Ministry of Science and Education Republic of Azerbaijan
Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics

New technological innovations of Azerbaijani scientists tested at the White Tiger oil field (Vietsovpetro) of the Vietnam Socialist Republic


Technological methods and innovations developed by “Fluid mechanics” Department of Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics of Azerbaijan NAS have been for many years the subject of interest of oil companies. Numerous methods and technologies created in the department, have found their application on the oil fields of Azerbaijan (SOCAR – Neft Dashları, 28 May, N. Narimanov, Gum Adası, Absheronneft, Binagadi, Garasu); China (GCC, Sinopec, Petrochina, COSL – Yanjiao, Jidong, Bohai Bay, Junyan oil fields); USA – (GTT, Mexico Gulf, Oklahoma oil fields), Russian Federation (LUKOIL, Surgutneftegaz, Gazpromneft – Permneft, Langepas, Kogalım, Uray, Samotlor, Novo-Pokursk, Fyedorovsk, Lantor, Polazna) and etc.

An illustrative example of such cooperation is the testing of a new method of cleaning gas pipelines from accumulations of water, condensate and mechanical impurities developed by scientists of the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences under the leadership of corresponding member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, professor Geylani Panahov.

Maintenance of offshore gas pipelines is one of the more complex and important aspects of the technological process of reservoir development. The maintenance of stable gas pipeline operation takes on a special urgency in critical conditions of subsea installation of gas pipelines, risers, high corrosive activity of medium and transported product, reduction of pipeline throughput capacity due to accumulation of liquid in the tube’s cavity.

The method was applied in cooperation with representatives of PV-Chem Company (“PetroVietnam”) on a 1500 m long section of gas pipeline between offshore platforms MSP-7 and MSP-5 during a scientific trip of Azerbaijani scientists to Vungtau (Vietnam), a twin-city of Baku.

The complicating factors of gas-pipeline cleaning under offshore oil and gas production are the absence of special launching chambers for traditional mechanical cleaning pigs, complicated geometry of the gas pipeline route, long (70 m long) risers on the platforms.

The innovative method suggested by Azerbaijani scientists is based on launching into the gas pipeline of a specially designed polymer gel composition allowing for the shortest possible time to form a stable viscoelastic pig which, running in the pipeline, forces out the accumulated liquid into the collection and separation system on the offshore platform.

Discussions at Vietsovpetro with Dr. Alexey Ivanov, deputy director of Vietsovpetro, and an exchange of views at Vietsovpetro’s production and engineering department, with the participation of department manager Le Dan Tam and PV-Chem representatives Nguyen Van Ngo and Kieu Trung, led to a plan for subsequent field tests.

After carrying out preliminary adaptation tests at the base of PV-Chem company, the method was successfully tested in July 8 – 13, 2022 with participation of IMM scientists – professor Geylani Panahov, associate professor Eldar Abbasov and representatives of PV-Chem company Vu Van Duc, Pham Ngoc Tu и Dung.

Under the cleaning operation about 8 m3 of water and condensate under pressure of 5 atm were displaced from the pipe and the gel pig launched on the MSP-7 platform was successfully accepted in the receiving chamber on the MSP-5 platform.

The results of the tests are a good basis for applying the new developments of Azerbaijani scientists in the oil and gas industry of Vietnam. A number of methods in the field of oil wells “killing” under conditions of abnormally low reservoir pressure, creation of screen-isolator at downhole workover operations, methods of isolation of high-permeability reservoirs are proposed by researchers from Baku as a basis for further cooperation.

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