Determining thermal conditions in a pipeline
Techniques for determining a thermal condition of a pipeline include identifying a pipeline that carries a first fluid at a first temperature that includes a tubular conduit that includes a bore that carries the first fluid, and a layer of insulation installed over the tubular conduit; circulating a second fluid at a second temperature from a bypass conduit that is fluidly coupled to the tubular conduit through the layer of insulation into the bore; based on circulating the second fluid into the bore, detecting a thermal gradient between the first fluid carried in the bore and the tubular conduit or the layer of insulation at a particular location of the pipeline; and based on the detected thermal gradient, determining a presence of at least one of water or water vapor between the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline.
1 . A system, comprising:
a pipeline that carries a first fluid at a first temperature, the pipeline comprising a tubular conduit that comprises a bore that carries the first fluid, and a layer of insulation installed over an exterior surface of the tubular conduit;
a bypass conduit that is external to the layer of insulation and is fluidly coupled to a source of a second fluid and to the tubular conduit, through the layer of insulation, and into the bore, the bypass conduit configured to circulate the second fluid at a second temperature different than the first temperature into the bore to mix with the first fluid, the second fluid separate from the first fluid and comprising a composition substantially similar to the first fluid in the bore; and
a thermal image detector configured to detect a thermal gradient, due to mixing of the first and second fluids, between the first fluid carried in the bore and at least one of the tubular conduit or the layer of insulation at a particular location of the pipeline to indicate a presence of at least one of water or water vapor between the exterior surface of the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline;
at least one pump in fluid communication with the bypass conduit and configured to forcibly circulate the second fluid through the bypass conduit and into the bore; and
a control system configured to perform operations comprising:
in response to the second fluid forcibly circulated through the bypass conduit and into the bore by the pump, determining that the detected thermal gradient exceeds a threshold value.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second fluids comprise a hydrocarbon fluid.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the hydrocarbon fluid comprises natural gas liquid.
4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the hydrocarbon fluid comprises liquid petroleum gas.
5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the thermal image detector comprises an infrared (IR) camera configured to generate a graphical representation of the thermal gradient, and the control system is communicably coupled to the thermal image detector and configured to perform operations comprising:
based on the determination that the thermal gradient exceeds the threshold value, determining the indication of the presence of the at least one of water or water vapor between the exterior surface of the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline; and
determining the particular location of the pipeline from the presence of the at least one of water or water vapor.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the control system is configured to perform operations comprising generating an alert presentable on a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the particular location of the pipeline.
7 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the tubular conduit comprises a metallic tubular conduit, and the presence of at least one of water or water vapor between the exterior surface of the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline indicates a location of potential corrosion under insulation (CUI) in the metallic tubular conduit at the particular location of the pipeline.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the first temperature is between:
−4° C. and 175° C.; or
120° C. and 350° C.
9 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the first temperature is between:
−4° C. and 175° C.; or
120° C. and 350° C.
10 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one pump is positioned in the bypass conduit.
11 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one pump is in fluid communication with the source of the second fluid.
12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is at least 0.4° C.
13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the pipeline further comprises a cladding installed over an exterior surface of the layer of insulation, and the thermal image detector is configured to detect a thermal gradient between the first fluid carried in the bore and the cladding at the particular location of the pipeline.
14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the cladding comprises galvanized steel or aluminum.
15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal image detector comprises an infrared (IR) camera configured to generate a graphical representation of the thermal gradient.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the control system is communicably coupled to the thermal image detector and configured to perform operations comprising:
based on the determination that the detected thermal gradient exceeds the threshold value, determining the indication of the presence of the at least one of water or water vapor between the exterior surface of the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline; and
determining the particular location of the pipeline from the presence of the at least one of water or water vapor.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the control system is configured to perform operations further comprising:
generating an alert presentable on a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the particular location of the pipeline.
18 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the tubular conduit comprises a metallic tubular conduit.
19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the presence of at least one of water or water vapor between the exterior surface of the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline indicates a location of potential corrosion under insulation (CUI) in the metallic tubular conduit at the particular location of the pipeline.
20 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first temperature is between:
−4° C. and 175° C.; or
120° C. and 350° C.
21 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one pump is positioned in the bypass conduit.
22 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one pump is in fluid communication with the source of the second fluid.