Evaluation of frictional pressure drop correlations for air-water and air-oil two-phase flow in pipeline-riser system

Accurate prediction of the frictional pressure drop is important for the design and operation of subsea oil and gas transporting system considering the length of the pipeline. The applicability of the correlations to pipeline-riser flow needs evaluation since the flow condition in pipeline-riser is quite different from the original data where they were derived from. In the present study, a comprehensive evaluation of 24prevailing correlation in predicting frictional pressure drop is carried out based on experimentally measured data of air-water and air-oil two-phase flows in pipeline-riser. Experiments are performed in a system having different configuration of pipeline-riser with the inclination of the downcomer varied from-2°to-5°to investigated the effect of the elbow on the frictional pressure drop in the riser. The inlet gas velocity ranges from 0.03 to 6.2 m/s, and liquid velocity varies from 0.02 to 1.3 m/s. A total of885 experimental data points including 782 on air-water flows and 103 on air-oil flows are obtained and used to access the prediction ability of the correlations. Comparison of the predicted results with the measured data indicate that a majority of the investigated correlations under-predict the pressure drop on severe slugging. The result of this study highlights the requirement of new method considering the effect of pipe layout on the frictional pressure drop.

Pressure transient characteristics of non-uniform conductivity fractured wells in viscoelasticity polymer flooding based on oil-water two-phase flow

Polymer flooding in fractured wells has been extensively applied in oilfields to enhance oil recovery.In contrast to water,polymer solution exhibits non-Newtonian and nonlinear behavior such as effects of shear thinning and shear thickening,polymer convection,diffusion,adsorption retention,inaccessible pore volume and reduced effective permeability.Meanwhile,the flux density and fracture conductivity along the hydraulic fracture are generally non-uniform due to the effects of pressure distribution,formation damage,and proppant breakage.In this paper,we present an oil-water two-phase flow model that captures these complex non-Newtonian and nonlinear behavior,and non-uniform fracture characteristics in fractured polymer flooding.The hydraulic fracture is firstly divided into two parts:high-conductivity fracture near the wellbore and low-conductivity fracture in the far-wellbore section.A hybrid grid system,including perpendicular bisection(PEBI)and Cartesian grid,is applied to discrete the partial differential flow equations,and the local grid refinement method is applied in the near-wellbore region to accurately calculate the pressure distribution and shear rate of polymer solution.The combination of polymer behavior characterizations and numerical flow simulations are applied,resulting in the calculation for the distribution of water saturation,polymer concentration and reservoir pressure.Compared with the polymer flooding well with uniform fracture conductivity,this non-uniform fracture conductivity model exhibits the larger pressure difference,and the shorter bilinear flow period due to the decrease of fracture flow ability in the far-wellbore section.The field case of the fall-off test demonstrates that the proposed method characterizes fracture characteristics more accurately,and yields fracture half-lengths that better match engineering reality,enabling a quantitative segmented characterization of the near-wellbore section with high fracture conductivity and the far-wellbore section with low fracture conductivity.The novelty of this paper is the analysis of pressure performances caused by the fracture dynamics and polymer rheology,as well as an analysis method that derives formation and fracture parameters based on the pressure and its derivative curves.

Integrated numerical simulation of hydraulic fracturing and production in shale gas well considering gas-water two-phase flow

Based on the displacement discontinuity method and the discrete fracture unified pipe network model,a sequential iterative numerical method was used to build a fracturing-production integrated numerical model of shale gas well considering the two-phase flow of gas and water.The model accounts for the influence of natural fractures and matrix properties on the fracturing process and directly applies post-fracturing formation pressure and water saturation distribution to subsequent well shut-in and production simulation,allowing for a more accurate fracturing-production integrated simulation.The results show that the reservoir physical properties have great impacts on fracture propagation,and the reasonable prediction of formation pressure and reservoir fluid distribution after the fracturing is critical to accurately predict the gas and fluid production of the shale gas wells.Compared with the conventional method,the proposed model can more accurately simulate the water and gas production by considering the impact of fracturing on both matrix pressure and water saturation.The established model is applied to the integrated fracturing-production simulation of practical horizontal shale gas wells.The simulation results are in good agreement with the practical production data,thus verifying the accuracy of the model.

