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 technological 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

delivers technology that enables
you to analyze how systems
concerned with uid motion
and heat transfer will behave
during actual operation.
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.

Flownex is developed in an ISO

9001:2008 and NQA1 quality assurance system environment.
Flownex is the only software of its
kind to hold a nuclear accreditation,
a testament to the quality, reliability
and accuracy of our simulation
software.

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 immensely 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:

Gas circulation, compression

& transport.
Lubrication circulation,
pumping & cooling.
Main supply pipelines &
distribution networks.
Pressure maintaining &
monitoring processes.
Heat exchanger & temperature
maintaining systems.

Quickly determine the root cause of

system ineciencies and unexpected
response.

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!

Accurately predict system response

to operational procedures, control
scenarios and accident scenarios by
running transient simulations.

Hannes van der Walt

Senior Thermal & Process Engineer
Gasco

Eciently test and evaluate planned

upgrades by eortlessly running
multiple scenarios to ensure every
possible angle is investigated.

SIMULATION APPROACH
Flownex uses nodes and elements
to represent a thermal-uid network
graphically as shown (left).

Elements include pipes, pumps, valves, compressors 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

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.

CASE STUDY

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.

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 transporting by means of piping.

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 & GAS NETWORK 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.

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

INSULATED PIPE
CASE STUDY

CHALLENGE: A client in the petrochemical 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 operating conditions such as start-up and
on-o cyclic operations, where the possibility
for large temperature gradients exists.

The exact operating conditions of all cycles

could be pre-programmed as a scenario by
using Flownex Actions and saved. They could
then be recalled for simulation at any point. In
transient simulation of the problem, the full
eect of the piping material thermal capacitance was taken into account for more accurate
results. Temperature proles could be automatically 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

simulation in oil and gas pipeline pump/
compressor stations:
Simulating pumping/compression setups aids
testing of specic equipment manufacturer
ow characteristics for component selection.

Simulate cold start or cold ambient

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.

Flownex can optimize the control and

start-up/shut-down procedures with the
simulation of accident or trip scenarios.

Simulate heat transfer with a variety of heat

exchangers enables ecient design of heat
exchangers required.

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
systems:

Manual jacking
oil pump
Shaft

Simulate these systems and the

Flownex designer capability can
be used to design and optimize
their eciency.
Pressure distribution, optimize heater
and cooler sizes and optimum
selection of pumps and valves.
Establish control philosophies to
improve on new and existing designs.
Analyze the eects of temperature
on the viscosity in lubricating and
hydraulic oil systems.
Determine the inuence of environmental temperature changes on
cooling systems.

Oil and gas exploration rigs

are hazardous environments
and are governed by strict
safety regulations. Due to
the combustible nature of
oil and gas, re protection
is an important aspect for
safety on exploration rigs.

Bearing casing
Jacking
Oil pump

Jacking oil relieve valve

Low pressure bypass line

Oil heater
Low pressure
Oil pump

Oil cooler
Filter unit

Circulating
cooling water

FIRE PROTECTION
SYSTEMS
Flownex is capable of the following simulation
in Fire protection systems:
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
two phase uids also make Flownex ideal for
cogeneration plants and steam heating &
injection processes used in tertiary recovery
methods.

Flownex can simulate and design the

gathering system and storage plant using
the built in library of pipe schedules and
diameters, pipe roughness, pipe losses
(elbows, contractions expansions, inlet
and outlet losses etc.) as well as valve,
pump, compressor and tank components.
Flownex has the ability to do tank level
tracking, to determine production and
storage scheduling and applies a control
library for control simulation applications.

GATHERING SYSTEM

Flownex is capable of the following

simulation on the Gathering System:

CHRISTMAS TREE
Flownex is capable of the
following simulation on the
Christmas Tree:
Model Chocked ow conditions and simulate dierent
valve characteristics according to various manufacturer s
data. Including simulation of
pressure relief, pressure regulating and ow control valve
scenarios.
Model and address dynamic
pressure surges (water hammer)
resulting from valve closure/
opening or operation.

