Flow Assurance & Hydraulics: Comprehensive 5-Day Training Course

Course Overview

This specialized Flow Assurance and Hydraulics training program delivers critical expertise for oil & gas professionals across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Oman, GCC countries (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain), and Africa. The course covers multiphase flow fundamentals, flow assurance challenges, hydraulic design, wax and hydrate management, pipeline optimization, and production system design essential for ensuring reliable hydrocarbon transportation from reservoirs to processing facilities in upstream, midstream, and offshore operations.

With the Middle East producing over 30 million barrels per day of oil and operating extensive subsea infrastructure in the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, and Africa’s offshore basins, this training addresses critical competencies for professionals at Saudi Aramco, PDO (Petroleum Development Oman), ADNOC, Qatar Energy, Kuwait Oil Company, Chevron, TotalEnergies, Eni, and other operators managing flow assurance in challenging environments including deepwater fields, long tiebacks, heavy oil, high-pressure/high-temperature (HPHT) wells supporting regional production growth and Saudi Vision 2030 energy sector development.

Target Audience

• Flow Assurance Engineers in oil & gas operations across Saudi Arabia, Oman, GCC, Africa

• Production Engineers optimizing well and facility performance

• Pipeline Engineers designing transportation systems

• Subsea Engineers managing offshore production systems

• Operations Engineers troubleshooting flow assurance issues

• Facilities Engineers designing separation and processing systems

• Project Engineers in upstream developments and field expansions

• Reservoir Engineers interfacing with production systems

Day 1: Multiphase Flow Fundamentals & Hydraulics

Morning Session: Fluid Properties & Flow Regimes

• Fluid characterization: crude oil, natural gas, water, condensate properties

• PVT (Pressure-Volume-Temperature) behavior: bubble point, dew point, gas-oil ratio (GOR)

• Fluid viscosity: temperature and pressure effects, heavy oil challenges in Saudi Arabia

• API gravity, density, compressibility factors for GCC crudes

• Flow regimes: single-phase vs. multiphase flow patterns

• Gas-liquid flow patterns: bubble, slug, churn, annular flow in pipes

• Flow pattern maps: horizontal, vertical, inclined pipe configurations

• Transition criteria: superficial velocities, dimensionless numbers (Froude, Weber, Reynolds)

• Slug flow characteristics: liquid holdup, slug length, frequency

• Severe slugging in pipelines and risers: causes, impacts, mitigation

• Regional considerations: Arabian Gulf offshore, Red Sea developments, Oman mountainous terrain

• Case studies: Safaniya offshore (Saudi Arabia), Khazzan gas field (Oman)

Afternoon Session: Hydraulic Calculations & Pressure Drop

• Single-phase hydraulics: Darcy-Weisbach equation, friction factors, Moody diagram

• Reynolds number: laminar, transitional, turbulent flow regimes

• Pipe roughness effects: new vs. corroded pipes, fouling impact

• Multiphase pressure drop correlations: Beggs & Brill, Dukler, Taitel-Dukler

• Holdup calculations: liquid fraction in pipe, slip between phases

• Vertical vs. horizontal pressure gradients: hydrostatic, friction, acceleration components

• Two-phase multiplier concept: relating multiphase to single-phase pressure drop

• Erosional velocity: API RP 14E criteria preventing equipment damage

• Critical flow: choked flow conditions, sonic velocity in gas systems

• Pressure drop in fittings: valves, bends, tees, restrictions

• Software tools: PIPESIM, OLGA, PIPEPHASE, LedaFlow for hydraulic modeling

• Workshop: Hydraulic calculations for oil/gas pipeline systems

Day 2: Flow Assurance Challenges - Hydrates & Wax

Morning Session: Gas Hydrate Formation & Management

• Hydrate fundamentals: crystalline structures (sI, sII, sH), cage molecules

• Hydrate formation conditions: pressure-temperature envelopes, guest molecules

• Thermodynamic modeling: hydrate prediction curves, CSMGem, PVTsim

• Factors affecting hydrate formation: water content, salinity, gas composition

• Hydrate risks: pipeline blockages, equipment damage, safety hazards

• Regional challenges: deepwater Gulf (Saudi Arabia, UAE), subsea tiebacks

• Prevention strategies: keeping outside hydrate zone (dehydration, heating, insulation)

• Thermodynamic inhibitors: methanol (MeOH), monoethylene glycol (MEG), triethylene glycol (TEG)

• Low-dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHI): kinetic inhibitors (KHI), anti-agglomerants (AA)

• Chemical injection design: dosage rates, injection points, recovery systems

• MEG regeneration systems: reclaiming and reusing glycol in offshore facilities

• Operational practices: depressurization, heating, pigging strategies

• Hydrate remediation: blockage removal techniques, hot oil circulation, depressurization

