Team HydraLoop was tasked with designing and building a flow loop for Samoco Oil Tools to test their cementing float equipment. The initial design called for a fully automated high pressure system, but budget constraints required a redesign for a lower pressure manual system. The team verified the piping could withstand low pressure via stress calculations. Components like the mud tank, piping, valves, and flow meter were fabricated and assembled. While pumps were ordered, testing could not be completed before the semester's end due to delays. The project provided valuable hands-on experience, but further work is needed to fully validate the flow loop.
MECT 4276 - Senior Design Project II, Team HydraLoop Final Report
1. Page 1 of 32
MECT4276 – SENIOR
DESIGNPROJECT II
TEAM HYDRALOOP
Samoco Oil Tools is a burgeoning oil tool manufacturer based in Houston, Texas.
The company is interested in the research and development of oil tools with an
emphasis on tools used in cementing operations. In order to limit their
manufacturing overhead cost and reduce lead time for their products, students
were presented with the opportunity to design a flow loop, a testing apparatus
used to simulate flow through various test elements. The flow loop for Samoco
Oil Tools will simulate flow of drilling mud containing two percent (2%) sand at
a pressure of 200 pounds-force per square inch through their cementing float
equipment per specifications outlined in API RP 10F. Originally, the flow loop
was to be a fully automated high pressure system that would allow for back
pressure testing of cementing float equipment. However, due to the downturn of
oil prices, the flow loop has been redesigned to accommodate only low pressure
and is no longer automated to reduce the costs of construction; High pressure
testing will now be completed using an autoclave. Team HydraLoop has
performed verification of the low pressure system via hoop stress calculations
and is currently constructing the flow loop.
3. Page 3 of 32
Introduction
Dear Reader:
Enclosed is the project report compiled by Team HydraLoop for the College of Technology
Mechanical Engineering Technology Capstone Course, Senior Design Project II.
The team, comprised of members Raj Parmer, Edwin Jackson, Nathan Longwell, and Jared
Smith, began the year with scarcely an idea for a design project. After running through two (2)
previous ideas (One for a hubless wheel design using electromagnetic propulsion and another for
the development of an Analog-to-Digital Converter for pressure testing), the senior design
professor, Dr. Medhat El Nahas, arranged for the students to meet with the Chief Operating
Officer of Samoco Oil Tools, Dr. Mike Al Oudat to discuss what would become our design
project: The verification, fabrication, and validation of a flow loop for the testing of cementing
float equipment being developed by Samoco Oil Tools for the oil well drilling industry.
What follows is an account of the project including components, calculations, and steps in
fabrication as well as an analysis of our progress, all with brief commentary concerning our
learning experience at each step. We hope you enjoy following our adventure. Happy Reading!
Sincerely,
Team HydraLoop
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What Is A Flow Loop?
To understand the scope of the project undertaken by Team HydraLoop, one must first have a
working definition of a flow loop. As provided by the Schlumberger Oilfield Glossary:
A [flow loop is a] laboratory instrument for investigating the characteristics of fluid flow in
pipes and for studying the response of production logging instruments to this flow. The fluids are
circulated continuously in a loop, passing through one main measurement section that can be
placed at different deviations from vertical through horizontal. Fluid properties, holdups and
velocities can all be varied. Flow loops are essential for the study of multiphase flow and the
development of new production logging measurements.
That is, a flow loop is a device used to simulate the flow of a multiphase fluid (a fluid comprised
of a combination of solid particulates, liquid, and gas) through various production equipment.
The equipment to be tested is mounted in a dedicated measurements section that is often capable
of being rotated from vertical elevation through the horizontal to assess flow characteristics
through the equipment in varying orientations. The flow loop being constructed by Team
HydraLoop is intended to test the flow of drilling mud through cementing float equipment.
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What Is Cementing Float Equipment?
