BOOSTING OUTPUT & INCREASING

EFFICIENCY THROUGH SIMULATION

As the Oil & Gas industry evolves, costs and pricing pressures are a signicant 21st century
consideration. Optimization eorts to achieve savings and increase outputs show incredible
returns due to technology advances. Flownex Simulation Environment is the main techno-
logical advance that the industry can employ across the entire supply chain, to analyze and
optimize plant design and existing infrastructure to maximize potential outputs eciently
and cost eectively.

OIL & GAS

Flownex Simulation Environment Flownex is developed in an ISO
9001:2008 and NQA1 quality assu-
delivers technology that enables rance system environment.
you to analyze how systems
concerned with uid motion Flownex is the only software of its
kind to hold a nuclear accreditation,
and heat transfer will behave
a testament to the quality, reliability
during actual operation. and accuracy of our simulation
software.
Flownex system simulation relays
the overall eect of changing
specic properties of components,
allowing clients to examine
extensively all possible variations
of a system in the design and
optimization thereof.

On a global scale leading organizations apply our software and

service oerings to achieve maximum potential of their systems
both in design and operational states. Our promise of fast, reliable
and accurate system and subsystem level simulation has immense-
ly beneted our clients. The use of Flownex has set our clients
apart from their competitors allowing them to pursue frontiers of
engineering simulation. The global demand for Flownex has
shown exponential growth over the last few years, and as more
organizations adopt our technology we are continuously striving
to push the boundaries in system simulation.
FLOWNEX IS USED ACROSS THE ENTIRE OIL
& GAS SUPPLY CHAIN ON THE FOLLOWING
SUB-SYSTEM TYPES:
Slurry circulation systems.
Hydraulic pressure circuits.
Thermal hydraulic processes.
Boilers and condensing systems.
Unloading and loading terminals.
Bulk storage and transfer systems.
Flow control & metering systems.
Control station & SCADA systems.
Fluid circuits & transport equipment.
FLOWNEX
PROVIDES THE
OIL & GAS
INDUSTRY WITH
THE ABILITY TO:
Eciently test and evaluate planned
upgrades by eortlessly running
multiple scenarios to ensure every
possible angle is investigated.
Quickly determine the root cause of
system ineciencies and unexpected
response.
Accurately predict system response
to operational procedures, control
scenarios and accident scenarios by
running transient simulations.
Gas circulation, compression
& transport.
Lubrication circulation,
pumping & cooling.
Main supply pipelines &
distribution networks.
Pressure maintaining &
monitoring processes.
Heat exchanger & temperature
maintaining systems.
I am not aware of any other tool
with which I could have obtained
the required results in such a
short time span. Part of the success
must undoubtedly be attributed
to the prompt and high level
support provided by Flownex
International almost daily in
answering all my questions and
oering suggestions throughout
this very technically challenging
simulation. The support fee has
been paid for with this one project!
Hannes van der Walt
Senior Thermal & Process Engineer
Gasco
 SIMULATION APPROACH
Flownex uses nodes and elements
to represent a thermal-uid network
graphically as shown (left).

Elements include pipes, pumps, valves, compres-

sors or heat exchangers, while nodes are the end
points of elements. The elements are connected
at common nodes to form a network. Flownex
solves the momentum equation in each element
and the continuity and energy equation at each
node. This gives Flownex a pseudo CFD capability,
which allows it to predict complex phenomena
such as pressure and temperature waves in pipes
and buoyancy eects in packed beds.

USING FLOWNEX THE OIL & GAS INDUSTRY CAN:

SIMULATE, PREDICT, OPTIMIZE OUTPUT AND REALIZE SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS.

