
2. T h e average water circulation rate was 7 1 gallinin.
The average undisturbed ground temperature at 42411.
depth varied from 56 F t o a low o f 30.5 F . T h e total

heat added b y the tracing fluid t o the gas and t o the

surroundings varied f r o m 5.6 MMBtuIhr t o 9.5 MMBtuI
hr. There is considerable vanation i n the heat lost from
week t o week. These variations can be attr~butecl
mostly t o unsteady conditions and t o changes i n operations. T h e average heat added b y the heaters per mlle
over the total length o f the gathering system rarles
from 420 t o 660 MBtuIhrlmile (Table 2 ) . There is a
slight difference between heat losses during the summer
months and the winter months. 500 MBtuIhrlmile for
summer and 660 M B t u / h r / m l l e for the winter months
looks t o be a reasonable average. This difference is due
t o the low soil temperatures during the winter months
o f 30 t o 32 F a t 42-in. depth.
T h e most important variable that affects the heat
losses from the existing system t o the ground i s the
mean temperature difference between the tracer lines
and the ground. Increase i n the inlet water temperatures or decrease i n the soil temperatures will result
i n increased heat losses. According t o the observed data,
20 deg ( F ) increase i n the main temperature difference
increased the total heat losses b y approximately 2
MMBtuIhr for the existing system or b y approximately

H. E. LEITH A N D J. LUKACS

182

Table 1
Summary of Main Equipment Installed in the
Wildcat Hills Tracer System
Total
OD of
OD of
Length* of Volume of Number of Capacity of Number of Volume of
Gas Line, Tracer Line, Tracer Line, Tracer Line, Heaters
Heaters,
Circulating Surge Tank,
Loop No.
In.
In.
Miles
Bbl
Installed
MMBtu/Hr
Pumps
Bbl
10-3
6.625
3.50
3.250
176
1
3
1
13.5
1
13.5
6-35
4.5-6.625-8.625
3.50
4.200
228
2
3 ea.
2.226
121
1
3
3.50
H.St. #6 8.625-10.75
1
13.5
3.50
1.278
69
1
3
10-13
4.5-10.75
1
13.5
3.50
5.148
279
1
3
3-18
4.5-10.75
1
13.5
(36)t
3.50
4.5
(0.662)t
11-7
3.50
3.564
193
1
3
H.St. #2 4.5-10.75-12.75
1
13.5
3.50
2.272
123
1
3
4.5
1
13.5
6-5
3.50
7.698
417
4.5-12.75
1
3
1
13.5
6-32
Total
29.636
1,606
9
27
8
*Includes return line.
tIncluded i n 3-18 loop.
25 50 30 percent over the summer heat losses. The gasflow rates in this range do not have a significant effect
on the heat requirement of the system. Only a t low flow
rates, where the wellhead pressures and the expansion
heat losses a r e high, is it necessary to add more heat
to t h e gas. The increased heat requirement in such case
would be in the order of 15 to 20 percent a t the lowest
flow r a t e of 5 MMscflday/\vell f o r these wells.
Overall thermal conductivities of the soil surrounding the pipes were calculated from observed temperature and flow data. The mathematical formula used in
the calculations and the method of arriving a t these
figures a r e discussed in a separate paper.' The pipe and
the film coefficients a r e also included in these thermal
conductivities, a s their effect was found to be within
the accuracy of the observed field data. The average

Date
A U ~ 6/63
.
Aug. 15/63
Aug. 30163
Sept. 8/63
Sept. 16/63
Oct. 27/63
Nov. 3/63
Nov. 10163
Nov. 15/63
Nov. 25/63
Dec. 3/63
Dec. 9/63
Dec. 17/63
Jan. 1/64
Jan. 6/64
Jan. 14/64
Jan. 19/64
Jan. 27/64
Average

Total Gas
Flow Rate
MMscf / D

calculated thermal conductivities f o r the different sections a r e shown in Table 3. Surprisingly, the overall
thermal conductivities vary only moderately within the
field. It is interesting to note t h a t the lowest thermal
conductivity was found in the muskeg where the soil
was 100 percent water-saturated. Other authors3 a r rived a t similar conclusions t h a t muskeg or "muck"
soil or soils containing appreciable amounts of organic
materials have low thermal conductivities, and t h a t
water saturation has little effect on their thermal conductivity. F o r section 8D, overall thermal conductivities
were calculated f o r summer and winter conditions. The
summer average thermal conductivity is 12 percent
higher than the winter average. This is most likely
because of the higher moisture content of the soil
during the summer months.