Cementing float equipment is any equipment used during the cementing operation of oil well
drilling. The primary purpose of cementing float equipment is to prevent cement that has been
pumped into the casing annulus from U-tubing into the casing string. In addition to this function,
cementing float equipment also assists in guiding the casing string down the wellbore and
relieves strain on the casing string by providing buoyancy. Cementing float equipment generally
comes in three (3) varieties, as described by information provided on the Halliburton floating
equipment product web page:
Basic floating equipment includes the float collar and either the guide shoe or float shoe:
The guide shoe runs on the first joint of casing to be run into the hole to help maneuver
the casing past annular irregularities. The guide shoe includes side ports and an open
end to enable fluid circulation for mud conditioning, hole cleaning, and cement
placement.
The float shoe contains a backpressure valve that prevents fluids from entering the casing
while the pipe is lowered into the hole and prevents cement from flowing back into the
casing after placement, while enabling circulation down through the casing.
Float collars are placed one to three joints above the guide shoe or float shoe. They
provide a seat for the cement plugs, the bottom plug pumped ahead of the cement and the
top plug behind the full volume of slurry. Once seated, the top plug shuts off fluid flow
and prevents over-displacement of the cement. The space between the float shoe and the
float collar provides a containment area to entrap the likely-contaminated fluids from the
wiping action of the top cementing plug, securing the contaminated fluid away from the
shoe where a strong cement bond is of primary importance. Float collars include a
backpressure valve and serve basically the same function as the float shoe.
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Project Scope
Samoco Oil Tools is an oil tool manufacturer based in Houston, Texas that intends to perform
research and development on tools for oil well drilling operations with a primary focus on
cementing float equipment. In order for their tools to be cleared for use in the field, each tool
must be tested using a flow loop to validate that it meets design specifications outlined by the
American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice 10F, Performance Testing of
Cementing Float Equipment.
The standard outlines the procedure for the flow testing as well as the specifications for the fluid
to be used during testing. In addition to the testing of flow, the standard also outlines
requirements for backpressure testing. In short, cementing float equipment must be tested using
drilling mud solution with two percent (2%) sand content at pressure up to 5,000 pounds-force
per square inch and temperature up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Samoco Oil Tools Chief Operating Officer Dr. Mike Al Oudat presented Team HydraLoop with
the opportunity to assist in the verification, fabrication, and validation of a flow loop to be hosted
at their facility and used to test their cementing float equipment. The flow loop was to be state of
the art and capable of attaining the maximum pressure of 5,000 pounds-force per square inch
required during backpressure testing as outlined in the API standard. It would accomplish this
by being comprised of a low pressure piping section for flow testing and a high pressure piping
section for the backpressure testing.
However, due to the downturn in the price of oil, the company had to reduce their budget for this
project to reflect the reality of the industry. To this end, Team HydraLoop was directed to
redesign the flow loop to eliminate all high pressure components while allowing for those
components to be added at a later date via retrofitting after such time as the price of oil has
rebounded. The flow loop would now only support pressures between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds-
force per square inch at temperatures between 120 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Initial Design
The initial flow loop design required two (2) piping sections, one (1) for low pressure flow
testing and another for high pressure backpressure testing. To accomplish this, the system
required a high pressure piping section to be mounted on a panel that would feed drilling mud
via high pressure flex lines through high pressure valves mounted on either side of the
measurements section. The flow loop also required the installation of two (2) pumps, one (1) for
low pressure flow and the other for high pressure flow. Furthermore, the entire system was to
incorporate automated, pneumatically actuated valves to be controlled by operators from a
control room to ensure their safety during the high pressure testing. This all needed to be
changed once oil prices fell during the summer and the budget was constrained. The initial
design can be seen in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Initial Flow Loop Design
11. Page 11 of 32
Final Design
Samoco Oil Tools would now only be conducting flow testing for their cementing float
equipment using the flow loop; backpressure testing would now be accomplished using a
separate autoclave. In order to decrease the cost of the project, Team HydraLoop was directed to
redesign the flow loop. All high pressure components were to be eliminated and all valves were
to be manually actuated. The six (6) high pressure 1” NPT Full Port Ball Valves were eliminated
along with the high pressure pump. All other flow loop components remained with only the
method of actuation being changed for the valves. Further, because the flow loop would not be
operating at high pressure, it no longer needed to be housed adjacent a control room at the
Samoco Oil Tools facility. It would instead be housed directly adjacent the bay doors to allow
easy delivery of drilling mud when ordered; the flow loop could be easily moved to the location
adjacent the control room at a later date via the use of a fork lift.
