Numerical simulation of oil and gas blowout from seabed in deepwater

Abstract

To simulate oil and gas blowouts from seabed in deep water, we developed two numerical models based on conventional plume and Lagrangian approaches. The simulations were carried out for the Deepspill experiment at the Norwegian Sea, and the two test cases of oil and gas discharges were considered. It was shown that the simple oil-trackingmodel only with Lagrangian particle tracking could predict the field experiment if the size distribution of oil droplet at the inlet nozzle remains steady during the rising process. Themethane gas spill behavior was solved with the hybrid plume/Lagrangian model, and the methane hydrate model was considered in both the near and far fields. Compared with the non-hydration simulation, it was found that the methane hydration has a significant effect on the fate of spilled methane. Furthermore, the parameter determining growth rate in the methane hydrate model plays an important role in obtaining accurate numerical predictions.