Is the flowrate known or do you want to calculate the flow distribution in a network?Īll of these questions need to be answered even before opening the simulator.The other important consideration is related to the complexity of the pipe network. Pure components, as well as pseudo components (using Oil Manager), are available in HYSYS for this purpose. to have an appropriate prediction of phase equilibrium due to changes in pressure and temperature.to have an acceptable prediction of physical properties that affect pressure drop (density, viscosity, among others), and.Characterize FluidsĪs with any simulation model, the fluids must be accurately characterized for two main reasons: Finally, when expanding an existing pipe system, it may involve a combination of scenarios, i.e., evaluating the existing system (rating) and sizing the expanded section (design). Rating may target network troubleshooting to solve possible deliverability issues (bottlenecks). Alternatively, during rating, the pipe sizes are known, and the ultimate goal is to determine whether or not the system will be capable to deliver the expected flow. Design corresponds to a case when flow and pressure are known (boundary conditions) and through the application of good engineering practices, the size of every pipe branch is calculated to meet the requirements. There are two major scenarios to consider: design and rating.
I don’t promise that this article will be a panacea for piping network modelling, however, I intend to cover the critical steps that you, as a simulation engineer, need to go through in order to successfully model your piping network and get the best possible answer.Īn essential aspect when modelling piping networks is to clearly define the goals. As a process simulation engineer, you don’t want to build a model for an incompressible single-phase fluid in a straight pipe using a complex multiphase correlation, or even worse, to build a highly simplified model that will give you an answer so far from the real behaviour that it is useless. Modelling piping networks can be a challenging engineering task and sometimes a mixture of science and art, especially because there are many factors to take into consideration before starting to build a model.