BrazFlow Labs · Petroleum Engineering & Flow Assurance

Petroleum engineering · Flow assurance

Engineering the flow of oil & gas,
from the lab to the field.

BrazFlow Labs is a petroleum-engineering consultancy that combines experimental flow assurance, CFD simulation and applied research to help oil & gas companies analyze, protect and optimize their systems.

Explore our expertise Talk to us

In incubation at UFES — Federal University of Espírito Santo

Experimental flow-assurance reactor in the laboratory: a stainless-steel pressure vessel with piping, a control cabinet and a workstation.

Our experimental reactor: high pressure, extreme temperatures, in-situ visualization

Video CO2 hydrate generation in the reactor

CFD result showing the scale adhesion rate, in grams per second, on the surfaces of a pipe-like geometry.

CFD simulation: deposit adhesion rate on a flow geometry

Specimen holder with vertical coupons of different materials mounted between two discs.

Specimen holder carrying coupons of different materials

Close-up of the reactor showing instrumentation, valves, a pressure gauge and the stainless-steel vessel flanges.

Reactor details: instrumentation and in-situ viewing window

Video BrazFlow Labs — simulation, experiments, development

Specimen holder covered with a white crystalline deposit after a laboratory test.

Specimen holder after a test, covered by a crystalline deposit

Specimen holder with a dark deposit after an experiment, in front of the reactor control panel.

Specimen holder with a dark deposit after an experiment

Experimental approach

Lab testing of scaling, paraffins, hydrates, corrosion and other flow-assurance challenges.

CFD simulation

Flow analysis and optimization of valves and engineering equipment.

Consulting & research

Engineering projects, technical support and applied research.

What we do

Our expertise

An experimental, hands-on approach to flow assurance and petroleum engineering — backed by CFD modeling and research.

Experimental approach lab

Laboratory experiments under conditions representative of the industry: scaling, paraffins (wax), hydrates, corrosion, emulsions and other flow-assurance phenomena.

Inorganic scaling batch reactors

Scaling experimentation in batch reactors: testing of materials against scale, evaluation of scale inhibitors and scaling-tendency analysis.

Chemicals & materials testing

Efficacy tests of chemical products — scale inhibitors, anti-corrosives and more — and of materials in aggressive environments (corrosion).

CFD modeling & simulation

Flow simulations for flow-assurance risk analysis, and CFD of valves and engineering equipment for flow analysis and optimization.

Experiments + CFD, combined

A pioneering combination in Brazil: experimental data and CFD modeling working together, under real operating conditions, to evaluate scaling, corrosion and other phenomena of industrial interest.

Consultancy, projects & research

Petroleum-engineering projects and technical support for oil & gas companies and industrial laboratories, plus applied research with universities and research groups.

Our team

Six specialists, one multidisciplinary team

BrazFlow Labs brings together PhDs and MScs — petroleum, chemical, mechanical, civil and electrical engineers — with considerable expertise in flow assurance, laboratory experimentation and CFD. Students, former students and professors work side by side, connecting academic research to real industry challenges.

6 specialists

  • PhDs
  • MScs
  • Petroleum engineers
  • Chemical engineers
  • Mechanical engineers
  • Civil engineers
  • Electrical engineers
6specialists in our team
2integrated fronts: experiments & CFD
100%focus on oil & gas
UFESwhere we are incubated

Who we are

An engineering group bridging academia and industry

BrazFlow Labs is a Brazilian petroleum-engineering consultancy formed by students, former students and professors with broad experience in flow assurance and fluid engineering. We turn academic knowledge into industrial value.

We support oil & gas companies and industrial laboratories — in Brazil and abroad — through engineering projects, technical assistance and applied research, pairing hands-on experimentation with computational modeling to turn uncertainty into evidence-based decisions.

Results obtained in our reactor have already supported doctoral theses and industry-oriented studies, and publications in collaboration with other research groups and universities have increased the visibility of our experimental capabilities.

BrazFlow Labs is currently undergoing incubation at UFES — Federal University of Espírito Santo, within the university's innovation and entrepreneurship program.

  • Experimental, data-driven and reproducible approach
  • Tests and models based on real operating conditions
  • Incubated at UFES — Federal University of Espírito Santo

Lower costs for industry

Experimental and computational solutions that reduce operating costs for national industries.

Technology & research

Technological advances and a direct contribution to academic research.

Sustainability

Environmental sustainability through more efficient solutions.

How we work

From experiment to optimization

A workflow that connects laboratory experimentation, physical modeling and CFD to deliver reliable results.

Experimental reactor laboratory: stainless-steel pressure vessel with piping, control cabinet, gas cylinders and a workstation.
Our experimental reactor laboratory.