• Case studies: Deepwater developments (African offshore), Qatar North Field

Afternoon Session: Wax Deposition & Paraffin Management

• Wax chemistry: paraffin composition, wax appearance temperature (WAT), pour point

• Factors influencing wax deposition: temperature, pressure, shear rate, oil composition

• Heavy crude challenges: Saudi Arabian heavy oil fields, Omani viscous crudes

• Wax deposition mechanisms: molecular diffusion, shear dispersion, Brownian diffusion

• Prediction models: thermodynamic (Coutinho), kinetic deposition models

• Wax thickness growth: impact on pressure drop, flow restriction, pigging frequency

• Prevention methods: thermal insulation, heated pipelines, chemical inhibitors

• Pour point depressants (PPD) and wax inhibitors: chemistry, application, dosage

• Thermal management: maintaining temperature above WAT through insulation, heating

• Heated pipelines vs. insulated flowlines: economics, operational considerations

• Remediation techniques: mechanical pigging, chemical treatment, hot oil circulation

• Pig types: cleaning pigs, gauge pigs, intelligent pigs for wax removal

• Pigging operations: launcher/receiver design, pig tracking, scheduling frequency

• Workshop: Wax deposition risk assessment and mitigation strategy development

Day 3: Asphaltene, Scale & Corrosion Management

Morning Session: Asphaltene Precipitation & Control

• Asphaltene characteristics: complex molecules, colloidal stability, flocculation

• Precipitation triggers: pressure drop, composition changes, mixing incompatible crudes

• Onset pressure: predicting asphaltene instability, P-T phase envelopes

• Saudi Arabian crude blending challenges: asphaltene compatibility issues

• Impact on production: wellbore plugging, pipeline deposition, separator problems

• Laboratory testing: asphaltene content, stability tests, deposition tendency

• Prevention strategies: pressure management above onset, chemical dispersants

• Asphaltene inhibitors and dispersants: chemistry, screening, field application

• Remediation: solvent treatment (xylene, toluene, aromatic solvents), mechanical removal

• Pipeline pigging for asphaltene deposits in Saudi Aramco systems

• Monitoring programs: pressure drop trends, production decline analysis

Afternoon Session: Scale & Corrosion in Production Systems

• Scale formation: calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, strontium sulfate, iron compounds

• Scaling mechanisms: pressure drop, temperature change, water incompatibility

• Prediction: saturation indices, scaling tendency, mixing seawater with formation water

• Common in GCC waterflooding operations (Ghawar, Burgan fields)

• Scale inhibitors: threshold inhibitors, phosphonates, polymers, green inhibitors

• Squeeze treatments: bullheading, placement design, return curves

• Corrosion mechanisms: sweet (CO2), sour (H2S), oxygen, microbiologically influenced (MIC)

• Corrosion rates: material selection, monitoring, inhibition strategies

• Internal corrosion management: chemical inhibitors, coatings, material upgrades

• Corrosion monitoring: coupons, electrical resistance probes, ultrasonic measurements

• Materials selection: carbon steel, CRAs (corrosion-resistant alloys), duplex, super duplex

• Case studies: Sour gas fields (Khuff formations Saudi Arabia), H2S management (Oman)

Day 4: Pipeline Design & Subsea Systems

Morning Session: Pipeline Flow Assurance Design

• Design philosophy: steady-state vs. transient conditions, normal vs. upset scenarios

• Operating envelope definition: flow rates, pressures, temperatures, fluid properties

• Thermal-hydraulic modeling: coupled heat transfer and pressure drop analysis

• Insulation design: preventing hydrate/wax formation, maintaining flow temperature

• Pipe-in-pipe (PIP) systems: vacuum insulation, syntactic foam, aerogel for deepwater

• Critical for Arabian Gulf cold seabed temperatures despite surface heat

• Cooldown analysis: shutdown scenarios, restart requirements, cooldown time

• Thermal insulation requirements for long shutdowns in offshore systems

• Start-up procedures: pre-commissioning, initial filling, gradual rate increase

• Shutdown and restart: depressurization, nitrogen purging, inhibitor injection

• Pigging strategy: cleaning frequency, hydrate prevention during pigging, pig traps

• Slug catchers: design for liquid handling, separator sizing

• Riser design: severe slugging mitigation, top-side choking, gas lift

• Case studies: Saudi Aramco offshore pipelines, ADNOC subsea developments

Afternoon Session: Subsea Production Systems

• Subsea architecture: manifolds, templates, flowlines, risers, umbilicals

• Flow assurance in subsea systems: no surface access, limited intervention capability

• Active heating systems: direct electrical heating (DEH), trace heating

• Passive insulation: coatings, PIP systems, burying flowlines

• Chemical injection: hydrate inhibitors, scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, demulsifiers