Figure 2: Redesigned Piping System
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Verification
For verification of the piping system at low pressure, Team HydraLoop performed a hoop stress
calculation to determine whether or not the piping system would fail. The success or failure of a
pipe is determined by comparing the hoop stress to the maximum principal stress as it coincides
with the yield stress of the material. Should the hoop stress exceed the maximum principal
stress, the pipe would fail. It was found via finite element analysis that the maximum principal
stress would not exceed the hoop stress for the piping system.
Figure 3: Hoop Stress Calculations for Piping
13. Page 13 of 32
Figure 4: Maximum Principal Stresses on Pipe using Finite Element Analysis
15. Page 15 of 32
Components
Piping
To assemble the piping system, components were first laid out according to the drawings. Once
the layout of these parts was verified, Team HydraLoop began applying tack welds to join the
flanges with their respective piping section. The angled section of the piping system seen at the
far right of the figure below was not joined to the other piping until after construction of the mud
tank, frame, and piping stands were complete as it was critical the free end of the angled section
aligned with the free end of the lower horizontal section at the far left. This was done to ensure
proper installation of the measurements section at a later date. Furthermore, welding is to be
completed by a licensed professional welder to ensure there are no leaks in the piping system due
to poor welds.
Figure 5: Piping mounted on Piping Supports
16. Page 16 of 32
Mud Tank
The mud tank, which will be used to hold the drilling mud during operation of the flow loop,
proved difficult to fabricate due to the heaviness of the steel plates. Team HydraLoop had to
develop a method to ensure the end plates remained upright so that the horizontal guide plate
could be tack welded to them before the application of angle iron to ensure the three (3) pieces
remained stable while attaching the angled guide plates: This was done by placing each end plate
against the wall and holding it in place while it was tack welded. A forklift was used to raise the
side plates before they were finally tack welded into position; Clamps and a ratchet cable were
used to prevent the end plates from bowing out during attachment of the side plates. Once the
mud tank was completed, the skid supports were built around it.
Figure 6: Mud Tank with Skid Supports
Figure 7: Flow Loop Skid
Figure 8: Piping Support
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Figure 10: Completed Flow Loop Skid with Piping Supports
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Pumps
The pumps will be used to circulate drilling mud from the mud tank throughout the flow loop
during operation. Because the pumps were the most expensive items in the system, it took quite
some time to receive approval for purchase. This in turn meant that testing of the flow loop
would not be completed before the end of the semester. As the flow loop will only be used for
low pressure applications until a later date, no high pressure pump was ordered. The low
pressure pump is an 8x6x14 Centrifugal Pump with a Soft Starter. The soft starter is a variable
frequency drive that gradually increases the speed of the shaft when the pump is engaged. This
extends the life of the pump by preventing hard starts and stops of the shaft that would lead to
mechanical failure of the shaft within a little as a few months of operation.
20. Page 20 of 32
Valves
The valves are manually actuated butterfly valves and ball valves with a pressure rating of 150
lbf. The valves primarily serve to direct the flow of the drilling mud. By opening and closing
particular sets of valves within the system, the drilling mud can be flowed in two (2) directions
with reference to the measurements section. This will allow Samoco to test for the flow through
their cementing float equipment in the forward direction to ensure cement could be flowed
through the equipment during cementing operations and in the reverse direction to ensure cement
does not U-tubing back into the casing string. Butterfly valves can be seen below; they are
colored blue.
