Numerical Simulation Software for Oil Sand Slurry Flow in Flexible Pipelines

Abstract

In order to optimize the hydraulic transportation system efficiency and cost in the surface extraction of Athabasca oil sand deposits in Canada, there is a desire to extend the hydraulic transport system to production faces in oil sands mines using mobile train of Flex-Rite-based flexible pipelines. Hydraulic transportation system based on flexible-pipe arrangement has been shown to be more competitive than the dump-truck transportation system. This flexible arrangement introduces a unique set of hydraulic transport problems which needs rigorous modeling, experimentation, and analysis to understand the system production capacities and efficiency. Part of the work presented here is an attempt to provide multiphase oil sand slurry simulation and modeling by developing a slurry flow simulator, a graphical user interface-based software, for Flex-Rite flexible-pipe train, a form of hydraulic transportation system. Such software provides a tool/platform for rigorous experimentation and analysis of flow and production capacities.

Department(s)

Mining Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Graphical User Interface; Java Programming; Numerical Simulator; Slurry Flow; Transient; Unsteady-State Flow

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0733-9402

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2010 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jun 2010

Link to Full Text

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