Quantitative research of the liquid film characteristics in upward vertical gas, oil and water flows

The study of liquid film characteristics in multiphase flow is a very important research topic, however,the characteristics of the liquid film around Taylor bubble structure in gas, oil and water three-phase flow are not clear. In the present study, a novel liquid film sensor is applied to measure the distributed signals of the liquid film in three-phase flow. Based on the liquid film signals, the liquid film characteristics including the structural characteristics and the nonlinear dynamics characteristics in three-phase flows are investigated for the first time. The structural characteristics including the proportion, the appearance frequency and the thickness of the liquid film are obtained and the influences of the liquid and gas superficial velocities and the oil content on them are investigated. To investigate the nonlinear dynamics characteristics of the liquid film with the changing flow conditions, the entropy analysis is introduced to successfully uncover and quantify the dynamic complexity of the liquid film behavior.

Basic principles of the whole petroleum system

This paper expounds the basic principles and structures of the whole petroleum system to reveal the pattern of conventional oil/gas-tight oil/gas-shale oil/gas sequential accumulation and the hydrocarbon accumulation models and mechanisms of the whole petroleum system.It delineates the geological model,flow model,and production mechanism of shale and tight reservoirs,and proposes future research orientations.The main structure of the whole petroleum system includes three fluid dynamic fields,three types of oil and gas reservoirs/resources,and two types of reservoir-forming processes.Conventional oil/gas,tight oil/gas,and shale oil/gas are orderly in generation time and spatial distribution,and sequentially rational in genetic mechanism,showing the pattern of sequential accumulation.The whole petroleum system involves two categories of hydrocarbon accumulation models:hydrocarbon accumulation in the detrital basin and hydrocarbon accumulation in the carbonate basin/formation.The accumulation of unconventional oil/gas is self-containment,which is microscopically driven by the intermolecular force(van der Waals force).The unconventional oil/gas production has proved that the geological model,flow model,and production mechanism of shale and tight reservoirs represent a new and complex field that needs further study.Shale oil/gas must be the most important resource replacement for oil and gas resources of China.Future research efforts include:(1)the characteristics of the whole petroleum system in carbonate basins and the source-reservoir coupling patterns in the evolution of composite basins;(2)flow mechanisms in migration,accumulation,and production of shale oil/gas and tight oil/gas;(3)geological characteristics and enrichment of deep and ultra-deep shale oil/gas,tight oil/gas and coalbed methane;(4)resource evaluation and new generation of basin simulation technology of the whole petroleum system;(5)research on earth system-earth organic rock and fossil fuel system-whole petroleum system.

Liquid holdup measurement with double helix capacitance sensor in horizontal oil-water two-phase flow pipes

This paper presents the characteristics of a double helix capacitance sensor for measurement of the liquid holdup in horizontal oil–water two-phase flow. The finite element method is used to calculate the sensitivity field of the sensor in a pipe with 20 mm inner diameter and the effect of sensor geometry on the distribution of sensitivity field is presented. Then, a horizontal oil–water two-phase flow experiment is carried out to measure the response of the double helix capacitance sensor, in which a novel method is proposed to calibrate the liquid holdup based on three pairs of parallel-wire capacitance probes. The performance of the sensor is analyzed in terms of the flow structures detected by mini-conductance array probes.

SURFACE OIL FLOW TECHNIQUE AND LIQUID CRYSTAL THERMOGRAPHY FOR FLOW VISUALIZATION IN IMPULSE WIND TUNNELS

This paper describes flow visualization techniques employing surface oil flow and liquid crystal thermography suitable for use in impulse wind tunnels.High spatial resolution photographs of oil flow patterns and liquid crystal thermograms have been obtained within test times ranging from 7 to 500 ms and have been shown to be very useful for revealing the detailed features of 3-D separated flow.The results from oil flow patterns,liquid crystal thermograms,schlieren photographs and heat flux measurements are shown to be in good agreement.

