Introduction to flow assurance and multiphase flow conditioning

Flow Assurance is the combined analysis of multiple areas of expertise to ensure the successful (and profitable) flow of hydrocarbon streams from the reservoir to the point of sale. Each of the multiple areas of expertise encompassing Flow Assurance can be very specialized as they require deep understanding of fluids behavior, its prediction and scale up to large field conditions. On the other hand, Multiphase Flow Conditioning resides at the interface between Flow Assurance and Process Engineering expertise and addresses issues that are often not considered by either area. Multiphase Flow Conditioning can be corrected with simple solutions including smarter piping design upstream of separators. A couple of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations examples will be presented to show how detailed fluid flow modeling in relatively small geometries can have a large impact on large-scale production systems. Speaker bio: Carlos Avila has a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Tulsa. Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Universidad de Los Andes. Mérida, Venezuela. Subject matter expert on Multiphase Flow, Multiphase Flow Conditioning, Gas/Liquid and Liquid/Liquid separation and Compact separation (14+ years in Chevron). Experience in Flow Assurance from design phase to operations support. Multiphase Flow and Droplet size prediction expertise for Separation and Flow Assurance applications. Experience as Research & Development (R&D) program manager. Experience in Gas-Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone (GLCC) separator from design to operation support. Carlos is enthusiastic mentoring on different topics including Multiphase Flow and GLCC separator to engineers, interns, and university students. Interests in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Multiphase Flow Metering. Dr. Avila holds multiple patents and has authored and co-authored over 25 publications. In 2021, Dr. Avila created “Avila Multiphase Flow Consulting, LLC” to provide training and technical services in the Multiphase Flow Conditioning area.