Saskatoon 鈥� Finding better ways to pipeline light and heavy oil from the wellhead to process facilities will be under study at the newly expanded Pipe Flow
Technology Centre at the Saskatchewan Research Council in Saskatoon.
The Shook-Gillies High Pressure, High Temperature Test Facility opened on Jan. 7 with several oil companies already knocking on the door for applied
research projects.
The new building is equipped to test the flow conditions of volatile materials such as crude oil, in a controlled, high pressure and high temperature (HPHT)
physical model.
鈥淲e do have a few that are interested and we鈥檝e been having discussions,鈥� said Lesley McGilp, manager of the technology centre the day after the opening.
鈥淭he applications range from looking at fracture stimulation fluids to new instrumentation testing and looking at horizontal well flow conditions.
鈥淚 am sure as more people become aware of the system more inquiries will continue to come in. I鈥檝e already had two or three inquiries
since the launch event yesterday.鈥�
The facility is equipped with a 100 millimeter diameter pipe flow loop that is designed to simulate industrial conditions. The loop will be used to research the
flow of complex mixtures including slurries in pipes under HPHT conditions.
鈥淭his is a new expansion with new capabilities. With our existing loops, we can only test at low temperatures and pressures and we can鈥檛 test volatile
materials,鈥� said McGilp.
鈥淭he new system can do all those things so we can test up to 250 Celsius and 1,300 psi in the new loop. 鈥淎nd we can test out volatile materials because we鈥檝e located
the loop in a newly expanded class one building, which means it鈥檚 rated for the testing of flammable materials.鈥�
The centre can now test a wider range of substances and help the provincial, and national, oil and gas industry enhance oil recovery, reduce operating costs
and improve processes.
鈥淪RC is committed to benefiting Saskatchewan through its products and services and this project is no different,鈥� said Jeremy Harrison, Minister of
Innovation and Minister Responsible for SRC in a statement.
鈥淲e expect the expansion will facilitate several research projects to improve efficiency and business productivity for oil, gas and mining companies in
our province and around the world.鈥�
Industry will fund the projects with the research conducted by SRC following a fee for service model. Pipe flow research typically could be triggered by an operator that is having some design challenges or operational challenges.
鈥淭hey would come to us with a research project, something they want to understand better,鈥� said McGilp.
鈥淲e would run tests in our flow loop to mimic industrial conditions and that would give them information that they could use to design a pipeline or better
understand horizontal well flow or better under the properties of fracture stimulation fluids.鈥�
The conditions that can be tested include those experienced in steam or solvent related enhanced recovery methods so SAGD technology could be
tested. 鈥淏ecause there is really nowhere else to test the conditions associated with steam assisted gravity drainage I do think that is a
large market for us,鈥� said McGilp.
鈥淭here is a lot of activity in that area. I also think enhanced recovery methods in heavy oil and medium crudes is an area where we can help 鈥� that鈥檚 a technology that鈥檚 growing as oil fields mature in Canada.鈥�
The Shook-Gillies facility can also test the pipe flow of gas and slurries that are a mixture of liquid and solids and very common in all processes of bitumen
mining in the oilsands industry.
Slurries also occur in the production of heavy oil with sand and water. 鈥淥ur research would help you determine what size of pipe to use, how big your pumps might
need to be and to better understand what鈥檚 going on inside the pipe and what the flow regime looks like,鈥� said McGilp.
鈥淭hat can be important for processability when the fluid gets to a point in the operation where you want to separate the oil and the water and if there鈥檚 sand in the system to separate the sand out.
鈥淲hether you can transport sand at the conditions that you are flowing at 鈥� we can test those things in our loop in a very controlled environment. It鈥檚 very
accurate instrumentation.鈥�
Another benefit of pipe flow research said McGilp is that a well designed pipeline operates efficiently.
鈥淭here is less downtime, you鈥檝e put in the right pumps so it runs more efficiently,鈥� she noted.
鈥淲hat does tend to happen in the engineering profession, when you don鈥檛 know for sure, because you don鈥檛 have good information, is you tend to err on the side of caution and build things bigger.鈥�
鈥淭his research takes the guesswork out of the equation and allows you to design the system properly. That reduces your capital costs and will definitely improve
efficiencies.
鈥淧articularly with slurries, building it too big is not a good thing. It will lead to operational challenges. It鈥檚 that much more important to get it right.鈥�
The Shook-Gillies facility is named in honour of scientists Clifton Shook and Randall Gillies, two pioneers in the area of slurry testing and research at SRC鈥檚
Pipe Flow Technology Centre that has been operating for the past 55 years. Funding for the facility included a $1.73 million joint investment from the federal and
provincial government and $1.46 million from SRC.
SRC provides services and products to its 1,400 clients in 20 countries around the world.
