Flowline Modelling
Same site, different day
minutes reading time
Rod Gibbons
If you know someone who does a good job, you want to give them more work. The trust that is built or lost during a project has a direct impact on the decision to award further work to a project management company.
As we have lots of return business to some locations, we have the feeling our clients like the work that we do, but sometimes we can see a site a little too much. We know of such a location in onshore Europe where we have been involved in projects going from a simple pipeline junction, to installing an eductor, to a major spill clean-up, to an additional tie-in and manifold install, and then to an eletrification and compressor install.
Other projects: Reservoir Management
Handshakes over lawyers
Calculating the operating conditions for installation of an eductor in a gas network is not difficult, but it can become challenging when the budget doesn't allow for variable vanes, and the operator continues to drill successful wells changing the flow conditions at the target junction node. Working with the operator we were able to get the eductor functioning properly and then helped them conclude that this may not have been the best technology, and the 'great' rental agreement was actually not as great as first thought.
After helping conclude the operational tests and the commercial terms, the next call we got back to this location was in the middle of the night when a pipeline inspection project (run by a company with the lowest bid) had reported a major loss of containment from the recoverd pipeline fluid and there was 'nothing they could do'.
We organized the emergency response by containing the spill, and capturing the fluids...we used our contacts in the local farm community to pull this off in the middle of the night, but it was about protecting the environment and relying on handshakes rather than lawyer reviewed terms and conditions.
Sorting out the options
We went back on site to help with the soil sampling and remediation, and then to evaluate pipe manifold options on the flexibility required from a gas network model (and operability) perspective for alternative inputs to a new compressor install. We used our prior knowledge of the site and network to quickly come to a preferred alternative for the surface piping designers.
"...we will be there"
When it comes to oil and gas projects, nobody likes re-work, but an old mentor of mine once said 'the easiest place to find more gas, is where there is gas', and we take that approach when we have a new project on a familar site.
Staying open minded to new ideas and alternatives is one of our core values that allows us to provide more value for our clients, especially when we are back for another project.
We're not always sure what's next for any given location, but we suspect we will be there.
Homepage >