Arbitrary High-Order Fully-Decoupled Numerical Schemes for Phase-Field Models of Two-Phase Incompressible Flows

Due to the coupling between the hydrodynamic equation and the phase-field equation in two-phase incompressible flows,it is desirable to develop efficient and high-order accurate numerical schemes that can decouple these two equations.One popular and efficient strategy is to add an explicit stabilizing term to the convective velocity in the phase-field equation to decouple them.The resulting schemes are only first-order accurate in time,and it seems extremely difficult to generalize the idea of stabilization to the second-order or higher version.In this paper,we employ the spectral deferred correction method to improve the temporal accuracy,based on the first-order decoupled and energy-stable scheme constructed by the stabilization idea.The novelty lies in how the decoupling and linear implicit properties are maintained to improve the efficiency.Within the framework of the spatially discretized local discontinuous Galerkin method,the resulting numerical schemes are fully decoupled,efficient,and high-order accurate in both time and space.Numerical experiments are performed to validate the high-order accuracy and efficiency of the methods for solving phase-field models of two-phase incompressible flows.

Numerical Simulation of Oil-Water Two-Phase Flow in Low Permeability Tight Reservoirs Based on Weighted Least Squares Meshless Method

In response to the complex characteristics of actual low-permeability tight reservoirs,this study develops a meshless-based numerical simulation method for oil-water two-phase flow in these reservoirs,considering complex boundary shapes.Utilizing radial basis function point interpolation,the method approximates shape functions for unknown functions within the nodal influence domain.The shape functions constructed by the aforementioned meshless interpolation method haveδ-function properties,which facilitate the handling of essential aspects like the controlled bottom-hole flow pressure in horizontal wells.Moreover,the meshless method offers greater flexibility and freedom compared to grid cell discretization,making it simpler to discretize complex geometries.A variational principle for the flow control equation group is introduced using a weighted least squares meshless method,and the pressure distribution is solved implicitly.Example results demonstrate that the computational outcomes of the meshless point cloud model,which has a relatively small degree of freedom,are in close agreement with those of the Discrete Fracture Model(DFM)employing refined grid partitioning,with pressure calculation accuracy exceeding 98.2%.Compared to high-resolution grid-based computational methods,the meshless method can achieve a better balance between computational efficiency and accuracy.Additionally,the impact of fracture half-length on the productivity of horizontal wells is discussed.The results indicate that increasing the fracture half-length is an effective strategy for enhancing production from the perspective of cumulative oil production.

Identifying the enhancement mechanism of Al/MoO_(3) reactive multilayered films on the ignition ability of semiconductor bridge using a one-dimensional gas-solid two-phase flow model

Energetic Semiconductor bridge(ESCB)based on reactive multilayered films(RMFs)has a promising application in the miniature and intelligence of initiator and pyrotechnics device.Understanding the ignition enhancement mechanism of RMFs on semiconductor bridge(SCB)during the ignition process is crucial for the engineering and practical application of advanced initiator and pyrotechnics devices.In this study,a one-dimensional(1D)gas-solid two-phase flow ignition model was established to study the ignition process of ESCB to charge particles based on the reactivity of Al/MoO_(3) RMFs.In order to fully consider the coupled exothermic between the RMFs and the SCB plasma during the ignition process,the heat release of chemical reaction in RMFs was used as an internal heat source in this model.It is found that the exothermal reaction in RMFs improved the ignition performance of SCB.In the process of plasma rapid condensation with heat release,the product of RMFs enhanced the heat transfer process between the gas phase and the solid charge particle,which accelerated the expansion of hot plasma,and heated the solid charge particle as well as gas phase region with low temperature.In addition,it made up for pressure loss in the gas phase.During the plasma dissipation process,the exothermal chemical reaction in RMFs acted as the main heating source to heat the charge particle,making the surface temperature of the charge particle,gas pressure,and gas temperature rise continuously.This result may yield significant advantages in providing a universal ignition model for miniaturized ignition devices.

