6 replies to this topic

Hi,

Need some help in find the right formula ... to calculate how long it take for the hydrocarbon such as oil to travel in an oil pipeline...

What do I need to know... length of the pipe, the diameter, production flow rate, pipeline pressure....

Hope someone would guide me on this... thanks...




regards,

Hanhay

[djack77494]

Hanhay,
Just take the volumetric throughput (i.e. production rate, etc.) and divide it by the pipe's cross-sectional area. That will give you the speed at which the liquid travels through the pipeline. Next take the length of the pipe divided by the speed to get the transit time. So you need the flowrate, pipe diamter, and pipe length, and that's all. Be careful with units.

For example, let's say you have an oil production rate in barrels per day that flows through a 16 inch Schedule 120 pipeline that is one kilometer long. First thing is to get all your lengths, areas, and volumes into common units, say feet, square feet, and cubic feet. So say 10,000 bbl/day = 56,146 ft^3/day. From a table of pipe properties, your pipe's cross-sectional area is 1 ft^2, so the fluid moves through the pipe at 56,146 ft/day or 39 ft/min (kinda fast). Anyway, that's all there is to it.
Good luck,
Doug

[Qalander (Chem)]

Hanhay,
Just take the volumetric throughput (i.e. production rate, etc.) and divide it by the pipe's cross-sectional area. That will give you the speed at which the liquid travels through the pipeline. Next take the length of the pipe divided by the speed to get the transit time. So you need the flowrate, pipe diamter, and pipe length, and that's all. Be careful with units.

For example, let's say you have an oil production rate in barrels per day that flows through a 16 inch Schedule 120 pipeline that is one kilometer long. First thing is to get all your lengths, areas, and volumes into common units, say feet, square feet, and cubic feet. So say 10,000 bbl/day = 56,146 ft^3/day. From a table of pipe properties, your pipe's cross-sectional area is 1 ft^2, so the fluid moves through the pipe at 56,146 ft/day or 39 ft/min (kinda fast). Anyway, that's all there is to it.
Good luck,
Doug

Dear Doug, Good soft Explaination although we were in Professional forum instead of student.
Best regards
Qalander

Thanks Doug,

Really appreciated your reply...
not sure where to find the right
source to get such guide...




regards,

Hanhay

[Qalander (Chem)]

Thanks Doug,

Really appreciated your reply...
not sure where to find the right
source to get such guide...




regards,

Hanhay

Dear hanhay,somehow I feel you could not get what you wanted! You need to be consistent with the units for your claculation and convert all to similar level/type.
Additionally simple gemetrical value for Pipelines cross-sectional area is the key requirement as ponted out by doug.
please inform about your problem resolution.
This is again somewhat lacking by most poster(s),and no one may extend further help to one another.
Best regards
Qalander

[JoeWong]

Isn't straight forward answer ?

RESIDENT TIME (h) = PIPELINE VOLUME (m3) / VOLUMETRIC FLOW RATE (m3/h)

Infact same as what Doug has advised earlier...





"not sure where to find the right source to get such guide..."

THINK...

Isn't straight forward answer ?

RESIDENT TIME (h) = PIPELINE VOLUME (m3) / VOLUMETRIC FLOW RATE (m3/h)

Infact same as what Doug has advised earlier...





"not sure where to find the right source to get such guide..."

THINK...

Yup it's clear what mentioned by Doug earlier... what I mean before I'm not sure where to ask... now glad to be in this forum... Thanks all...