Pipeline simulation and hydraulic modelling of Ethylene is one of the most challenging tasks in the pipeline industry. The difficulty is that Ethylene properties can change significantly due to changes in temperature and pressure.
Atmos SIM has a built-in equation of state (EOS) for ethylene, based on experimental measurements over an extensive range of pressure and temperature conditions (high pressure, low pressure, and super-critical). These experimental values are split into several regions, each with a custom fitting equation valid in that region. There are no user configurable parameters for the Ethylene EOS, removing any opportunities for user-instigated errors in configuration. Once the ethylene EOS is selected, the built-in viscosity equation for ethylene is automatically selected.
Atmos SIM has been applied to operational ethylene pipelines between 10 km and 450 km in length. Accurate results have been achieved with a difference of 0.1 bar between simulated and measured pressure.
Posted: 17 Oct, 2011