Topside Pipeline Design for Slug Attenuation and Increased Oil Production

In oil and gas production system, slugging is frequently encountered when gas-liquid mixtures are transported through a common pipeline-riser system. This phenomenon usually manifests in significant fluctuation of flow and pressure which can impact the production system negatively. Topside choking is usually employed as a mitigation technique but with its attendant reduction in production capacity. The objective of this study therefore is to investigate the optimisation of topside pipeline diameter and choking for effective slug attenuation and optimised oil production. In this paper, a new method for slug flow attenuation has been proposed. The potential of using effective topside pipeline- diameter design for slug flow attenuation was theoretically shown. Numerical studies were also done to show that the concept can indeed be adapted for effective slug attenuation using an industrial software. Experimental studies were conducted in a 4” pipeline -riser system to validate the numerical and theoretical studies. The results showed that the optimised design of topside pipe diameter has potential for slug flow attenuation at larger valve opening which effectively translates to lower pressure and increased oil production. For the case studied, up to 49% reduction in the pressure drop across the topside choke valve was reported which practically implied increased flow capacity. An optimum volume which satisfied size, system stability and production constraints was obtained

Experimental Investigation of Hydrodynamic Slug Flow in Pipeline-Riser Systems

Activities in oil and gas industry have shifted deep offshore. There is therefore the need to envisage and accurately provide for flow assurance challenges that might be encountered throughout the life of a field. Slug flow is one of the flow assurance concerns confronting the industry. The objective of the study was to gain insight into the behaviour of hydrodynamic slug flow in pipeline-riser system. This understanding is needed for the development of appropriate slug control strategy. Experimental studi es were conducted in a 2” pipeline-riser system and a 2” horizontal two -phase flow facility. Slug envelopes were developed for the pipeline-riser system, the vertical and the horizontal pipes. The results revealed three distinct slug flow behaviours. The first type of slug was formed in the horizontal pipeline and transported through the riser pipe nearly unchanged, the second type of slugs were formed in the horizontal pipe but also experience growth in the riser pipe while the third are slugs formed in the vertical pipe without the influence of the upstream horizontal pipe. There is therefore the need to develop appropriate slug control strategies based on the observed behaviour of the identified region

Design and Construction of an Arduino - Based Solar Power Parameter-Measuring System with Data Logger

Accurate monitoring and measurement of solar photovoltaic panel parameters are important for solar power plant analysis to evaluate the performance and predict the future energy generation. There are always challenges of getting such data readily available due to huge amount of money to be spent on state of the art equipment or the purchase of reliable satellite weather data. This study aimed at the development of a cost-effective parameter-measuring system for a solar photovoltaic panel using Arduino microprocessor board. The systems measure five parameters, including voltage, current, light intensity, temperature, and pressure. The hardware circuit was designed to link different sensors with the Arduino board and the measured data were in turn were documented into a computer for further analysis. The accuracy of the constructed device was ascertained by comparing the measured parameters with that of conventional standard measuring instruments which shows good agreement. The measured parameters show that the output energy generation from solar photovoltaic panel largely depends on the solar irradiance and temperatur

A steepest descent algorithm for the optimal control of a cascaded hydropower system

Optimal power generation along the cascaded Kainji-Jebba hydroelectric power system had been very difficult to achieve. The reservoirs operating heads are being affected by possible variation in impoundments upstream, stochastic factors that are weather-related, availability of the turbo-alternators and power generated at any time. Proposed in this paper, is an algorithm for solving the optimal release of water on the cascaded hydropower system based on steepest descent method. The uniqueness of this work is the conversion of the infinite dimensional control problem to a finite one, the introduction of clever techniques for choosing the steepest descent step size in each iteration and the nonlinear penalty embedded in the procedure. The control algorithm was implemented in an Excel VBA® environment to solve the ormulated Lagrange problem within an accuracy of 0.03%. It is recommended for use in system studies and control design for the optimal power generation in the cascaded hydropower system

COVID-19 and vertical transmission: assessing the expression of ACE2 / TMPRSS2 in the human fetus and placenta to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Background: While pregnant women have been identified as a potentially at-risk group concerning COVID-19 infection, little is known regarding the susceptibility of the fetus to infection. Co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 has been identified as a pre-requisite for infection, and expression across different tissues is known to vary between children and adults. However, the expression of these proteins in the fetus is unknown. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of single cell data repositories. This data was then validated at both gene and protein level by performing qRT-PCR and two-colour immunohistochemistry on a library of second-trimester human fetal tissues. Findings: TMPRSS2 is present at both gene and protein level in the predominantly epithelial fetal tissues analysed. ACE2 is present at significant levels, only in the fetal intestine and kidney and is not expressed in the fetal lung. The placenta is also negative for the two proteins both during development and at term. Interpretation: This dataset indicates that the lungs are unlikely to be a viable route of SARS-CoV2 fetal infection. The fetal kidney, despite presenting both the proteins required for the infection, is anatomically protected from the exposure to the virus. However, the GI tract is likely to be susceptible to infection due to its high co-expression of both proteins, as well as its exposure to potentially infected amniotic fluid

Prostate cancer disparities in Black men of African descent: a comparative literature review of prostate cancer burden among Black men in the United States, Caribbean, United Kingdom, and West Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>African American men have the highest prostate cancer morbidity and mortality rates than any other racial or ethnic group in the US. Although the overall incidence of and mortality from prostate cancer has been declining in White men since 1991, the decline in African American men lags behind White men. Of particular concern is the growing literature on the disproportionate burden of prostate cancer among other Black men of West African ancestry in the Caribbean Islands, United Kingdom and West Africa. This higher incidence of prostate cancer observed in populations of African descent may be attributed to the fact that these populations share ancestral genetic factors. To better understand the burden of prostate cancer among men of West African Ancestry, we conducted a review of the literature on prostate cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality in the countries connected by the Transatlantic Slave Trade.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Several published studies indicate high prostate cancer burden in Nigeria and Ghana. There was no published literature for the countries Benin, Gambia and Senegal that met our review criteria. Prostate cancer morbidity and/or mortality data from the Caribbean Islands and the United Kingdom also provided comparable or worse prostate cancer burden to that of US Blacks.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The growing literature on the disproportionate burden of prostate cancer among other Black men of West African ancestry follows the path of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. To better understand and address the global prostate cancer disparities seen in Black men of West African ancestry, future studies should explore the genetic and environmental risk factors for prostate cancer among this group.</p

Anti-tumor activity without on-target off-tumor toxicity of GD2-Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells in patients with neuroblastoma

The reprogramming of a patient’s immune system through genetic modification of the T cell compartment with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has led to durable remissions in chemotherapy-refractory B cell cancers. Targeting of solid cancers by CAR-T cells is dependent on their infiltration and expansion within the tumor microenvironment, and thus far, fewer clinical responses have been reported. Here, we report a phase 1 study (NCT02761915) in which we treated 12 children with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma with escalating doses of second-generation GD2-directed CAR-T cells and increasing intensity of preparative lymphodepletion. Overall, no patients had objective clinical response at the evaluation point +28 days after CAR-T cell infusion using standard radiological response criteria. However, of the six patients receiving ≥108/meter2 CAR-T cells after fludarabine/cyclophosphamide conditioning, two experienced grade 2 to 3 cytokine release syndrome, and three demonstrated regression of soft tissue and bone marrow disease. This clinical activity was achieved without on-target off-tumor toxicity. Targeting neuroblastoma with GD2 CAR-T cells appears to be a valid and safe strategy but requires further modification to promote CAR-T cell longevity