Stability analysis of slug flow control

Abstract

The threat of slugging to production facilities has been known since the 1970s. This undesirable flow phenomenon continues to attract the attention of researchers and operators alike. The most common method for slug mitigation is by choking the valve at the exit of the riser which unfortunately could negatively affect production. The focus, therefore, is to satisfy the need for system stability and to maximize production simultaneously. Active feedback control is a promising way to achieve this. However, due to the complexity of multiphase flow systems, it is a challenge to develop a robust slug control system to achieve the desired performance using existing design tools. In this paper, a new general method for multiphase flow system stability analysis was proposed. Active feedback control was observed to optimize slug attenuation compared with manual choking. The use of soft sensors was believed to be desirable for the practical implementation of the proposed control technique.