Determination of boundary temperature and intelligent control scheme for heavy oil field gathering and transportation system

Heavy oil gathering and transportation system is increasingly attention and the realization of intelligent control has become the oilfield development direction and trend in the future. In this paper, boundary temperature is defined as safe inlet temperature and optimal oil transportation temperature. The intelligent supervisory control and data acquisition system was used to collect the production data of an oilfield in Western China in real-time. The heavy oil transportation pipeline was divided into 9 types through big data analysis. The safe inlet temperature under different conditions was determined by flow loop experiments. Then the total heat transfer coefficient was corrected by the least square method, and the optimal oil transportation temperature was calculated by the mathematical model. The results indicated that the relationship of the temperature drop along the pipeline could be more accurately predicted by the modified total heat transfer coefficient. Heavy oil field gathering and transportation system had low-temperature transportation potential in summer and winter. Liquid production, water cut, and the ambient temperature had a significant effect on the temperature gradient and safe inlet temperature. The heavy oil with high liquid production and high water cut had the greatest potential for low-temperature transportation. An oilfield intelligent control and management scheme is proposed to effectively guide heavy oil production. This study is of great significance to guide the optimization of operation parameters of heavy oil field gathering and transportation system, realize energy saving and consumption reduction, and ensure the efficient and stable operation of the pipeline.