Dynamic Simulation of an Oil and Gas Plant Using Aspen-HYSYS®: A Real Start-Up Process

In the extraction and purification of crude oil, natural gas obtained at high pressure is sent through turbines. The fuel in the turbines is then combusted, and the power generated feeds further processes. However, to prevent the formation of liquid droplets and turbine erosion due to sudden gas expansion, the gas pressure must be reduced by a conditioning unit. Hence, use of simulation to analyze the process behavior under real operating conditions has become very important. In this work, an unpublished rigorous dynamic simulation of a complete oil and gas offshore plant using Aspen HYSYS (R) is presented. The process involves two major stages: a gas conditioning unit and a set of turbines. Moreover, different pieces of equipment, e.g., vessels, heat exchangers, compressors, and turbines, are carefully designed according to a real process parameter and validated based on literature specifications. Finally, to validate the accuracy of the simulation, the composition of the main flows, turbine net work, and operating temperatures and pressures for both stages of the process are compared with actual data.