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.

Numerical Simulation and Experimental Analysis of the Influence of Asymmetric Pressure Conditions on the Splitting of a Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow at a T-Junction

Dedicated experiments and numerical simulations have been conducted to investigate the splitting characteristics of a gas-liquid two phase flow at a T junction.The experiments were carried out for different gas-liquid velocities.The flow rates in the two branches were measured accurately to determine how the two considered phases distribute in the two outlets.The experimental results have shown that when the two outlet pressures are asymmetric,the two-phase flow always tends to flow into the outlet which has a lower pressure.As the inlet liquid velocity increases,however,the two-phase flow gradually tends to split evenly.Compared with the experiment results,the pressure difference between the two outlets can be determined more accurately by means of numerical simulation.The trends of experimental results and simulations are in very good agreement.

An Experimental Study on the Void Fraction for Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flows in a Horizontal Pipe

The flow patterns and the void fraction related to a gas-liquid two-phase flow in a small channel are experimentally studied.The test channel is a transparent quartz glass circular channel with an inner diameter of 6.68 mm.The working fluids are air and water and their superficial velocities range from 0.014 to 8.127 m/s and from 0.0238 to 0.556 m/s,respectively.The void fraction is determined using the flow pattern images captured by a high-speed camera,while quick closing valves are used for verification.Four flow patterns are analyzed in experiments:slug flow,bubbly flow,annular flow and stratified flow.For intermittent flows(bubbly flow and slug flow),the cross-sectional void fraction is in a borderline condition while its probability distribution function(PDF)image displays a bimodal structure.For continuous flows(annular flow and stratified flow)the cross-sectional void fraction behaves as a fluctuating continuous curve while the(PDF)image displays a single peak structure.The volumetric void fraction data are also compared with available predictive formulas,and the results show that the agreement is very good.An effort is also provided to improve the so-called Gregory and Scott model using the available data.

Branch Quality Control of Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow Using a Novel T-Junction Type Distributor

In order to eliminate mal-distribution and ensure the side arm to produce desirable gas quality a special distributor is proposed. The experimental distributor mainly consists of a straight through section,a gas extraction line,a liquid extraction line and a side arm branch. A gas orifice and a liquid orifice are mounted at the gas and liquid extraction line respectively to control the outlet gas quality. The diameter of the liquid orifice was set to 2. 50 mm and three gas orifices with different size( dG= 2. 65,5. 00,10. 00 mm) were tested. The experiments were carried out at an air-water two-phase flow loop. The gas superficial velocity ranged from 6. 0 to 20. 0 m /s and the liquid superficial velocity was in the range of 0. 02- 0. 18 m /s. Flow patterns such as wave flow,slug flow and annular flow were observed. The gas quality of the side arm branch was found mainly determined by the flow area ratio of the gas orifice to the liquid orifice and independent of gas and liquid superficial velocity,flow patterns and extraction flux.

Numerical investigation on characteristics of interfacial wave of liquid film in gas-liquid two-phase flow using OpenFOAM

Liquid film cooling as an advanced cooling technology is widely used in space vehicles.Stable operation of liquid film along the rocket combustion inner wall is crucial for thermal protection of rocket engines.The stability of liquid film is mainly determined by the characteristics of interfacial wave,which is rarely investigated right now.How to improve the stability of thin film has become a hot spot.In view of this,an advanced model based on the conventional Volume of Fluid(VOF)model is adopted to investigate the characteristics of interfacial wave in gas-liquid flow by using OpenFOAM,and the mechanism of formation and development of wave is revealed intuitively through numerical study.The effects from gas velocity,surface tension and dynamic viscosity of liquid(three factors)on the wave are studied respectively.It can be found that the gas velocity is critical to the formation and development of wave,and four modes of droplets generation are illustrated in this paper.Besides,a gas vortex near the gas-liquid interface can induce formation of wave easily,so changing the gas vortex state can regulate formation and development of wave.What’s more,the change rules of three factors influencing on the interfacial wave are obtained,and the surface tension has a negative effect on the formation and development of wave only when the surface tension coefficient is above the critical value,whereas the dynamic viscosity has a positive effect in this process.Lastly,the maximum height and maximum slope angle of wave will level off as the gas velocity increases.Meanwhile,the maximum slope angle of wave is usually no more than 38°,no matter what happens to the three factors.

