Case Study

Hydraulic Modeling Study

Williston Basin

North Dakota

Hydraulic Modeling

Gas & Water Systems

Scope

The client requested hydraulic modeling and simulation of existing gas and water pipeline networks in order to assess wellhead pressures and provide recommendations on infrastructure additions and operational changes to mitigate bottlenecks in the pipeline network.

Challenge

The gas pipeline network was modeled using IHS Piper™ and a combination of VMG Pipe™ and TIBCO Spotfire™ was used for water pipeline network model. Building the hydraulic models required analyzing client provided information such as SHAPE and DEM files, interviewing field personnel, and gathering information from sources such as Google Earth and NDIC (North Dakota Industrial Commissioner). Having to model such a large pipeline network required collaboration with the support engineers and developers from the respective software companies to work through the limitations of their software. The models were built considering the pipe dimensions, compressors/pump stations, topography, and 500+ well connections. The models were calibrated using historic production and compressor/pump data from the field to ensure that the model predicted actual operation. The initial effort of efficiently organizing 500+ well production data proved to be a crucial step to running simulations quickly and providing results and recommendations to the client in a timely manner.

Result

Multiple case studies were completed to provide comprehensive results for several potential production forecasts. The results assisted the client in making strategic Capex and Opex decisions on infrastructure and operations to continue production while minimizing bottlenecks in the pipeline network. Halker Consulting provides continued support in order to adapt to their production forecasts and schedules and ensure consistent performance of the pipeline network.