Welcome to the peer-reviewed papers section of Oil and Gas Facilities. With this issue, I have taken over the role of peer-review editor from Jim Collins, who held this position since May 2010. I want to thank Jim for his efforts as editor. An indication of his involvement over the years was the A Peer Apart honor that he received during the 2013 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in October. The award recognizes the dedicated individuals who have been involved in the peer review of 100 or more technical papers, and Jim is now one of the 123 SPE members to have received the award.
This section of the magazine could not exist without the active involvement of the technical editors who give generously of their time to review the submitted papers. Every year, SPE recognizes those who have made exceptional efforts to ensure the technical excellence of the peer-reviewed papers. Umit Cicekli (AMEC), Richard Faulkner (Mack Energy), and Martin Kempf (CD-adapco) were recognized for their work with this magazine.
The work of the technical editors is coordinated by three associate editors: Williams Chirinos (Inexertus), Galen Dino (AMEC Oil and Gas Americas), and Sudhakar Mahajanam (ConocoPhillips). I thank them for their ongoing efforts to get papers reviewed.
This issue features four papers, three of which deal with flowline- and pipeline-related issues. The first paper discusses multiphase fluid-hammer effects in flowlines, quantifying the extent and duration of the transient shock in pressure and flow rate. It also proposes the best location for the shut-in valve and the length of flowline needed to reduce the fluid-hammer effects.
The second paper addresses paraffin deposition in hydrocarbon pipelines and suggests effective mitigation methods, while the third paper describes the strategy developed and implemented on deepwater pipeline intervention and is based on deepwater operational experience built over a decade. The paper also presents experiences in dealing with integrity issues and how to move forward in existing operations while preparing for future developments.
The fourth paper deals with the use of the ALARP (as low as reasonably possible) principle for evaluating environmental risks and impacts of produced water discharged to the sea.
I invite you to submit a discussion whenever you feel that the content of a paper warrants further debate. Similarly, I encourage you to submit papers on the projects, systems, and technologies of oil and gas facilities.
Finally, I hope that you will review these papers and find them as interesting as I did when selecting them for this issue of Oil and Gas Facilities.
Associate Editors
Williams Chirinos, Inexertus
Galen Dino, AMEC Oil and Gas Americas
Sudhakar Mahajanam, ConocoPhillips