Prediction of curved oil–water interface in horizontal pipes using modified model with dynamic contact angle

In this study,interface shapes of horizontal oil–water two-phase flow are predicted by using Young-Laplace equation model and minimum energy model.Meanwhile,the interface shapes of horizontal oil–water twophase flow in a 20 mm inner diameter pipe are measured by a novel conductance parallel-wire array probe(CPAP).It is found that,for flow conditions with low water holdup,there is a large deviation between the model-predicted interface shape and the experimentally measured one.Since the variation of pipe wetting characteristics in the process of fluid flow can lead to the changes of the contact angle between the fluid and the pipe wall,the models mentioned above are modified by considering dynamic contact angle.The results indicate that the interface shapes predicted by the modified models present a good consistence with the ones measured by CPAP.

Development and prospect of separated zone oil production technology

This article outlines the development of separated zone oil production in foreign countries,and details its development in China.According to the development process,production needs,technical characteristics and adaptability of oilfields in China,the development of separate zone oil production technology is divided into four stages:flowing well zonal oil production,mechanical recovery and water blocking,hydraulically adjustable zonal oil production,and intelligent zonal production.The principles,construction processes,adaptability,advantages and disadvantages of the technology are introduced in detail.Based on the actual production situation of the oilfields in China at present,three development directions of the technology are proposed.First,the real-time monitoring and adjustment level of separated zone oil production needs to be improved by developing downhole sensor technology and two-way communication technology between ground and downhole and enhancing full life cycle service capability and adaptability to horizontal wells.Second,an integrated platform of zonal oil production and management should be built using a digital artificial lifting system.Third,integration of injection and production should be implemented through large-scale application of zonal oil production and zonal water injection to improve matching and adjustment level between the injection and production parameters,thus making the development adjustment from"lag control"to"real-time optimization"and improving the development effect.

First Bohai Bay Oil to Flow ahead of Schedule

The first oil is expected to be pumped from the Bohai Bay off the coast of Northeast China in the third quarter of this year, says Kerr-McGee Corporation, one of the world’s biggest independent oil and gas exploration companies.This follows a decade of exploration off the Chi-

Logging response characteristics and formation process of flushed zone in the Orinoco heavy oil belt, Venezuela

The origins and logging responses of flushed zones in some blocks of Orinoco heavy oil belt, Venezuela are still unclear. To solve this issue, we examined the conventional logging, nuclear magnetic resonance logging, fluid viscosity, core analysis and oil field production data comprehensively to find out the logging responses and origins of the flushed zones. The results show that the main reason for the formation of flushed zone is surface water invasion, which leads to crude oil densification. The crude oil densification produces asphalt membrane(asphalt crust) which wraps up free water, causing special logging responses of the flushed zones. According to the different logging responses, we classified the flushed zones into two types and analyzed the formation processes of the two types of flushed zones. According to the characteristics of logging curves after water flush, we confirmed that the water flush began earlier than the reservoir accumulation.

ANALYTICAL SOLUTION OF FLOW IN INFINITE STRATIFIED OIL RESERVOIR AND ITS APPLICATION

This paper presents an analytical solution for the production function and pressure distribution function of flow in infinite stratified oil reservoir with crosflow under the condition of constant wellbore pressure (CWP condition) by Weber's integral transformation. The calculation results are shown in the form of curves and these results can be used to analyse unsteady flow test of production with CWP condition.