Numerical Investigation on Dynamic Response Characteristics of Fluid-Structure Interaction of Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in Horizontal Pipe

Fluid-structure interaction(FSI)of gas-liquid two-phase fow in the horizontal pipe is investigated numerically in the present study.The volume of fluid model and standard k-e turbulence model are integrated to simulate the typical gas-liquid two-phase fow patterns.First,validation of the numerical model is conducted and the typical fow patterns are consistent with the Baker chart.Then,the FSI framework is established to investigate the dynamic responses of the interaction between the horizontal pipe and gas-liquid two-phase fow.The results show that the dynamic response under stratified fow condition is relatively flat and the maximum pipe deformation and equivalent stress are 1.8 mm and 7.5 MPa respectively.Meanwhile,the dynamic responses induced by slug fow,wave fow and annular fow show obvious periodic fuctuations.Furthermore,the dynamic response characteristics under slug flow condition are maximum;the maximum pipe deformation and equivalent stress can reach 4mm and 17.5 MPa,respectively.The principal direction of total deformation is different under various flow patterns.Therefore,the periodic equivalent stress will form the cyclic impact on the pipe wall and affect the fatigue life of the horizontal pipe.The present study may serve as a reference for FSI simulation under gas-liquid two-phase transport conditions.

Comparison of One-Dimensional Analysis with Experiment for CO₂Two-Phase Nozzle Flow

The aim of this study is to investigate CO2 two-phase nozzle flow in terms of both experimental and analytical aspects for the optimum design of two-phase flow nozzle of CO2 two-phase flow ejector. In the experiment, it is measured that the temperature profile in the stream-wise direction of a divergent-convergent nozzle through which CO2 in the supercritical pressure condition is blown down into the atmosphere. In the analysis, a one-dimensional model which assumes steady, adiabatic, frictionless, and equilibrium is proposed. In the convergent part of the nozzle the flow is treated as single-phase flow of liquid, whereas in the divergent part the flow is treated as separated two-phase flow with saturated condition. The analytical results indicate that the temperature and the pressure decrease rapidly in the divergent part, and the void fraction increases immediately near the throat. Although this analysis is quite simple, the analytical results can follow the experimental results well within this study.

Effects of channel wall wettability on gas-liquid dynamics mass transfer under Taylor flow in a serpentine microchannel

The wall wettability of microchannels plays an important role in the gas-liquid mass transfer dynamics under Taylor flow.In this study,we regulated the contact angle of the wall surface through surface chemical grafting polymerization under controlled experimental conditions.The dynamic changes of CO_(2)bubbles flowing along the microchannel were captured by a high-speed video camera mounted on a stereo microscope,whilst a unit cell model was employed to theoretically investigate the gas-liquid mass transfer dynamics.We quantitatively characterized the effects of wall wettability,specifically the contact angle,on the formation mechanism of gas bubbles and mass transfer process experimentally.The results revealed that the gas bubble velocity,the overall volumetric liquid phase mass transfer coefficients(kLa),and the specific interfacial area(a)all increased with the increase of the contact angle.Conversely,gas bubble length and leakage flow decreased.Furthermore,we proposed a new modified model to predict the gas-liquid two-phase mass transfer performance,based on van Baten’s and Yao’s models.Our proposed model was observed to agree reasonably well with experimental observations.

A Pressure-Drop Model for Oil-Gas Two-Phase Flow in Horizontal Pipes

The accurate prediction of the pressure distribution of highly viscous fluids in wellbores and pipelines is of great significance for heavy oil production and transportation.The flow behavior of high-viscosity fluids is quite different with respect to that of low-viscosity fluids.Currently,the performances of existing pressure-drop models seem to be relatively limited when they are applied to high-viscosity fluids.In this study,a gas-liquid two-phase flow experiment has been carried out using a 60 mm ID horizontal pipe with air and white oil.The experimental results indicate that viscosity exerts a significant influence on the liquid holdup and pressure drop.At the same gas and liquid volume,both the liquid holdup and pressure drop increase with an increase in the viscosity.Combining two existing models,a modified pressure drop method is developed,which is applicable to horizontal pipes for different viscosities and does not depend on the flow pattern.This new method displays a high accuracy in predicting the new experimental data presented here and other published data in literature.