Our laboratory

A unique experimental reactor

Our reactor runs tests under high pressure and extreme temperatures, with in-situ visualization of the phenomenon and combined operation with digital modeling (CFD) — and its services are already operational.

  • The only Brazilian equipment for experimental analyses under high pressure and extreme temperatures
  • In-situ visualization of the phenomenon
  • Operation combined with digital modeling (CFD)
  • Cost-effective testing
  • Services already operational
  • Versatile — easy to adapt to new test conditions
01

Data & diagnosis

We review fluid, production and operating data to scope the flow-assurance risk.

02

Experimentation

Batch-reactor tests of scaling, paraffins, hydrates, corrosion and chemical products under representative conditions.

03

Modeling & CFD

Simulation of flow, valves and equipment to explore scenarios and sensitivities.

04

Recommendations

Actionable mitigation and optimization plans, with clear engineering metrics.

Specimen holder with coupons of different materials.
Specimen holder with material coupons
Specimen holder covered with a white crystalline deposit.
Crystalline deposit after a test
Specimen holder with a dark deposit.
Dark deposit after a test
CFD map of the scale adhesion rate on a pipe geometry.
CFD map of deposit adhesion rate

Knowledge

Insights & publications

Conference materials and indexed journal articles from our team.

Journal article2026Open access

Unraveling the hydrodynamic effects on calcium carbonate scaling behavior under high-temperature and high-pressure CO2 degassing

R.S. Maciel, F.A.R. Pereira, E.J. Soares, C. Scandian, J.R.C. Proveti, R.P. Cosmo, R.F. Fejoli, H.E.P. Schluter, A.L. Martins

Petroleum Science · Vol. 23, No. 1 · pp. 434–446

Batch-reactor experiments with a rotating-cage system (ASTM G184) at up to 80 °C and 70 barg show how turbulence changes CaCO3 scaling under CO2 degassing — including a reversal point at high turbulence, linked to calcium-carbonate polymorphs.

Read the article ↗DOI 10.1016/j.petsci.2025.09.040
Conference paper2024

Study of the effect of temperature on carbonate scale for pressurized systems

Romulo Fieni Fejoli, Rodrigo Simões Maciel, Rafael de Paula Cosmo, Bruno Barbosa Castro, André Leibsohn Martins, Helga Elisabeth Pinheiro Schluter, Fabio de Assis Ressel Pereira, Edson Jose Soares, Bruno Venturini Loureiro

Rio Oil & Gas 2024 · IBP · pp. 5701–5715

Studies how temperature affects carbonate scale formation in pressurized systems.

View the paper ↗DOI 10.48072/2525-7579.roge.2024.3480
Conference paper2020

New Scale Prediction Approach Through Numerical Simulations

Marcus Vinicius Duarte Ferreira, André Leibsohn Martins, Rodrigo Simões Maciel, Rômulo Fieni Fejoli, Fabio de Ressel Pereira, Vinicius Gustavo Poletto, Fernando Cesar De Lai, Silvio Luiz De Mello Junqueira

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition · SPE-201524-MS

Presents two CFD-based approaches — coupled with the Discrete Phase Method and the Discrete Element Method — to improve scale prediction in completion accessories of Brazilian pre-salt wells.

View the paper ↗DOI 10.2118/201524-MS
Conference paper2019

Enhancing Scale Prediction in Pre-Salt Wells Using Numerical Simulation

Rodrigo Simões Maciel, Fábio de Ressel Pereira, Rômulo Fieni Fejoli, André Leibsohn Martins, Marcus Vinicius Duarte Ferreira

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition · SPE-196180-MS

Proposes a CFD and discrete-phase-modeling approach to predict calcium carbonate deposition in intelligent-completion devices, pointing out scale hot spots in pre-salt wells.

View the paper ↗DOI 10.2118/196180-MS
Journal article2019

Estimating CO2 degassing effect on CaCO3 precipitation under oil well conditions

Rafael de P. Cosmo, Fabio de A. Ressel Pereira, Daniel da C. Ribeiro, Wagner Q. Barros, André L. Martins

Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering · Vol. 181 · 106207

Separates the two main drivers of calcite precipitation during depressurization and finds that CO2 outgassing accounts for roughly 60–90% of the total under the conditions studied.

Read the article ↗DOI 10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106207

Have a flow-assurance challenge?

Let's talk about your project and how we can help.

Start a conversation

Contact

Get in touch with BrazFlow Labs

Tell us about your challenge. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.

This form opens your email application to send the message to contact@brazflow.com. We use your details only to reply to your request.