Numerical Solutions of the Classical and Modified Buckley-Leverett Equations Applied to Two-Phase Fluid Flow

Climate change is a reality. The burning of fossil fuels from oil, natural gas and coal is responsible for much of the pollution and the increase in the planet’s average temperature, which has raised discussions on the subject, given the emergencies related to climate. An energy transition to clean and renewable sources is necessary and urgent, but it will not be quick. In this sense, increasing the efficiency of oil extraction from existing sources is crucial, to avoid waste and the drilling of new wells. The purpose of this work was to add diffusive and dispersive terms to the Buckley-Leverett equation in order to incorporate extra phenomena in the temporal evolution between the water-oil and oil-water transitions in the pipeline. For this, the modified Buckley-Leverett equation was discretized via essentially weighted non-oscillatory schemes, coupled with a three-stage Runge-Kutta and a fourth-order centered finite difference methods. Then, computational simulations were performed and the results showed that new features emerge in the transitions, when compared to classical simulations. For instance, the dispersive term inhibits the diffusive term, adding oscillations, which indicates that the absorption of the fluid by the porous medium occurs in a non-homogeneous manner. Therefore, based on research such as this, decisions can be made regarding the replacement of the porous medium or the insertion of new components to delay the replacement.

Numerical modeling and parametric sensitivity analysis of heat transfer and two-phase oil and water flow characteristics in horizontal and inclined flowlines using OpenFOAM

Estimating the oil-water temperatures in flowlines is challenging especially in deepwater and ultra-deepwater offshore applications where issues of flow assurance and dramatic heat transfer are likely to occur due to the temperature difference between the fluids and the surroundings. Heat transfer analysis is very important for the prediction and prevention of deposits in oil and water flowlines, which could impede the flow and give rise to huge financial losses. Therefore, a 3D mathematical model of oil-water Newtonian flow under non-isothermal conditions is established to explore the complex mechanisms of the two-phase oil-water transportation and heat transfer in different flowline inclinations. In this work, a non-isothermal two-phase flow model is first modified and then implemented in the InterFoam solver by introducing the energy equation using OpenFOAM® code. The Low Reynolds Number (LRN) k-ε turbulence model is utilized to resolve the turbulence phenomena within the oil and water mixtures. The flow patterns and the local heat transfer coefficients (HTC) for two-phase oil-water flow at different flowlines inclinations (0°, +4°, +7°) are validated by the experimental literature results and the relative errors are also compared. Global sensitivity analysis is then conducted to determine the effect of the different parameters on the performance of the produced two-phase hydrocarbon systems for effective subsea fluid transportation. Thereafter, HTC and flow patterns for oil-water flows at downward inclinations of 4°, and 7° can be predicted by the models. The velocity distribution, pressure gradient, liquid holdup, and temperature variation at the flowline cross-sections are simulated and analyzed in detail. Consequently, the numerical model can be generally applied to compute the global properties of the fluid and other operating parameters that are beneficial in the management of two-phase oil-water transportation.

Numerical Simulation of a Two-Phase Flow with Low Permeability anda Start-Up Pressure Gradient

A new numerical model for low-permeability reservoirs is developed.The model incorporates the nonlinear characteristics of oil-water two-phase flows while taking into account the initiation pressure gradient.Related numerical solutions are obtained using a finite difference method.The correctness of the method is demonstrated using a two-dimensional inhomogeneous low permeability example.Then,the differences in the cumulative oil and water production are investigated for different starting water saturations.It is shown that when the initial water saturation grows,the water content of the block continues to rise and the cumulative oil production gradually decreases.

Liquid-liquid two-phase flow in a wire-embedded concentric microchannel: Flow pattern and mass transfer performance

In this work, flow pattern and mass transfer of liquid-liquid two-phase flow in a wire-embedded concentric microchannel are studied using toluene-water system. Droplet flow, slug flow, oval flow and annular flow are observed in the wire-embedded concentric microchannel. The effects of embedded wires and physical properties on flow patterns are investigated. The embedded wire insert is conducive to the formation of annular flow. The flow pattern distribution regions are distinguished by the Caaq(capillary number)±We_(org)(Weber number) flow pattern map. When Weorg<0.001, slug flow is the main flow pattern, and when Weorg>0.1, annular flow is the main flow pattern. Oval flow and droplet flow are between We_(org)= 0.001-0.1, and oval flow is transformed into droplet flow with the increase of Caaq. The effect of flow rate, phase ratio, initial acetic acid concentration, insert shape and flow patterns on mass transfers are studied. Mass transfer process is enhanced under annular flow conditions, the volumetric mass transfer coefficient is up to 0.36 s^(-1) because of the high interfacial area and interface renewal rate of annular flow.