GAS TURBINE START-UP

CHALLENGE: Pressure regulators are to
be employed at a gas-red power station
to reduce upstream gas pressures from a
maximum of 15 MPa to approximately 3.5
MPa. Due to the Joule-Thompson eect,
the resulting gas temperature drops could
be in the region of 55 C. The dew-point
temperature of the hydrocarbons (gas)
owing through is -15 C and the minimum
ambient temperature of the area is -6 C,
thus the regulators could potentially be
subjected to gas at -61 C at start-up.
According to the valve manufacturer,
temperatures as low as -20 C can be
tolerated for some time, provided that
condensation does not occur.
CASE STUDY
SOLUTION: Operation of the pressure
regulators during the start-up of the
turbines at a gas-red power station was
studied and simulated in Flownex. The
major advantage of using Flownex is that
the capacitance of the pipe material and
the full JouleThompson eect could be
simulated. The simulations established that
the regulator internals would be exposed to
extremely cold gas for an extended period
of time. The model was also able to determine
if the proposed trace heating and insulation
system would be sucient to prevent the valve
internals from cooling below their minimum
temperature limit of -20 C, with a reasonable
safety factor taken into account.
PIPELINE
TRANSPORTATION
Oil and natural gas as well
as their rened products
need to be transported
from well to renery to
end consumer. This can be
done in a variety of ways
which include transport-
ing by means of piping.
OIL & GAS NET-
WORK VALVES
& METERS
Simulation of pipeline valve
and metering stations can be
done using the built-in library
of industry components.
Customization of valves by
including manufacturer s data
is possible.
Pressure drops across metering
stations can be measured.
Flownex is capable of the following
simulation in Oil & Gas transportation:
Simulate and design large transcontinental oil and
gas pipelines as well as small bore distribution
networks.
The built-in Flownex library supports an array of
components and pipes used in the industry to
build pipelines and networks.
Heat transfer through various layers of insulation
and other materials.
Transient operating scenarios such as start-up,
shut-down and pressure surge (water hammer).
Flownex can import .PCF les.
Pipeline elevation changes and geographical data
are taken into account.
No limitation on pipeline size.
OIL TRANSPORTATION
Add to the design of loading/unloading facilities, optimize
for a variety of vessels, tank volumes, pump selection,
pipe sizing.
Valve station design as well as control philosophy optimization.
Oil tanker loading/unloading.
Determine pumping procedures.
Optimize valve settings for both on the ship and at the
onshore pumping and valve stations.
Determine water ballast pumping procedures in order
to maintain ship trim during the loading/unloading.
Flownex s Graphical User Interface can be coupled to
the simulation models and used for operator training as
well as on site scenario simulation.
 GAS FIRED HEATER The exact operating conditions of all cycles
could be pre-programmed as a scenario by
INSULATED PIPE using Flownex Actions and saved. They could
then be recalled for simulation at any point. In
transient simulation of the problem, the full
CASE STUDY

CHALLENGE: A client in the petro-
chemical industry sought help with
regards to a red heater employed on a
plant. The client wished to perform
thermal fatigue and stress analysis on the
heater, especially during transient oper-
ating conditions such as start-up and
on-o cyclic operations, where the possibility
for large temperature gradients exists.
eect of the piping material thermal capaci-
tance was taken into account for more accurate
results. Temperature proles could be auto-
matically generated by using graphs within
Flownex, which reduces the amount of
post-processing. The ndings enabled the
client company to perform thermal fatigue
and stress analysis on the heater coil.

OIL PUMPING & GAS COMPRESSION

Due to the length of transcontinental oil and gas pipelines (in some cases
1000 km +), pumping/compressor stations are required along the length of
the pipeline. These stations are required to increase the pressure and to
achieve the desired ow rate through the pipeline.
For oil pipelines, centrifugal pumps are normally
used, while for gas pipelines centrifugal or positive
displacement compressors are used.

Flownex is capable of the following Simulate cold start or cold ambient

simulation in oil and gas pipeline pump/
compressor stations:
Simulating pumping/compression setups aids
testing of specic equipment manufacturer
ow characteristics for component selection.
temperature operation & heat transfer.
Simulation and design optimization of
lubricating oil systems and cooling.
Sensitivity studies to determine the
optimum operating point of a system.

