Multiflash Overview

Release Note

About Multiflash 7.5

Following the release of version 7.4, Multiflash 7.5 refines and consolidates functionalities from version 7.4 and introduces new tools for production, flow assurance, and CCS engineers. It serves the diverse needs of professionals in the energy, process, and petrochemical industries. In this release, we have expanded our modelling capabilities, including the Urea modelling, extension and validation of our PC-SAFT model for polymer modelling and also a new model for density of salt aqueous solutions used in creation of OLGA tables. More notably, Multiflash 7.5 introduces a dedicated Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) module, underscoring KBC’s commitment to advance decarbonisation efforts.

The dedicated CCS module in Multiflash 7.5 offers precise modelling capabilities specifically tailored for CCS challenges. Some of the main features of the new CCS module include:

  • Specialized thermodynamic and transport property models to simulate the complex phase behavior and physical properties of CO₂-rich fluids related to CCS
  • Ability to evaluate the effect of common impurities in CCS feedstock on the phase equilibrium of CO₂-rich fluids
  • Improved hydrate modeling for CO₂-rich mixtures with impurities
  • Enhanced CO₂ solubility in brine
  • Accurate modeling of the effect of salts on hydrate formation in CO₂-rich mixtures

In 7.5, we've also further enhanced ThermoBuilder's capabilities, improved usability, and ensured stability, aligning with the industry's deepening integration of digital solutions. Overall, Multiflash 7.5, combined with KBC’s ThermoBuilder tool, continues to set new industry standards by providing integrated solutions that drive efficiency and productivity, eliminating potential sources of errors due to the use of inconsistent fluid properties throughout the various steps of design and project execution.

Summary of main themes

  • Model Real Fluids - With its unique range of accurate and consistent thermodynamic and physical properties models, Multiflash allows predicting with great accuracy, the phase behaviour and transport properties of complex and highly non-ideal fluid mixtures, exhibiting the coexistence of several liquid, solid and gas phases for applications in upstream oil and gas production and transport (reservoir fluids, oils, condensates, natural gases, CO2, steam, high water cuts, alcohols, glycols etc.), petrochemicals (polymer and co-polymer blends), chemicals (acids, refrigerants) etc.
  • Maximise Production - With its highly reliable and advanced models for gas hydrates and hydrates inhibition, wax, asphaltene, solid scales and mercury, Multiflash is the standard PVT and physical properties package in flow assurance. Multiflash allows modelling truly multi-phase systems, exhibiting the coexistence of several fluid and solid phases, providing an integrated and reliable solution for production optimisation and to forecast and handle potential flow assurance or equipment availability issues.
  • Optimise Work Processes - Already embedded in leading flow assurance, production and process engineering software tools and with its advanced connectivity, Multiflash allows drastic increases of the effectiveness and efficiency of the engineering process, eliminating potential sources or errors due to the use of inconsistent fluid properties throughout the various steps of design and project execution. Multiflash provides engineers with a fully integrated workflow to accurately evaluate the physical and transport properties of reservoir fluids, perform point checks to avoid potential issues, rapidly assess options and compare the effect of design strategies and engineering solutions.

Specific highlights for this release

  • Architectural changes and interfaces
    • Extensions of the Restful API available for cloud applications of Multiflash
    • Hydrogen is now included in the list of hydrate formers.
    • Updated UNIFAC structures for several components
    • The Hayden-O’Connel model can now be used as part of the thread safe set of models
    • Transport properties mixing rules methods are now thread safe
    • PIPESIM tables now revert to MCS surface tension model, if the current model fails to provide a calculation
    • OLGA tables do not report errors when those errors are not significant, for example, failures in the surface tension model in the single phase region.
    • When using Multiflash 7.5 in OLGA compositional (CompTrack module), the new model for density of aqueous solutions is used, if salts are present.
  • Modelling improvements and extensions
    • Further expansion and development of our new tool ThermoBuilder to regress phase behaviour and physical properties lab data to tune single components parameters of equations of state and transport properties models, and BIPs.
    • Introduction of a new model for density of salt aqueous solutions. Used in creation of OLGA tables.
    • Lennard-Jones viscosity model for CCS module
    • Mercury model: Updated some temperature dependent properties. Changes include saturation pressure and liquid density.
    • Retuning of the BIPs for several pairs for CPA-Infochem, CPA-PR, PRA, RKSA and RKSA-NRTL.
  • User experience and usability improvements
    • Added CCS tab to streamline decision making when selecting models for CCS applications.
    • Every calculation is logged which can be inspected by clicking on a button below the calculations history area
    • Calculation results can be sent to the plot window for inspection and comparison with the phase envelope, for example.
    • New unit of measure for Cp / Entropy: J/g/K
    • Working with Multiple streams is more straight forward allowing users to easily add/remove components from the streams.
    • Added links to the manuals installed with Multiflash
    • Improve errors and warning reporting when calculations fail.
    • The inhibitor calculator is more flexible allowing users to calculate water amounts if needed. Users can now also provide composition with water in them and the amount may be based relative to the water content, or relative to the whole fluid.
    • When adding components form the database, search by name or formula has been unified into a single search box.