Comprehensive modeling of frictional pressure drop during carbon dioxide two-phase flow inside channels using intelligent and conventional methods

Environmentally friendly nature of CO_(2),associated with its safety and high efficiency,has made it a widely used working fluid in heat exchangers.Since CO_(2)has strange thermophysical features,specific models are required to estimate its two-phase characteristics,particularly frictional pressure drop(FPD).Herein,a widespread dataset,comprising 1195 experimental samples for two-phase FPD of CO_(2)was adopted from 10 sources to fulfill this requirement.The literature correlations failed to provide satisfactory precisions and exhibited the average absolute relative errors(AAREs)between 29.29% and 67.69% from the analyzed data.By inspiring the theoretical method of Lockhart and Martinelli,three intelligent FPD models were presented,among which the Gaussian process regression approach surpassed the others with AARE and R^(2)values of 5.48% and 98.80%,respectively in the test stage.A novel simple correlation was also derived based on the least square fitting method,which yielded opportune predictions with AARE of 19.76% for all data.The truthfulness of the newly proposed models was assessed through a variety of statistical and visual analyses,and the results affirmed their high reliability over a broad range of conditions,channel sizes and flow patterns.Furthermore,the novel models performed favorably in describing the physical attitudes corresponding to two-phase FPD of CO_(2).Eventually,the importance of operating factors in controlling the FPD was discussed through a sensitivity analysis.

Simulation of gas–liquid two-phase flow in a flow-focusing microchannel with the lattice Boltzmann method

A lattice Boltzmann method for gas–liquid two-phase flow involving non-Newtonian fluids is developed. Bubble formation in a flow-focusing microchannel is simulated by the method. The influences of flow rate ratio, surface tension,wetting properties, and rheological characteristics of the fluid on the two-phase flow are analyzed. The results indicate that the flow pattern transfers from slug flow to dry-plug flow with a sufficiently small capillary number. Due to the presence of three-phase contact lines, the contact angle has a more significant effect on the dry-plug flow pattern than on the slug flow pattern. The deformation of the front and rear meniscus of a bubble in the shear-thinning fluid can be explained by the variation of the capillary number. The reduced viscosity and increased contact angle are beneficial for the drag reduction in a microchannel. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of the current method to simulate the gas–liquid two-phase flow in a microchannel.

Experiments on two-phase flow in hydraulic jump on pebbled rough bed:Part 1–Turbulence properties and particle chord time and length

This study reported and discussed turbulence characteristics,such as turbulence intensity,correlation time scales,and advective length scales.The characteristic air–water time scale,including the particle chord time and length and their probability density functions(PDFs),was investigated.The results demonstrated that turbulence intensity was relatively greater on a rough bed in the roller length,whereas further downstream,the decay rate was higher.In addition,the relationship between turbulence intensity and dimensionless bubble count rate reflected an increase in turbulence intensity associated with the number of entrained particles.Triple decomposition analysis(TDA)was performed to determine the contributions of slow and fast turbulent components.The TDA results indicated that,regardless of bed type and inflow conditions,the sum of the band-pass(T'_(u))and high-pass(T″_(u))filtered turbulence intensities was equal to the turbulence intensity of the raw signal data(T_(u)).T″_(u) highlighted a higher turbulence intensity and larger vorticities on the rough bed for an identical inflow Froude number.Additional TDA results were presented in terms of the interfacial velocity,auto-and cross-correlation time scales,and longitudinal advection length scale,with the effects of low-and high-frequency signal components on each highlighted parameter.The analysis of the air chord time indicated an increase in the proportion of small bubbles moving downstream.The second part of this research focused on the basic properties of particle grouping and clustering.