• Umbilical design: hydraulic, electrical, chemical injection lines

• Subsea processing: separation, boosting, compression, reducing topside loading

• Benefits in flow assurance: pressure maintenance, reduced transport requirements

• Deepwater challenges: high pressures, low temperatures, long tiebacks

• African deepwater (Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique): 2,000-3,000m water depths

• Well testing: multiphase flow meters, sampling, well performance monitoring

• Intervention strategies: ROVs, coiled tubing, subsea well control

• Reliability engineering: equipment selection, redundancy, maintainability

• Workshop: Subsea system flow assurance design exercise

Day 5: Advanced Topics & Operational Optimization

Morning Session: Transient Analysis & Simulation

• Steady-state vs. transient modeling: when transient analysis is required

• Dynamic simulation software: OLGA, LedaFlow for transient multiphase flow

• Startup scenarios: line filling, rate ramp-up, arrival of first production

• Pressure wave propagation, liquid accumulation, terrain slugging

• Shutdown analysis: blowdown, inventory management, cooldown curves

• Restart after shutdown: pressure buildup, heating requirements, pigging

• Operational transients: flowrate changes, well shut-ins, compressor trips

• Slug flow in pipelines: liquid surge volumes, separator design margins

• Terrain-induced slugging: hilly terrain, pipeline low points, riser-induced slugging

• Mitigation: choking, gas lift, slug suppression control

• Pigging simulations: pig speed, liquid production, pressure variations

• Safety systems: pressure relief, emergency shutdown valves, blowdown sizing

• Black oil vs. compositional models: selection criteria for complex fluids

• Case studies: Transient analysis for Saudi offshore, Oman field developments

Afternoon Session: Flow Assurance Monitoring & Optimization

• Real-time monitoring: pressure, temperature, flow rate, density measurements

• Multiphase flow meters: Venturi, Coriolis, gamma densitometry, clamp-on ultrasonic

• Distributed temperature sensing (DTS): fiber optic monitoring for pipelines

• Detecting hydrate formation, wax deposition, leaks along Saudi Aramco pipelines

• Production optimization: maximizing throughput within flow assurance constraints

• Well testing and allocation: understanding individual well contributions

• Artificial lift selection: gas lift, ESPs, considering flow assurance impacts

• Network modeling: integrated asset models, field-wide optimization

• Digital technologies: machine learning for prediction, digital twins, AI diagnostics

• Predictive maintenance: anticipating flow assurance problems before failures

• Chemical management optimization: dosage optimization, injection scheduling

• Cost reduction while maintaining flow assurance integrity

• Flow assurance management plans (FAMP): lifecycle approach from design to abandonment

• Benchmarking: KPIs, industry best practices, continuous improvement

• Lessons learned: major incidents, near-misses, successful interventions

• Final workshop: Integrated flow assurance case study (GCC offshore field development)

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Calculate multiphase flow hydraulics for oil and gas production systems

• Predict and prevent hydrate formation through appropriate inhibition strategies

• Manage wax deposition risks using thermal, chemical, and mechanical methods

• Design flow assurance solutions for pipelines and subsea systems

• Conduct transient analysis for startup, shutdown, and operational scenarios

• Select appropriate mitigation strategies for asphaltene, scale, and corrosion

• Use industry-standard software (PIPESIM, OLGA, PIPEPHASE) for flow modeling

• Develop flow assurance management plans for field development projects

• Optimize production operations within flow assurance constraints

Course Delivery & Certification

• Format: Technical lectures, hydraulic workshops, case studies, simulation demonstrations, hands-on exercises

• Software: Introduction to PIPESIM, OLGA concepts for flow assurance modeling

• Materials: Comprehensive manual, calculation tools, flow assurance charts, case study library, industry standards

• Certification: Professional certificate recognized across KSA, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Africa

• Language: English (Arabic support available)

• CPD Credits: Continuing professional development for petroleum engineers

• Locations: Riyadh, Dhahran, Khobar (KSA), Muscat (Oman), Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Lagos, Luanda, Cairo

Why This Course is Critical for the Region

The GCC offshore developments (Safaniya, Manifa, Marjan, Upper Zakum, North Field) involve complex flow assurance challenges. Saudi Aramco’s offshore production exceeds 3 million bpd requiring reliable transportation. Oman’s Khazzan tight gas field faces unique condensate and water management challenges. African deepwater (pre-salt Brazil analog offshore Angola/Mozambique) demands advanced flow assurance solutions. Flow assurance failures cost $1-10 million per day in deferred production.

This training delivers practical expertise incorporating international best practices, Saudi Aramco operational experience, Schlumberger/Halliburton methodologies, addressing specific regional challenges: high temperatures, sour gas, heavy oil, carbonate reservoirs, long-distance transport, supporting upstream efficiency and Saudi Vision 2030 production sustainability goals.

Ensure flow. Prevent blockages. Optimize production.