Trunk line – flowline definition oil and gas
Trunk and flow lines are pipes connecting the wells with the treatment plants. Flow lines are the connection from the well itself, to either a treatment plant or a gathering station. The trunk lines are usually the bigger lines. They carry often a lot of oil to the final treatment.
Depending on the characteristic of the crude, the problems faced in these lines are various, in detail:
Rarely do you have only one of these problems, but a combination of 2 or 3 of them at the same time. All these problems are discussed in detail on a separate page.
There is another group of lines; these are just called pipe lines. Here treated crude is transported very often over long distances. These pipe lines are very big lines and reach often diameters of 60 inches and more. Due to the fact the oil which is transported through these is already purified not so much problems arise, as seen in trunk or flow lines.
All these different types lines have in common, this is the corrosion from outside. This type of corrosion, Merus is not able to influence or treat. Either special paints or cathodic protection is used in order to control or minimize the corrosion from outside.
In a big oilfield there are hundreds or thousands pipes needed, with a total length of all over several 1000km. To service all these pipelines is a big task. Which need very good planning and monitoring. The biggest problems is leaking in such lines. If there is pitting and a small pin hole occurs, there will constant oil come out and pollute either the ground or the sea.
If only little amounts of the totel amount transported are leaking, it is technically next to impossible to recognize there is a problem on such a line.
So the only chance to find such small leaks is regular inspection, by driving along the pipelines and check visual for spots of crude. Also sub sea lines are regular inspected by divers. All this effort is required, because of corrosion and possible leaks caused by this corrosion.
Merus can fight all these problems with one ring only
Installing a Merus ring at the start of such a line, is addressing all the different problems happening inside a line. The Hydro Carbon rings contain all the standard solutions against scaling and cororsion. And on top of these the solutions of the probelms in the crude oil. So one Merus Ring can work against scaling caused by produced water and at the same time keep the paraffin wax in solution.
Installing only one Merus Ring will be onshore good for app 10 to 15 km pipe length, if the conditions are favorable for the Merus Ring. If the length of the pipe line is longer, or the condition at the lines requires, there are more rings installed in shorter distance to each other.
Offshore where there is no or far less external disturbance (electrical fields) one Merus Ring installed on the sender platform, just before the pipeline enters the sea, will be good for about 30 to 50km. Offshore this is not so easily possible; therefore two or even three rings in a row are installed at the beginning of the line.
Until today all our customers have only checked one or two problems at the same time, these which are the most pressing for them. Looking on all the possible positive effects haven’t been done until now. One reason, there are not required monitoring equipments installed at these lines. But so far all the single most pressing problems addressed by Merus Rings in various projects have been improved.
Merus is able to save a lot of costs and improve the safety of the operation
Each single problem solved by Merus has given the customer savings in the cost of operation. If it be the reduction of the corrosion, and the resulting longer lifetime of the pipeline, or less frequent pigging, or no problem with pour point, or even less emulsion. If all these single improvements are brought together a high amount of money can be saved.