Numerical Investigation on Flow Pattern of Air-Oil with Different Viscosities Lubrication

In the present work, the performance of oil-air two-phase flow under different lubricant oils was investigated. The simulation method was applied to study the influence of the oil viscosity on the flow pattern, velocity distribution and Re number in oil-air lubrication by FLUENT software with VOF model to acquire the working performance of oil-air lubrication for high-speed ball bearing. This method was used to obtain the optimum lubrication conditions of high-speed ball bearing. The optimum operating conditions that produce the optimum flow pattern were provided. The optimum annular flow was obtained by PAO6 oil with the low viscosity. Reynolds number influences the fluid shape and distribution of oil and air in pipe. The annular flow can be formed when Reynolds number is an appropriate value. The velocity distribution of oil-air two-phase flow at outlet was also discussed by different oil viscosities. The simulating results show that due to the effect of the oil viscosity and flow pattern the velocity decreased and expanded gradually close to the pipe wall, and the velocity increased close to the central pipe. The simulation results provide the proposal for the design and operation of oil-air two-phase flow lubrication experiments in the present work. This work provides a useful method in designing oil-air lubrication with the optimum flow pattern and the optimum operating conditions.

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.

A New Distribution Method for Wet Steam Injection Optimization

A new approach and a new related distribution system are proposed to address the issue of uneven steam injection caused by the different suction capacities of the used wells during the application of steam“stimulation”methods for enhanced oil recovery.The new distribution system consists of a swirler,spiral dividing baffles,and critical flow nozzles.Numerical simulations are used to analyze the flow-field and degree of steam homogeneity obtained with such an approach.The results indicate that a higher inlet pressure leads to better results.Additionally,the internal flow field becomes more stable,and the deviation from an even distribution reduces to±4.0%even when the resistance of each branch is inconsistent.Furthermore,field tests have yielded satisfactory results.

Experimental Investigation of Vibration Response of A Free-Hanging Flexible Riser Induced by Internal Gas-Liquid Slug Flow

The vibration response of a free-hanging flexible riser induced by internal gas-liquid slug flow was studied experimentally in a small-diameter tube model based on Froude number criterion. The flow regime in a curved riser model and the response displacements of the riser were simultaneously recorded by high speed cameras. The gas superficial velocity ranges from 0.1 m/s to 0.6 m/s while the liquid superficial velocity from 0.06 m/s to 0.3 m/s.Severe slugging type 3, unstable oscillation flow and relatively stable slug flow were observed in the considered flow rates. Severe slugging type 3 characterized by premature gas penetration occurs at relatively low flow rates. Both the cycle time and slug length become shorter as the gas flow rate increases. The pressure at the riser base undergoes a longer period and larger amplitude of fluctuation as compared with the other two flow regimes. Additionally, severe slugging leads to the most vigorous in-plane vibration. However, the responses in the vertical and horizontal directions are not synchronized. The vertical vibration is dominated by the second mode while the horizontal vibration is dominated by the first mode. Similar to the vortex-induced vibration, three branches are identified as initial branch, build-up branch and descending branch for the response versus the mixture velocity of gas-liquid flow.

Characteristics of lubrication at nanoscale in two-phase fluid system

Thin film lubrication (TFL) is a condition in which the lubricating features between two surfaces in relative motion are determined by the combination of the properties of the surfaces and the lubricant and viscosity of the lubricant. The effects imposed by couple stress on lubrication characteristics cannot be disregarded in this regime where the ordered molecules dominate the fluid field. There are different tensor measures and constitutive equations in this case other than Newtonian case. The lubrication of two-phase (solid phase and liquid phase) fluid is investigated in this paper. The existence of couple stress will enhance the lubricant viscosity and hence increase the film thickness and improve the load-carrying capability. Size-dependent effects can be seen in the lubrication with couple stress, and the thinner the lubricating film is, the more obvious the effect will be.

