CSIRO said the facility is the only one of its kind in Australia and can simulate

gas-liquid flows at high pressures and low temperatures, conditions that oil and gas pipelines are subjected to in deep-sea environments.

According to Dr Edson Nakagawa, who leads the marine-based industries research of the Wealth from Oceans Flagship, the flow loop would be used to study gas hydrates formation, growth and transportability.

"It also has the capability to test different types of hydrates inhibitors and analyse how they affect the formation of hydrates under different conditions," he said.

Nakagawa added the flow loop would be used in a flow assurance project that forms part of the Flagship's Platform-Free fields program.

"Our first objective is to develop a model to enable operators to predict the formation and flow of hydrates in gas pipelines and therefore anticipate potential gas hydrates problems," he said.

"This will lead to improvements in the design and operation of pipelines."

According to the CSIRO, gas hydrates are ice-like crystals composed of gas and water that can form in oil and gas offshore pipelines.

Hydrates can block pipelines, disrupt production and, at worst, cause flow lines to burst, leading to costly, time-consuming and potentially dangerous repair operations, CSIRO said.

"Improving knowledge and models of gas hydrates behaviour will save industry millions of dollars in hydrates inhibitors and related operational costs," Dr Nakagawa said.

The project is an international collaboration between the Flagship, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Curtin University of Technology, Institute Francais du Petrole, the Western Australian Energy Research Alliance and industry.