ABSTRACT
Multiphase mixtures of reservoir fluids and formation water from deep water production are frequently transported to onshore or offshore processing plants through undersea pipelines. The distance from a petroleum field to the processing plant can be long, and a considerable temperature drop may take place. During shutdown, the temperature may drop to that of the surrounding seawater (~4°C). As the pressures in the pipelines can be quite high, the pipeline conditions may promote the formation of gas hydrates. Because hydrate formation may lead to plugging of pipelines and ultimately shutdown of production, it is of utmost importance to assess the risk of hydrate formation when designing new multiphase transport pipelines.