Table 2
Total Heat Added to System by Heaters
Average
Average
Plant
Water-circulatinp
Inlet Gas
Ground
Rate, U.S.
Temperature, Temperature,
Gallmin
Deg F
Den F

Q Total
Btulhr
7,604,000
7,149,000
7,838,000
5.612.000

Overall Averace
Heat added -pe"lr
Mile of Trunk Line

Table 3
Calculated Average 0ve;all
Thermal Conductivities

Overall Average K,
B t u l ( H r ) (Sq
A
ft) ("F/ft)

Description of Soil
r

Summer

Winter

Mostly clay with gravel. Some sections in muskeg. Length: 1.62 miles
Mostly muskeg with blue shale and organic materials. High water saturation.
Length: 0.57 miles
Mostly muskeg with blue shale and organic materials. High water saturation.
Length: 1 mile
Mostly gravel with shale. Some sand. Length: 1.8 miles

OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS O F
TRACER SYSTEM
The main considerations in the installation of the
tracer systenl were its effectiveness, simplicity, flesibility, its built-in safety, and its ease of operation and
maintenance..
Simplicity
The construction of the tracer system i s simple. It
does not require special materials or highly skilled
craftsmen. From a n operating point of view, the advantages are that i t is a closed system isolated from
the high-pressure sour gas. The heater is a low-pressure
direct-fired water heater. The system includes no complicated equipment. The most complicated component
of the tracer systenl is a 2%-in. X 1%-in. centrifugal
water pump.
Effectiveness
The salient feature of the operation of the tracer
system is t h a t effective hydrate control is achieved by
the simple process of pumping warm water a t low
pressures. Water, because of its high specific heat and
compared to other heathigh therliial conductivity-as
transfer medlums - is a very effective heat-transfer
fluid. Therefore, the circulation rates and pressure drops
in the tracer lines a r e relatively small.
Flexibility
Because the basic concept of the tracer system is to
minimize heat losses from t h e g a s by maintaining the
surroundings of the g a s line above 70 F , the gas-flow
rate or the heat-carrying capacity of the gas is practically immaterial. Flow from a n y well can be varied
up o r down, or any number of the wells can be shut
down a t any part of the field without causing any problem so f a r a s the hydrate control is concerned. Slight
adjustments in the water temperatures might be necessary when flow rates a r e changed because the amount
of heat transfer required in the heat eschangers is a
function of flow rate. These acljustn~ents,however, can
be made hours after the change in flow rates was made.

Built-in Safety
The most important safety feature of the tracer
system, no doubt, is that the heating n~ecliumis water
a t very moderate temperatures. The heater can be located f a r from the high-pressure gas. Another important
safety feature of the system is the amount of heat
stored in the ground around the trunk line during operation, i.e., loss of fire in the heater does not make i t
necessary to interrupt the production from a well. For
a considerable period there is no danger of hydrate
formation in the g a s line because the g a s is actually
kept warm by the heat stored in the ground.
Operation
Because of the si~nplicityand effectiveness of the
tracer system, operating problems a r e very few. There
a r e 7 wells in the field t h a t a r e capable of production;
5 a r e on production every day and, on some days, 7.
This operation requires the espenditure of 80 man-hours
per week, i.e., slightly more than 11 man-hours per day.
No fluid make-up is required because the system is
closed. Internal corrosion on the tracer systenl is practically non-existent because a i r is kept out of the system
and because of the inhibited glycol in the water. Soilside corrosion is inhibited by esternal wrapping of the
pipe.
Fuel-gas consunlption f o r the field during the past
year was 300 MscfID o r 43 MscfIDlwell in the winter.
During the summer months, fuel-gas consumption was
reduced to 200 MscfID or 27 Mscf/D/well.
ECONOMICS O F SYSTEM
The capital cost of this mode of hydrate-control
1 connected
system a t the time when all 9 wells ~ 1 1 be
wlll be $54,600 per well. The capital cost of other comparable hydrate-control systems f o r the Wildcat Hills
Field was estimated a t :
Glycol injection . . . . . . . $44,200
Desiccant dehydration . . . . . .$47,000
Glycol dehydration . . . . . . . . . . $33,300
Line h e a t e r s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32,000

