Systems and Methods For Inductive Subsea Hydrocarbon Pipeline Heating For Pipeline Remediation

Abstract

Systems and methods for inductively heating a subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. These systems and methods may include the use of a mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly to remediate the formation of an obstruction within the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. The mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly may include a mobile subsea conveyance, which may be configured to traverse a selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, and an inductive heating element, which may be configured to inductively heat an inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline.

1 . A mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly, comprising:
 a mobile subsea conveyance configured to traverse a selected portion of a subsea hydrocarbon pipeline; and   an inductive heating element that is operatively attached to the mobile subsea conveyance and configured to inductively heat an inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline.   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of any of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile subsea conveyance includes a remotely operated vehicle. 
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile subsea conveyance includes a propulsion mechanism. 
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes a sub-portion of the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes less than 3 meters of a length of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes at least 10% of a length of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the length of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline is at least 1 km. 
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline is determined based upon a variable associated with the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the variable associated with the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes at least one of a temperature and a pressure associated with the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline is determined based at least in part upon a model of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, wherein the model is configured to predict the formation of an obstruction within an obstructed portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, and further wherein the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes the obstructed portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly is configured to inductively heat the inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline to melt an obstruction present within the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, wherein the obstruction includes at least one of a wax, a hydrate, an asphaltene, and scale. 
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly is configured to inductively heat the inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline without at least one of physical, mechanical, electrical, and thermal contact between the inductive heating element and the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline is configured to provide a fluid conduit for a flow of a fluid stream therethrough, and further wherein the mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly is configured to inductively heat the inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline while the fluid stream is flowing through the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes a metallic conduit and an external coating, and further wherein the external coating includes at least one of thermal insulation, electrical insulation, and a corrosion-resistant coating. 
     
     
         15 . A mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly, comprising:
 means for inductively heating an inductively coupled portion of a subsea hydrocarbon pipeline; and   means for moving the means for inductively heating along a selected portion of a length of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline.   
     
     
         16 . A method of removing an obstruction from a subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, the method comprising:
 inductively heating an inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline with a mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein prior to the inductively heating, the method includes moving the mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly into inductive communication with the inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the moving includes moving the mobile subsea hydrocarbon pipeline heating assembly from inductive communication with a previously inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline and into inductive communication with a subsequently inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the method further includes traversing at least a selected portion of a length of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, and the inductively heating includes inductively heating the selected portion of the length of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes an external coating and the inductively heating includes inductively heating through the external coating without damage to the external coating. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the external coating includes at least one of thermal insulation, electrical insulation, and a corrosion-resistant coating. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the inductively heating includes inductively heating without at least one of physical, mechanical, electrical, and thermal contact between an inductive heating element configured to provide the inductive heating and the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the method further includes determining a selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline to be inductively heated, wherein the inductively coupled portion forms a subset of the selected portion. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the determining includes determining based at least in part on a variable associated with the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, and further wherein the variable associated with the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes at least one of a temperature and a pressure associated with the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the determining includes determining based at least in part on a model of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, wherein the method includes predicting the formation of an obstruction within an obstructed portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline using the model, and further wherein the selected portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes the obstructed portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the method further includes transferring thermal energy from the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline to the obstruction, wherein the transferring includes melting at least a portion of the obstruction. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline is configured to provide a fluid conduit for a flow of a fluid stream therethrough, and further wherein the method includes flowing the fluid stream through the fluid conduit concurrently with the inductively heating. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the inductively coupled portion of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline includes less than 3 meters of a length of the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the method further includes injecting an obstruction-dissolving compound into the subsea hydrocarbon pipeline, wherein the obstruction-dissolving compound includes at least one of methanol, ethylene glycol, a kinetic inhibitor, and an anti-agglomerate.