Experimental Investigation of Regular or Wavy Two-Phase Flow in a Manifold

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the properties of stratified regular or wavy two-phase flow in two parallel separators located after a manifold.A total of 103 experiments with various gas and liquid velocity combinations in three inlet pipes were conducted,including 77 groups of outlet pipe resistance symmetry and 26 groups of outlet pipe resistance asymmetry trials.The experimental results have revealed that when the gas-liquid flow rate is low,the degree of uneven splitting is high,and“extreme”conditions are attained.When the superficial gas velocity is greater than that established in the extreme case,the direction of the liquid-phase displacement is reversed,while that of the gas remains unchanged.Thus,the degree of gas phase bias tends to be mitigated with an increase in the gas velocity,while the uneven splitting degree of liquid approaches 10%.Finally,varying the gas-phase outlet pipe resistance is shown to effectively change the gas-liquid two-phase flow distribution.

Experiments on two-phase flow in hydraulic jump on pebbled rough bed:Part 2–Bubble clustering

A survey on bubble clustering in air–water flow processes may provide significant insights into turbulent two-phaseflow.These processes have been studied in plunging jets,dropshafts,and hydraulic jumps on a smooth bed.As a first attempt,this study examined the bubble clustering process in hydraulic jumps on a pebbled rough bed using experimental data for 1.70<Fr_(1)<2.84(with Fr_(1) denoting the inflow Froude number).The basic properties of particle grouping and clustering,including the number of clusters,the dimensionless number of clusters per second,the percentage of clustered bubbles,and the number of bubbles per cluster,were analyzed based on two criteria.For both criteria,the maximum cluster count rate was greater on the rough bed than on the smooth bed,suggesting greater interactions between turbulence and bubbly flow on the rough bed.The results were consistent with the longitudinal distribution of the interfacial velocity using one of the criteria.In addition,the clustering process was analyzed using a different approach:the interparticle arrival time of bubbles.The comparison showed that the bubbly flow structure had a greater density of bubbles per unitflux on the rough bed than on the smooth bed.Bed roughness was the dominant parameter close to the jump toe.Further downstream,Fr_(1) predominated.Thus,the rate of bubble density decreased more rapidly for the hydraulic jump with the lowest Fr_(1).

Simulation of Gas-Water Two-Phase Flow in Tight Gas Reservoirs Considering the Gas Slip Effect

A mathematical model for the gas-water two-phase flow in tight gas reservoirs is elaborated.The model can account for the gas slip effect,stress sensitivity,and high-speed non-Darcy factors.The related equations are solved in the framework of a finite element method.The results are validated against those obtained by using the commercial software CMG(Computer Modeling Group software for advanced recovery process simulation).It is shown that the proposed method is reliable.It can capture the fracture rejection characteristics of tight gas reservoirs better than the CMG.A sensitivity analysis of various control factors(initial water saturation,reservoir parameters,and fracturing parameters)affecting the production in tight gas wells is conducted accordingly.Finally,a series of theoretical arguments are provided for a rational and effective development/exploitation of tight sandstone gas reservoirs.

Transient pressure analysis of polymer flooding fractured wells with oil-water two-phase flow

The oil-water two-phase flow pressure-transient analysis model for polymer flooding fractured well is established by considering the comprehensive effects of polymer shear thinning,shear thickening,convection,diffusion,adsorption retention,inaccessible pore volume and effective permeability reduction.The finite volume difference and Newton iteration methods are applied to solve the model,and the effects of fracture conductivity coefficient,injected polymer mass concentration,initial polymer mass concentration and water saturation on the well-test type curves of polymer flooding fractured wells are discussed.The results show that with the increase of fracture conductivity coefficient,the pressure conduction becomes faster and the pressure drop becomes smaller,so the pressure curve of transitional flow goes downward,the duration of bilinear flow becomes shorter,and the linear flow appears earlier and lasts longer.As the injected polymer mass concentration increases,the effective water phase viscosity increases,and the pressure loss increases,so the pressure and pressure derivative curves go upward,and the bilinear flow segment becomes shorter.As the initial polymer mass concentration increases,the effective water phase viscosity increases,so the pressure curve after the wellbore storage segment moves upward as a whole.As the water saturation increases,the relative permeability of water increases,the relative permeability of oil decreases,the total oil-water two-phase mobility becomes larger,and the pressure loss is reduced,so the pressure curve after the wellbore storage segment moves downward as a whole.The reliability and practicability of this new model are verified by the comparison of the results from simplified model and commercial well test software,and the actual well test data.