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 downhole pressure surges.
Analyze drilling mud return rate simulations, to
detect early warning signs of blowouts and kicks
and simulate the pressure release using BOP.
Kill

Choke

Flownex is capable of the following simulation in mud circulation

systems:

Hydraulic calculation of the slurry

circulation system.
Mapping pressure drops and the
eects upon solid particle settlement
and deposition in the recirculating
mud system.
Providing information to minimize
blockages and also enabling accurate
selection of pumps and pressure
control equipment.
Study and optimize the down-hole
pressures for prolonging drill bit life
and mitigating broken bits, broken
strings and tripping.

Model uid characteristics such as density

changes and ow which occur with pressure
uctuations.

Swivel
Kelly
Rotary hose
Drill pipe

Mud return line

Shale shaker
Mud pit
Drill collar

Stand pipe

Discharge
Mud pump
Mud mixer
Mud suction line

Annulus
Reserve pit
Bit

DRILLING MUD
CIRCULATION SYSTEM

SLURRY SIMULATION
The Flownex slurry ow module deals
with the following three aspects:

Settling slurries in horizontal, inclined and

vertical pipe segments.

Non-settling slurries, especially non- Newtonian

mixtures as found in mud circulation systems.

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
STATIONS
& SCADA
SYSTEMS

Flownex can be used to simulate the complete cycle, from well

to consumer, making Flownex ideally suited for designing oil and
gas supply systems, operating procedures and control philosophies.
Combining the engineering model with Flownex s Graphical User
Interface, allows the ability for scenario simulation modeling tools
as well as a tool which can be used for operator training purposes.
UNFINISHED OILS &
BLENDING COMPONENTS
IMPORTS

CONTROL CENTRE

JET FUEL
MOTOR GASOLINE
OTHER

CRUDE OIL

PUMPING
STATION

REFINERIES

REFINERIES PRODUCTS
SUPPLIED

DISTILLATE
FUEL OIL
RESIDUEL FUEL OIL

NATURAL GAS
LIQUIDS

LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM

1986
1990

Initial development.

1992
1997
1999
2000
2001
2004
2005
2006
2007
2009
2010
2011
2013

Aircraft engine combustion systems for Rolls-Royce.

2014

Gas turbine secondary ow modelling, steam turbine

modelling, GIS importing and coordinate system
drawing, supersonic ow, simplied scripting,
visualization & graphing, 3D drawing & importing.

Development of the Implicit Pressure Correction

Method (IPCM) algorithm.
Transient/Dynamic simulations.
HTGR simulation.
Gas mixtures & conduction.
Object oriented.
Rotating components.
Two phase.
Combustion.
Equation element, API.
Control & electric, MS Excel.
Simulation Environment, in-condensables.
Slurry, expanded combustion.
Expanded two-phase, expanded heat transfer,
trace elements, RELAP coupling.

Flownex Simulation Environment enables engineers 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.

Flownex is sold around the globe

(visit our site for resellers in your
area). www.ownex.com

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 engineers to develop and support Flownex guiding you
on how to more eectively use our software tools
and maximize your return on investment.

Speed Accuracy Reliability Design Simulate Optimize

Basic Flownex
component library

PHYSICS / COMPONENTS

Basic heat transfer

Advanced heat transfer
Turbo secondary ow
Combustion
Reactors
Control library
Electrical library
Compound components
Scripting
Excel component
Liquid

FLUID MODELS

Gas
Gas mixtures
Incondensable
Slurry
Two-phase
Trace elements

SOLVER

Flow solver
Transient solver
Extendability
Designer
Optimizer

TOOLS

Sensitivity analysis
Visualization
Result tools
Alarms

INTEGRATION &
AUTOMATION

API
OPC
Relap coupling
EES coupling
Mathcad coupling

API module

MathCad
module

Relap Module

OPC module

INTEGRATION
MODULES

EES module

Extendability
module

Electrical
module

Control
module

LIBRARY
MODULES

Nuclear
module

Transient
module

Design and
analysis module

Advanced uid
thermal module

Basic thermal
uid module

CORE
MODULES