Non-Invasive Location and Removal of Hydrates in Subsea Pipelines

摘要

The formation of gas hydrates within gas pipelines provides a substantial obstacle to the economic recovery of gas resources in offshore fields. Once hydrates form they can block flow in the pipelines for months. In many instances, the operational solution is simply waiting until they melt. In most cases, restarting flow has the prospect of reforming the hydrate blockage. Many offshore fields have resorted to providing a double pipeline or a "pipe in pipe' situation" at high costs, but when a hydrate forms it simply insulates the pipe prolonging the life of the non-invasive method to both locate and remediate hydrate formations within pipelines. It is ROV based and uses a heating method by which the rate of heat loss would indicate the presence of a hydrate (locates it), and then uses the heating to melt the hydrate.