We provide specialised flow assurance services, working alongside other disciplines to ensure a fully integrated approach to systems engineering. Our flow assurance experts bring extensive experience across the full project lifecycle, using tools like PIPESIM, OLGA, Multiflash and PVTSIM to generate insights tailored to each project phase. With a mindset of ‘starting with the end in mind,’ we assess how different concepts will operate to meet production requirements, regardless of the project stage.
Managing Flow Assurance Risks for CCUS: Our team designs technical solutions that ensure smooth Oil & Gas transport from the reservoir to the point of sale, avoiding blockages and production losses. In the early stages of project planning, we identify flow assurance risks—such as hydrate formation, wax or scale deposition, sand deposition and asphaltenes—and assess their impact on system design. For CO2 flow assurance, particularly in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) projects, we address unique challenges like CO2 phase behaviour, pressure and temperature control, and the risk of hydrate formation in pipelines. We develop tailored strategies to manage these risks while optimising pipeline sizing and insulation, heating, or chemical injection to ensure safe and efficient transport.
Developing Robust Flow Assurance Strategies: As the project progresses, io focuses on developing detailed flow assurance management strategies that define how to address risks during operations. For example, a hydrate management strategy might prevent hydrate formation with insulation during normal operations, using electrical heating during shutdowns or restarts, and depressurisation as a secondary option. In CCUS projects, we simulate CO2 transport under various operating conditions, ensuring that flow assurance strategies are viable and maintain safe CO2 injection and storage.
Flow Assurance Solutions from Concept to Operation: During early project phases like Feasibility and Concept Selection, we use steady-state simulations to support cost estimation and evaluate different concepts for delivering hydrocarbons or CO2. We assess pipeline sizing, insulation, and the need for artificial lift, while managing risks such as hydrates, wax, and CO2-specific flow assurance challenges. As the project moves into FEED, we shift to transient simulations, focusing on key operational conditions like turndown, shutdown, cooldown, restart, and depressurisation. Our team has extensive experience in supporting commissioning, decommissioning, and designing specialist systems such as HIPPS and hydraulic submersible pumps, ensuring reliable performance throughout the asset’s life.
At io, our flow assurance expertise ensures that systems are designed and operated efficiently, whether managing hydrocarbon flows or addressing the complexities of CO2 transport in CCS projects.