Non-standard components such as separators
and lters can be simulated using manufacturer s
data to set up compound components.
Simulate heat transfer with a variety of heat
exchangers enables ecient design of heat
exchangers required.
Flownex can optimize the control and
start-up/shut-down procedures with the
simulation of accident or trip scenarios.
The Flownex Graphical User Interface can
be set up and used by operating personnel
to determine operating procedures.
HYDRAULIC & COOLING EQUIPMENT
Flownex is capable of the following
simulation in Hydraulic & Cooling Manual jacking
systems: oil pump

Shaft
Simulate these systems and the
Flownex designer capability can
be used to design and optimize
their eciency. Bearing casing
Pressure distribution, optimize heater
and cooler sizes and optimum Jacking
Oil pump
selection of pumps and valves. Jacking oil relieve valve

Establish control philosophies to Low pressure bypass line Oil heater

improve on new and existing designs.
Analyze the eects of temperature Low pressure
on the viscosity in lubricating and Oil cooler Oil pump
hydraulic oil systems. Filter unit

Determine the inuence of environ-

mental temperature changes on Circulating
cooling systems. cooling water

Oil and gas exploration rigs FIRE PROTECTION

are hazardous environments
and are governed by strict
safety regulations. Due to
the combustible nature of
SYSTEMS
Flownex is capable of the following simulation
in Fire protection systems:

oil and gas, re protection
is an important aspect for
safety on exploration rigs.
Flownex can be used for the design and
optimization of re protection systems.
Flownex allows easy modeling of the systems
using the standard component library.
Flownex designer can then be used for design
and optimization of the system.
The transient simulation capability can be
utilized to simulate dierent re protection
system operating scenarios.
Water hammer pressure reduction and cavitation
prevention.
Control of emergency sequence scenarios.
 PRODUCTION
On a producing well, typically the completion
decision involves production casing being run
in, installation of well head and connection of a
Christmas tree (series of safety pressure valves,
ow controlling valves and instrumentation).
Depending on the type of reservoir formation
and reservoir drive , the extraction of the oil or
natural gas may be done using dierent methods.

Flownex is capable of the following

simulation in Oil & Gas production:

Simulate the thermal hydraulic aspects of oil

and natural gas mixtures, as well as the
temperature dependence of oil s viscosity
enables the user to simulate and design the
required heating and pumping capacity for
primary, secondary and tertiary recovery.

Simulation ability to handle multiple uids and CHRISTMAS TREE

two phase uids also make Flownex ideal for
cogeneration plants and steam heating &
injection processes used in tertiary recovery Flownex is capable of the
methods. following simulation on the
Christmas Tree:

Model Chocked ow condi-

tions and simulate dierent
Flownex is capable of the following valve characteristics accord-
simulation on the Gathering System: ing to various manufacturer s
GATHERING SYSTEM

data. Including simulation of

Flownex can simulate and design the pressure relief, pressure regu-
gathering system and storage plant using lating and ow control valve
the built in library of pipe schedules and scenarios.
diameters, pipe roughness, pipe losses
Model and address dynamic
(elbows, contractions expansions, inlet
and outlet losses etc.) as well as valve,
pressure surges (water hammer)
pump, compressor and tank components. resulting from valve closure/
opening or operation.
Flownex has the ability to do tank level
tracking, to determine production and
storage scheduling and applies a control
library for control simulation applications.
 BLOWOUT
PREVENTER
(BOP)
Flownex is capable of the following simulation
in BOP systems:

Simulate blowouts and kicks to study dynamic

eect of surges and water hammer.
Simulate well kill process to overcome down-
hole pressure surges.
Analyze drilling mud return rate simulations, to
detect early warning signs of blowouts and kicks
and simulate the pressure release using BOP.
Model uid characteristics such as density
Kill Choke changes and ow which occur with pressure
uctuations.

Flownex is capable of the follow-

ing simulation in mud circulation
Swivel
systems:
Kelly
Stand pipe
Rotary hose
Drill pipe
Discharge
Hydraulic calculation of the slurry
circulation system. Mud return line Mud pump
Mapping pressure drops and the Shale shaker
Mud mixer
eects upon solid particle settlement Mud pit
Mud suction line
and deposition in the recirculating Drill collar
mud system.
Annulus
Providing information to minimize Reserve pit
blockages and also enabling accurate
Bit
selection of pumps and pressure
control equipment.
Study and optimize the down-hole
pressures for prolonging drill bit life DRILLING MUD
and mitigating broken bits, broken
strings and tripping. CIRCULATION SYSTEM
SLURRY SIMULATION
The Flownex slurry ow module deals
with the following three aspects:
Non-settling slurries, especially non- Newtonian
mixtures as found in mud circulation systems.
Settling slurries in horizontal, inclined and
vertical pipe segments.
Centrifugal pump derating factors for pumps
operating with either non-Newtonian uids
or settling slurries.

