Pipelines - WellSpring

Pipelines

To add a pipeline to your network, select a source well or facility by clicking on it. On the right hand side of the screen, press the small "add" button to add a pipeline to that asset. When you press the "Add" button, the pipeline will initially be dangling (it is actually flowing to the Scenario), so you then use the drop down box just below the “add” button to select where the pipeline flows to to complete the connection. Note: If you have not named your new facility, it will still be listed as "New Facility".

You can add more than one pipeline, and specify which products go down each line, or specify one product and set the last pipeline to use “remaining” as the product. You can specify maximum flow rates, and pipeline dimensions (pressure model).

See Product Flow in Pipelines for more detail.

Pipelines can also be added in the "Pipeline" dialog accessible from the Data tab, the Data menu, or the Network Tab. A pipeline can be assigned a start and end date so that the construction of the network can be changed over time.

Selecting Pipelines from the network menu, provides a detailed data entry screen as below

Effective Date

On this screen the effective date of the pipeline can be added (start and end date). These dates are used to model future pipelines that will be constructed. The dates can be either Absolute, or they can move with the upstream project. Typically they will be absolute dates. WellSpring displays future pipelines with a dotted line.

Note: An asset with a future pipeline will still "flow" to the scenario by default. If you have a future pipeline, you must also put an initial constraint of zero to ensure that the asset does not flow prior to the pipeline connection. See Constraints for more information on constraints.

Product Stream

The product stream specifies which products are sent down this pipeline. To add multiple products, use multiple pipelines. You can also set it up to flow oil down one pipeline, and everything else down another pipeline using the "REMAIN" function.

Flows to Target

This is used to connect the upstream asset to the downstream asset. Select the upstream facility, then flow the pipeline to the downstream facility.

Maximum Daily Rate - not recommended

The allowable capacity of the pipeline can be specified here. Constraints can also be put in at the facility level via the "Constraints" menu item. Putting a maximum flowrate of 20,000 mcf/day will curtail any production above that until the limit is reached.

Note: We recommend that any constraints be entered via facilities. See Constraints for more information on entering constraints for facilities. If you have a constraint on a pipeline, simply create a faclity to represent that pipeline.

Priority

Where there is more than one flow path for a stream, pipeline priorities can be established. 1 is the highest priority, while 10 is the lowest. There are 10 levels only to provide enough resolution to prioritize should you have many pipelines. For example, consider a flow of 150 mmcf/day through a plant that has two sales points. Pipeline A produces to a contract of 100 mmcf/day, and Pipeline B flows to a spot market, then setting pipeline A's priority to 1, and B's to 2 would result in a flow of 100 mmcf/day to A, with 50 mmcf/day to B.

Refer to Gas Contract Modelling for a discussion on how to model gas contracts in WellSpring.