Figure 11: Butterfly Valves
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Flanges
All flanges were 150 lbf rated ASME B16.5 Weld Neck Flanges of nominal pipe sizes ranging
from two inches (2”) to eight inches (8”). To ensure the flanges would be welding well to their
respective piping sections, the pipes were beveled after cutting via drop saw. This would also
ensure a low likelihood of leakage at the welds during operation.
Figure 12: Flanges
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Flow Meter
One (1) electromagnetic flowmeter was installed to measure the flow rate of the drilling mud
during operation of the flow loop. An electromagnetic flow meter was selected as drilling mud
contains particulates like sand and is the best at accurately measuring the flow rate of multiphase
fluids. The flow meter will be placed just after the pipe length leading from the mud tank outlet,
measuring fluid flow entering the flow loop.
23. Page 23 of 32
Project Management
Cost Analysis
Below is the cost analysis of the project as of the end of the Fall 2015 Semester. Several
thousand dollars were saved by purchasing manual valves from an industrial wholesaler,
Industrial Surplus Incorporated, and by eliminating all high pressure components.
Table 1: Cost Analysis
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Risk Matrix
The two (2) most critical risks to completing this project were safety and logistics. Even with
proper personal protection equipment (PPE), crushing injuries remained a danger as many
components of the system were heavy, such as the steel plate for the mud tank and the C-
channels and I-beams for the flow loop skid. As such, care was taken when lifting and moving
these components via fork lift.
Logistics presented an issue as ordering the parts via Samoco, or their sister company PISC, took
some time as several quotes were required before a purchase order could be issued to obtain
them. Further compounding this issue were lead times with suppliers which often delayed the
start of work until parts arrived on site.
1. Safety
2. Logistics
3. Group Attendance
4. Proper Quality Assurance & Control Procedures
5. Failure to meet standards
Consequences
Likelihood Negligible Minor Moderate Major Catostrophic
Very High 1
High
Medium 3 2
Low 4,5
Very Low
Table 2: Risk Matrix
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Work Breakdown Structure
The work breakdown structure shows the major components of the project as well as their
progress. Due to the delay in the delivery of the pumps to Samoco’s facility, testing could not be
completed.
Figure 13: Work Breakdown Structure
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Gantt Chart
Below is the Gantt Chart for the project used primarily to plan and track our progress. Upon
examination, one can see Team HydraLoop came incredibly close to 100% completion. The
only issues preventing completion were the lack of a completed piping system and the lack of a
pump to test the flow loop. This was due to the lack of a licensed professional welder being
made available to complete welding of the piping system and the delay in the issuing of a
purchase order for the pump.
Figure 14: Gantt Chart
27. Page 27 of 32
Future Work
In order for the flow loop to enter production, Samoco will have to have a licensed professional
welder complete the welding operations and finally, install the low pressure pump before testing
the system for leaks. In addition, some of the piping elements may have to be re-ordered as
some minor errors were made with a section of pipe that would be connected to the mud tank by
a welder who later left the company. Once complete, Samoco will be one (1) of only three (3)
facilities in the Houston area with an operational flow loop.
30. Page 30 of 32
Special Thanks
Dr. Mike Al Oudat – Chief Operating Officer, Samoco Oil Tools
MJ Hallail – President and Chief Executive Officer, Procurement & Integrated Services
Company (PISC) International and Samoco Oil Tools
Miguel Ramirez – Engineering Manager, Samoco Oil Tools
Robert Dunn – Samoco Oil Tools
Alex Balsamo – Procurement & Integrated Services Company (PISC) International
31. Page 31 of 32
Team HydraLoop
Team HydraLoop Pictured
From Left to Right: Raj Parmer, Jared Smith, Nathan Longwell, and Edwin Jackson
