Optimizing control parameters for crude pipeline preheating through numerical simulation

A mathematical model is proposed to study the heat transfer and flow of a buried hot oil pipeline in operation. Governing equations for thermal analyses are derived based on certain reasonable assumptions and solved by combining the finite volume method with the finite difference method. Our simulation for the preheating operation of the crude pipeline in Niger indicates that there is a good agreement between numerical simulations and field measurement. Our study thus answers four questions about the optimization of parameters for controlling the preheating process and reveals the general rules for their optimization.