GAS LIQUEFACTION / REGASIFICATION

Flownex s two phase capability can be utilized to simulate and design natural gas liquefaction
and regasication plants, which may include compressors, turbines, pumps, pipe work,
valves, heat exchangers and plant insulation. Flownex also has the ability to simulate choked
ow conditions in gas systems which may be encountered during some operating or accident
scenarios at these plants.

An integral part of liquefaction of natural gas is insulation. Flownex has the ability to simulate
multi-layer insulation as well as the ability to determine the eect of thermal inertia and cross
conduction in insulation and other materials on the heat transfer to and from the gas.

CONTROL Flownex can be used to simulate the complete cycle, from well
to consumer, making Flownex ideally suited for designing oil and
STATIONS gas supply systems, operating procedures and control philosophies.

& SCADA Combining the engineering model with Flownex s Graphical User
Interface, allows the ability for scenario simulation modeling tools
SYSTEMS as well as a tool which can be used for operator training purposes.

UNFINISHED OILS & CONTROL CENTRE

BLENDING COMPONENTS
IMPORTS

JET FUEL

MOTOR GASOLINE

OTHER

DISTILLATE
CRUDE OIL PUMPING REFINERIES REFINERIES PRODUCTS
FUEL OIL
STATION SUPPLIED

RESIDUEL FUEL OIL

NATURAL GAS
LIQUIDS LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM
 1986 Initial development.
1990 Development of the Implicit Pressure Correction
Method (IPCM) algorithm.
1992 Aircraft engine combustion systems for Rolls-Royce.
1997 Transient/Dynamic simulations.
1999 HTGR simulation.
2000 Gas mixtures & conduction.
2001 Object oriented.
2004 Rotating components.
2005 Two phase.
2006 Combustion.
2007 Equation element, API.
2009 Control & electric, MS Excel.
2010 Simulation Environment, in-condensables.
2011 Slurry, expanded combustion.
2013 Expanded two-phase, expanded heat transfer,
trace elements, RELAP coupling.
2014 Gas turbine secondary ow modelling, steam turbine
modelling, GIS importing and coordinate system
drawing, supersonic ow, simplied scripting,
visualization & graphing, 3D drawing & importing.

Flownex Simulation Environment enables engi-
neers to predict, design and optimize for ow rates,
pressures, temperature and heat transfer rates in
uid systems. Such systems include anything from
ventilation systems and water and gas distribution
systems up to boiler designs and complete power
generation cycles.
The ability to simulate systems with
any combination of liquid, gas, two
phase, slurry and mixture ows in
both steady state and dynamic cases
makes Flownex the most powerful
simulation tool of its kind.

We employ master s- and PhD-level qualied engi-

Flownex is sold around the globe neers to develop and support Flownex guiding you
(visit our site for resellers in your on how to more eectively use our software tools
area). www.ownex.com and maximize your return on investment.

Speed Accuracy Reliability Design Simulate Optimize

 CORE LIBRARY INTEGRATION
MODULES MODULES MODULES

thermal module

analysis module
Advanced uid

Relap Module
Basic thermal

Extendability
uid module

OPC module
EES module

API module
Design and

Transient

MathCad
Electrical
module

module

module

module

module
Nuclear

module
Control
Basic Flownex
component library
Basic heat transfer
PHYSICS / COMPONENTS

Advanced heat transfer

Turbo secondary ow

Combustion

Reactors

Control library

Electrical library

Compound components

Scripting

Excel component

Liquid

Gas
FLUID MODELS

Gas mixtures

Incondensable

Slurry

Two-phase

Trace elements

Flow solver
SOLVER

Transient solver

Extendability

Designer

Optimizer
TOOLS

Sensitivity analysis

Visualization

Result tools

Alarms

API
INTEGRATION &
AUTOMATION

OPC

Relap coupling

EES coupling

Mathcad coupling