Automatic measurement of three-phase contact angles in pore throats based on digital images

With the help of digital image processing technology, an automatic measurement method for the three-phase contact angles in the pore throats of the microfluidic model was established using the microfluidic water flooding experiment videos as the data source. The results of the new method were verified through comparing with the manual measurement data.On this basis, the dynamic changes of the three-phase contact angles under flow conditions were clarified by the contact angles probability density curve and mean value change curve. The results show that, for water-wetting rocks, the mean value of the contact angles is acute angle during the early stage of the water flooding process, and it increases with the displacement time and becomes obtuse angle in the middle-late stage of displacement as the dominant force of oil phase gradually changes from viscous force to capillary force. The droplet flow in the remaining oil occurs in the central part of the pore throats, without three-phase contact angle. The contact angles for the porous flow and the columnar flow change slightly during the displacement and present as obtuse angles in view of mean values, which makes the remaining oil poorly movable and thus hard to be recovered. The mean value of the contact angle for the cluster flow tends to increase in the flooding process, which makes the remaining oil more difficult to be recovered. The contact angles for the membrane flow are mainly obtuse angles and reach the highest mean value in the late stage of displacement, which makes the remaining oil most difficult to be recovered. After displacement, the remaining oils under different flow regimes are just subjected to capillary force, with obtuse contact angles, and the wettability of the pore throat walls in the microfluidic model tends to be oil-wet under the action of crude oil.

FLUID FLOW SEPARATION CHARACTER ON NOVEL HYBRID JOURNAL BEARING

The influence of the structure and running parameters of a novel spiral oil wedge hybrid journal bearing on the fluid flow trace is investigated. The governing equation of the flow trace of lubricant is set up, and the simulation is carried out by using finite difference method. The results show that the lubricant flow status and end leakage quantity are greatly influenced by spiral angle,and that the rotating speed has little influence on the flow status. With advisable geometry design, the separation of lubricant between different oil wedges can be obtained, which can decrease the temperature rise effectively.

Multi-scale complexity entropy causality plane: An intrinsic measure for indicating two-phase flow structures

We extend the complexity entropy causality plane（CECP） to propose a multi-scale complexity entropy causality plane（MS-CECP） and further use the proposed method to discriminate the deterministic characteristics of different oil-in-water flows. We first take several typical time series for example to investigate the characteristic of the MS-CECP and find that the MS-CECP not only describes the continuous loss of dynamical structure with the increase of scale, but also reflects the determinacy of the system. Then we calculate the MS-CECP for the conductance fluctuating signals measured from oil–water two-phase flow loop test facility. The results indicate that the MS-CECP could be an intrinsic measure for indicating oil-in-water two-phase flow structures.

Influence of different oil feed rate on bituminous coal ignition in a full-scale tiny-oil ignition burner

To reduce oil consumption during firing-up and partial-load operation, a tiny-oil ignition burner has been recommended. Through reacting-flow experiments performed on a full-scale experimental setup, the influence of different oil flow rates on bituminous coal combustion as well as flow rates without coal feed was analyzed. The ignition burner is identical to that normally used in an 800 MWe utility boiler. Under operating conditions with flow rates of 50, 100, and 150kg/h, gas temperature distribu- tions were measured in the burner. At the equivalent measuring points at the exits of the first and second combustion chambers, these distributions remained almost unchanged under a constant coal feed rate of 4t/h. However on the burner centerline, distributions increased slightly with increasing flow rate. Different gas concentrations were measured at the center of the burner exit. For instance, the 02 concentration at the burner exit varied from 0.01% to 0.31% whereas CO concentrations were more than 10000 ppm. At the same coal feed rate of 4 t/h, burner resistances are 480, 600, and 740 Pa for oil flow rates of 50, 100, and 150 kg/h, respectively.

Research on an Arc Air-Lubricating Oil Radiator Equipped in Internal Surface of Air Intake for the Aero Engine

Due to huge-power aircraft development and more electronic devices applied onboard,high heat flow density and uneven thermal distribution are becoming new problems.One new try is adding an air-lubricating oil radiator as the secondary cooling component but there are still few reports on its research.Therefore,this paper proposes a newly-design plate-fin air-lubricating oil radiator different from tube-fin or shell-tube conventionally used in previous engine system.This radiator is arc,and equipped in internal surface of air intake.Numerical and experimental analyses were carried out on fin performance.Their results agreed well with average error of 13%on thermal resistance.Then heat and flow behaviors of oil side were presented with different structures and sizes of flowing passage.According to all research,optimized radiator is gained with fin spacing of 3.76 mm,fin thickness of 2 mm,single flowing path with width of 13 mm and gradient inlet and outlet.Its heat dissipation of 28.35 k W and pressure loss of 2.2 MPa can meet actual working requirements.The research proves an air-lubricating oil radiator with arc structure and layout mode of internal surface to be feasible,which is a new but efficient cooling scheme and can lead to an innovative but wide use in modern aircrafts.

