Material flow amplifiers as disclosed herein overcome drawbacks associated with known adverse flow conditions (e.g., surface erosion and head losses) that arise from flow of certain types of materials (e.g., fluids, slurries, particulates, flowable aggregate, and the like) through a material flow conduit. Such material flow amplifiers provide for flow of flowable material within a flow passage of a material flow conduit (e.g., a portion of a pipeline, tubing or the like) to have a cyclonic flow (i.e., vortex or swirling) profile. Advantageously, the cyclonic flow profile centralizes flow toward the central portion of the flow passage, thereby reducing magnitude of laminar flow. Such cyclonic flow profile provides a variety of other advantages as compared to a parabolic flow profile (e.g., increased flow rate, reduce inner pipeline wear, more uniform inner pipe wear, reduction in energy consumption, reduced or eliminated slugging and the like).

A subsea high integrity pipeline protection system including a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, a first barrier valve connected between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, a second barrier valve connected between the first barrier valve and the fluid outlet, and a bypass circuit which allows fluid to circumvent the barrier valves when closed, wherein the bypass circuit includes first and second bypass valves connected in series, and a third bypass valve connected in parallel to the second bypass valve.

A subsea high integrity pipeline protection system including a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, a first barrier valve connected between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, a second barrier valve connected between the first barrier valve and the fluid outlet, and a bypass circuit which allows fluid to circumvent the barrier valves when closed, wherein the bypass circuit includes first and second bypass valves connected in series, and a third bypass valve connected in parallel to the second bypass valve.

Material flow amplifiers comprise at least one helix vane within a vortex chamber of an amplifier body and at least a portion of an outer edge portion of the at least one helix vane is attached to an interior surface of the amplifier body. A centralizer tube is centrally located within the amplifier body and has at least a portion of an inner edge portion of the at least one helix vane is attached to an exterior surface thereof. Such material flow amplifiers provide for flow of flowable material within a flow passage of a material flow conduit to have a cyclonic flow (i.e., vortex or swirling) profile. Advantageously, the cyclonic flow profile centralizes flow toward the central portion of the flow passage, thereby reducing laminar flow to provide for increased flow rate in addition to reducing inner pipeline wear and energy consumption.

A system includes a plurality of static mixers. Each static mixer has an internal cylinder defining a central orifice for passage of the multi-phase fluid. The internal cylinder has an inlet side and an outlet side. The inlet side of the internal cylinder has a plurality of inlet channels, and the outlet side of the internal cylinder has a plurality of outlet channels. The multi-phase fluid enters the inlet side to be mixed in the central orifice and is expelled through the outlet side. The plurality of static mixers are fixedly disposed along the pipeline at a predetermined number of locations, spaced a predetermined distance apart, to mix the multi-phase fluid and prevent formation of the adverse flow regimes.

A system includes a plurality of static mixers. Each static mixer has an internal cylinder defining a central orifice for passage of the multi-phase fluid. The internal cylinder has an inlet side and an outlet side. The inlet side of the internal cylinder has a plurality of inlet channels, and the outlet side of the internal cylinder has a plurality of outlet channels. The multi-phase fluid enters the inlet side to be mixed in the central orifice and is expelled through the outlet side. The plurality of static mixers are fixedly disposed along the pipeline at a predetermined number of locations, spaced a predetermined distance apart, to mix the multi-phase fluid and prevent formation of the adverse flow regimes.

A method for optimizing a pipeline includes determining a mode of optimization and operation for the pipeline. The method also includes obtaining an objective function quantifying a performance variable as a function of one or more control decisions of the pipeline over a future time horizon. The method includes optimizing the objective function subject to one or more constraints to determine control decisions for the pipeline that result in an optimal value of the performance variable. The method includes operating equipment of the pipeline according to the control decisions.

A method for operating a pipeline system includes obtaining sensor data of a gas in the pipeline system from sensors of a sensing unit. The method also includes performing a real-time and closed loop control scheme using the sensor data and a material model of the gas to determine one or more control decisions. The method also includes operating one or more controllable pipeline elements to adjust a temperature, a pressure, a flow rate, or a composition of the gas according to the one or more control decisions.

A method for operating a pipeline system includes obtaining sensor data of a gas in the pipeline system from sensors of a sensing unit. The method also includes performing a real-time and closed loop control scheme using the sensor data and a material model of the gas to determine one or more control decisions. The method also includes operating one or more controllable pipeline elements to adjust a temperature, a pressure, a flow rate, or a composition of the gas according to the one or more control decisions.

This invention relates to an universal thermal actuation imbedded in Hybrid High Integrity Pressure Protection System (H-HIPPS) for critical services in pipelines, refiners, power plants and subsea, the hybrid system includes a quick isolation subsystem between an overpressure zone and a normal pressure zone and a quick releasing subsystem between the overpressure zone and a lower pressure zone with quadruple redundancies, more particularly, the universal thermal actuation subsystem based on thermodynamics has a thermal system (pressure sources, volume vessel like air return reservoir and heat source) and a control chamber and shutter valves, the isolation subsystem system controlled by the actuation system has one normal open valve, the releasing subsystem system controlled by the actuation system has one normal closed valve, the actuation systems can be used for both linear and rotary actuation applications anywhere either remote locations or subsea.