Abstract
Some oilfields in China encounter operating problems on water injection pipeline networks. Due to the unreasonable planning of the pipeline, water cannot be transported to the end of the pipeline and injected into the wells. Also, a large amount of water is repeated transported. This paper aims to deal with the above issues by proposing a method of using pipeline pumps to pressurise the water injection pipeline network, which can improve the water supply capacity of the pipeline network, and reduce the energy consumption of water injection. The pipeline pump has the characteristics of convenient installation, compact structure, and wide application range. To effectively utilise the pipeline pump in the water injection network, a pipeline pump boosting optimisation model is developed, taking the lowest cost of the pump and operating energy consumption of the water injection system as the objective function, and considering the constraints of water injection, pipeline network hydraulics and pump operation. An oilfield in China is studied as an example, the results show that the proposed model can optimise the pump installation position and operations. The operating cost was reduced by 184 k CNY, and the total annual cost was saved by 154 k CNY. The maximum water injection increment can reach 4,700 m3/d, which improves the water supply capacity of the water injection pipe network, and the needs of oilfield water injection planning can be satisfied.