ANALYSIS OF A COMPRESSIBLE GAS-LIQUID MODEL MOTIVATED BY OIL WELL CONTROL OPERATIONS

We are interested in a viscous two-phase gas-liquid mixture model relevant for modeling of well control operations within the petroleum industry. We focus on a simplified mixture model and provide an existence result within an appropriate class of weak solutions. We demonstrate that upper and lower limits can be obtained for the gas and liquid masses which ensure that transition to single-phase regions do not occur. This is used together with appropriate a prior estimates to obtain convergence to a weak solution for a sequence of approximate solutions corresponding to mollified initial data. Moreover, by imposing an additional regularity condition on the initial masses, a uniqueness result is obtained. The framework herein seems useful for further investigations of more realistic versions of the gas-liquid model that take into account different flow regimes.

Experimental study on two-phase gas-liquid flow patterns at normal and reduced gravity conditions

Experimental studies have been performed for horizontal two-phase air-water flows at nor-mal and reduced gravity conditions in a square cross-section channel. The experiments at reducedgravity are conducted on board the Russian IL-76 reduced gravity airplane. Four flow patterns, namelybubble, slug, slug-annular transition and annular flows, are observed depending on the liquid and gassuperficial velocities at both conditions. Semi-theoretical Weber number model is developed to includethe shape influence on the slug-annular transition. It is shown that its prediction is in reasonable agree-ment with the experimental slug-annular transition under both conditions. For the case of two-phasegas-liquid flow with large value of the Froude number, the drift-flux model can predict well the observedboundary between bubble and slug flows.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON GAS-LIQUID TWO-PHASE FLOWS IN AN AREATION TANK BY USING IMAGE TREATMENT METHOD

Particle Image Velocimetry （PIV） technique was employed to study experimentally gas-liquid two-phase flow in an aeration tank. In terms of the PIV principles, an algorithm of PIV based on the Fast Fourier Transformation （FFT） was worked out. The PIV program was developed and verified, and then was used to measure three kinds of states in the testing device. The program was also used to calculate and analyze the related parameters. The experimental data indicate that the bubbles in testing device have the longest resident time and stronger turbulent intensity for the gas-liquid two-phase flow in a special case （Case 3）, resulting in great increase of the oxygen transferring speed and efficiency, whereby providing the basis for the selection design of aeration tank.

Miniaturization of Bubbles by Shock Waves in Gas-Liquid Two-phase Flow in the Venturi Tube

Fine bubbles have been widely applied in many fields such as industry,medical engineering and agricultures.Therefore,many attentions have been paid to the study of fine bubble generations in order to increase the yield while decrease the cost.However,the generation process of fine bubbles is a quite complicated process in which multiple hydrodynamic forces are interacted in the gas-liquid two-phase flow.Many studies focus on the techniques of the converging-diverging nozzle(venturi tube)generator,which is famous for its simple and cheap features,and generates fine bubbles by using the miniaturization phenomenon of bubbles occurring in the venturi tube.However,the impact conditions on the amount and size of bubbles such as nozzle geometry and bleed air haven’t been investigated clearly.In this work,we implement many experiments on the venturi tube fine bubble generators with different geometries and generating conditions,and evaluate different factors impacting the production components such as the volume and the bubble size.The experimental results show that the supersonic flow filed in the venturi tube promotes the miniaturization of the bubbles,and the convergent angle of the nozzle and air bleed have a great impact on the size and volume of bubbles.

Experimental Analysis of the Flow Characteristics of an Adjustable Critical-Flow Venturi Nozzle

The response of an adjustable critical-flow Venturi nozzle is investigated through a set indoor experiments aimed to determine the related critical flow rate,critical pressure ratio,and discharge coefficient.The effect of a variation in the cone displacement and liquid content on the critical flow characteristics is examined in detail and it is shown that the former can be used to effectively adjust the critical flow rate.The critical pressure ratio of the considered nozzle is above 0.85,and the critical flow control deviation of the gas flow is within±3%.Liquid flow can reduce the gas critical mass flow rate accordingly,especially for the cases with larger liquid volume and lower inlet pressure.The set of results and conclusions provided are intended to support the optimization of steam injection techniques in the context of heavy oil recovery processes.