per
per
per
per

well
well
well
well

The reason f o r selecting the tracer system in spite

of the higher initial cost was the fact t h a t no other
system, by itself, would have the combined ease of operation and the flexibility t h a t was required by particul a r circumstances a t the start-up of the field. The higher
initial cost is balanced by two important consiclerations:
additional wells along the trunk line can be connected
a t a very nominal expense of $4,000 to $7,000 per well
f o r hydrate control and, second, low operating costs.
The operating cost of t h e W ~ l d c a tHills tracer system is low. A t the present r a t e of 42 MMscf/D the
operating cost is about 0.41 centslMcf of gas produced.
This cost, a t the projected daily contract quantity, will
be reduced to about 0.21 cents/Mcf. Considering t h a t
this is a high-pressure sour gas-condensate system these
operating costs a r e very moderate.
A further important consideration f o r the tracer
system is the fact t h a t in light of esperience gained by
operating history, this tracer system could be built
Inore simply and more econonlically. Simplifying t h e
tracer installation by reducing 20 percent of the tracer
line to 2%-in. OD pipe, and by simplifying manifolding
and omitting the vaults, the capital cost could be reduced to $37,500 per well on a 9-well basis. F u r t h e r
simplification could be made by sacrificing some of t h e
safety features, viz., eliminating the tracer line on 26
percent of the trunk line. I n this case the capital cost
per well would be an estimated $30,000 on a 9-well
basis. These latter costs a r e competitive with a n y other
systenl designed f o r this particular field; yet no other
system has the flesibility and the built-in safety t h a t
this systenl would have.
CONCLUSIONS
The operating history of the s y s t e ~ nover the past
28 months leads to the following conclusions:
1. Effective hydrate control can be achieved by means
of underground hot-water tracing.
2. A gathering system with gas-line sizes ranging
from 4.5-in. OD to 12.75-in. OD and traced with a 3.5in. OD hot-water line can be operated under the southe r n Alberta weather and soil conditions with a n average
heat input of 0.5 MMBtu/hr/mile. During the severe
winter conditions, heat losses would probably reach 0.7
MMBtu/hr/mile.

3. Heat losses from the buried lines a r e reduced when

the soil surrounding the pipes is dried by the application
of heat. The d r y soil actually acts a s a n insulator. After
the system has warmed up, the overall thermal conductivities of the various types of soil tend to approach a
uniform value. I t is interesting to note t h a t muskeg h a s
the lowest and sandy gravel the highest thermal coefficient. Seasonal changes cause only 25 to 30 percent
changes in total heat requirements.
4. Tracing gas-transmission lines is simple because i t
recluires only the circulation of warm water a t low
pressures.
5. Changes in gas-flow rates have little effect on the
total heat requirement. This makes production operations very flexible.
6. The tracer system, being completely separate and
independent of the high-pressure sour gas, does not
create hazardous operations.
7. The operation and maintenance of the system is
simple ancl inexpensive.
The Wildcat Hills tracer system, being the first of its
type, was over-designed. I n view of the present knowledge of the controlling factors in the design of this type
of system, this tracer system could be built more simply
and more economically. A discussion of a new design is
given in a separate paper.'
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors wish to express their appreciation to
Canadian Fina Oil Limited f o r their permission to publish this paper, and to T. Nitescu and J. E. Baugh f o r
their constructive criticism and contribution to this
work.
REFERENCES
'Noyes, H. D. and Towie, N. R : A Method f o r Transporting Wet Natural Gas Utilizing Hot W a t e r Tracing,
J. Cnnc~dianPetr. Tcch., 1, 131 116, Fall (1962).
'Lukacs, J ; Leith, H. E ; ancl Nader, W: Design of
Hot Water Tracer Systems to Prevent Hydrate Formation in Gas Gathering Lines, J. Canadian pet^. Tcch.,
3, [21 71, Summer (1964).
3Beale, E. S. L. e t al: Heat Loss from Buried Oil
Pipelines, Science of Petrolezcn~,1, 740, (1938).