Esmaeil Jahanshahi

Control solutions for eliminating severe riser-induced slugs in offshore oil & gas pipeline installations are key topics in offshore Exploration and Production (E&P) processes. This study describes the identification, analysis and control of a low-dimensional control-oriented model of a lab-scaled slug testing facility. The model is analyzed and used for anti-slug control development for both lowpoint and topside transmitter solutions. For the controlled variables’ comparison it is concluded that the topside pressure transmitter ( $P_t$ ) is the most difficult output to apply directly for anti-slug control due to the inverse response. However, as $P_t$ often is the only accessible measurement on offshore platforms this study focuses on the controller development for both $P_t$ and the lowpoint pressure transmitter ( $P_b$ ). All the control solutions are based on linear control schemes and the performance of the controllers are evaluated from simulations with both the non-linear MATLAB and OLGA models. Furthermore, the controllers are studied with input disturbances and parametric variations to evaluate their robustness. For both pressure transmitters the $H_{\infty }$ loop-shaping controller gives the best performance as it is relatively robust to disturbances and has a fast convergence rate. However, $P_t$ does not increase the closed-loop bifurcation point significantly and is also sensitive to disturbances. Thus the study concludes that the best option for single-input-single-output (SISO) systems is to control $P_b$ with a $H_{\infty }$ loop-shaping controller. It is suggested that for cases where only topside transmitters are available a cascaded combination of the outlet mass flow and $P_t$ could be considered to improve the performance.