METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE VOLUME OF SCALE IN A PIPELINE Russian patent published in 2016 - IPC E21B47/03 

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to well production of asphalt, resin and paraffin oils and their further transportation via a flow line pipeline system on the territory of an oil-extracting plant. Volume of scale in an abnormal section of an oil pipeline is determined by introducing a fluid separator with variable body geometry in narrow pipeline sections into an oil pipeline. Separator according to the invention is used as local resistance, in the area of which pressure losses for friction are the larger the smaller the flow section of pipeline is. Two pressure gages are arranged at the front and end parts of the investigated pipeline to constantly measure the pressure as the separator flows through the pipeline. Pumping of liquid after the separator is performed with a constant flow rate, thus it is possible to determine not only the volume of scale on the basis of the time characteristics of pressure obtained from the two pressure gauges, but also their distribution along the pipeline. Volume of scale in a pipeline is defined by a mathematical formula, based on the time it takes for the liquid separator to pass from the first pressure gauge to the second pressure gage. In turn the two chronologic times are determined by pressure increase, since the separator has a function of local resistance of the movable nature.

EFFECT: technique for determining volume of scale in adhesion shape on the inner surface of a ground pipeline, as well as evaluation of distribution of this volume of scale throughout the length of the analysed pipeline.

1 cl, 2 dwg