A Numerical Study on the Effect of the Backflow Hole Position on the Performances of a Self-Priming Pump

A self-priming pump is a centrifugal pump that has the ability to prime itself. Typically, its performance dependson the configuration of its reflux hole. In this study, the ANSYS FLUENT software is used to investigate the effectsof three different radial positions of the reflux hole on gas-liquid two-phase distribution, pressure pulsation, andimp during self-priming. The research results indicate that: (1) The effective channel size for the reflux liquid toenter the volute varies depending on the location of the reflux hole. The effect of the impeller rotation on thereflux liquid becomes more obvious as the setting distance of the reflux aperture decreases. (2) The position ofthe reflux hole significantly affects the gas phase mass fraction inside the impeller, resulting in a significant reductionin the time it takes for the mass fraction to exceed 80%. (3) The position of the reflux hole significantly affectsthe average pressure on each monitoring surface. (4) Placing the reflux hole at a excessively distant radial distancecan result in an excessive vertical component. (5) The self-priming performance of the pump can be improved tosome extent by placing the return hole at a small radial distance.

An Experimental Analysis of Gas-Liquid Flow Breakdown in a T-Junction

When a gas-liquid two-phase flow(GLTPF)enters a parallel separator through a T-junction,it generally splits unevenly.This phenomenon can seriously affect the operation efficiency and safety of the equipment located downstream.In order to investigate these aspects and,more specifically,the so-called bias phenomenon(all gas and liquid flowing to one pipe,while the other pipe is a liquid column that fluctuates up and down),laboratory experiments were carried out by using a T-junction connected to two parallel vertical pipes.Moreover,a GLTPF prediction model based on the principle of minimum potential energy was introduced.The research results indicate that this model can accurately predict the GLTPF state in parallel risers.The boundary of the slug flow and the churn flow in the opposite pipe can be predicted.Overall,according to the results,the pressure drop curves of the two-phase flow in the parallel risers are basically the same when there is no bias phenomenon,but the pressure drop in the parallel riser displays a large deviation when there is a slug flow-churn flow.Only when the parallel riser is in a state of asymmetric flow and one of the risers produces churn flow,the two-phase flow is prone to produce the bias phenomenon.

Ultrasonic method for measuring water holdup of low velocity and high-water-cut oil-water two-phase flow

Oil reservoirs with low permeability and porosity that are in the middle and late exploitation periods in China＇s onshore oil fields are mostly in the high-water-cut production stage.This stage is associated with severely non-uniform local-velocity flow profiles and dispersed-phase concentration（of oil droplets） in oil-water two-phase flow,which makes it difficult to measure water holdup in oil wells.In this study,we use an ultrasonic method based on a transmission-type sensor in oil-water two-phase flow to measure water holdup in lowvelocity and high water-cut conditions.First,we optimize the excitation frequency of the ultrasonic sensor by calculating the sensitivity of the ultrasonic field using the finite element method for multiphysics coupling.Then we calculate the change trend of sound pressure level attenuation ratio with the increase in oil holdup to verify the feasibility of the employed diameter for the ultrasonic sensor.Based on the results,we then investigate the effects of oildroplet diameter and distribution on the ultrasonic field.To further understand the measurement characteristics of the ultrasonic sensor,we perform a flow loop test on vertical upward oilwater two-phase flow and measure the responses of the optimized ultrasonic sensor.The results show that the ultrasonic sensor yields poor resolution for a dispersed oil slug in water flow（D OS/W flow）,but the resolution is favorable for dispersed oil in water flow（D O/W flow） and very fine dispersed oil in water flow（VFD O/W flow）.This research demonstrates the potential application of a pulsed-transmission ultrasonic method for measuring the fraction of individual components in oil-water two-phase flow with a low mixture velocity and high water cut.