Measurement of oil-water flow via the correlation of turbine flow meter, gamma ray densitometry and drift-flux model

The flow rate of the oil-water horizontal flow is measured by the combination of the turbine flow meter and the singlebeam gamma ray densitometry. The emphasis is placed on the effects of the pipe diameter, the oil viscosity and the slip velocity on the measurement accuracy. It is shown that the mixture flow rate measured by the turbine flow meter can meet the application requirement in the water continuous pattern（ o- w flow pattern）. In addition, by introducing the developed drift-flux model into the measurement system, the relative errors of measurements for component phase flow rates can be controlled within ±5%. Although more accurate methods for the flow rate measurement are available, the method suggested in this work is advantageous over other methods due to its simplicity for practical applications in the petroleum industry.

Effect of wettability of ceramic proppant surface in guar gum solution on the oil flow efficiency in fractures

Guar gum and its derivatives have been the most commonly used polymers to increase the viscosity of fracture fluids.Ceramic proppants are vital products for enhancing oil and gas well productivity in low-permeability reservoirs.In the last several decades,abundant studies have been found in the investigation of proppant size,shape,compositions on the fracture conductivity.However,few types of research can be found to study the proppant wettability effect on the oil and gas flow efficiency.In our research,eight experiments were conducted using traditional guar gum fracturing fluid.Results of this work indicated that ceramic proppant promotes oil flow efficiency from sandstone core samples to proppant packs and thus should promote oil well productivity.The mechanism behind this phenomenon is believed to be the formation of oil flow channels across the fracture face due to the imbibition of oil in the core onto the oil-wet surface of the proppant,promoting oil flow from the core to the fracture.After guar gum was added the results inverted,this phenomenon for water-wet proppant is believed to be increased by the viscosity of fracture fluids which increased the viscosity of water,promoting oil flow from the core to the fracture.Nevertheless,the stimulation effect of oil-wet proppant on oil flow efficiency can be reduced by the presence of guar gum solution.Inside the proppant matrix filled with guar gum fracturing fluid,oil can be blocked inside the proppant matrix as a discontinuous phase while the aqueous phase can be easily mixed with the guar gum fluid and then be transferred out.

Prediction of oil flow rate through an orifice flow meter: Artificial intelligence alternatives compared

Fluid-flow measurements of petroleum can be performed using a variety of equipment such as orifice meters and wellhead chokes.It is useful to understand the relationship between flow rate through orifice meters(Qv)and the five fluid-flow influencing input variables:pressure(P),temperature(T),viscosity(μ),square root of differential pressure(ΔP^0.5),and oil specific gravity(SG).Here we evaluate these relationships using a range of machine-learning algorithms applied to orifice meter data from a pipeline flowing from the Cheshmeh Khosh Iranian oil field.Correlation coefficients indicate that(Qv)has weak to moderate positive correlations with T,P,andμ,a strong positive correlation with theΔP^0.5,and a weak negative correlation with oil specific gravity.In order to predict the flow rate with reliable accuracy,five machine-learning algorithms are applied to a dataset of 1037 data records(830 used for algorithm training;207 used for testing)with the full input variable values for the data set provided.The algorithms evaluated are:Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System(ANFIS),Least Squares Support Vector Machine(LSSVM),Radial Basis Function(RBF),Multilayer Perceptron(MLP),and Gene expression programming(GEP).The prediction performance analysis reveals that all of the applied methods provide predictions at acceptable levels of accuracy.The MLP algorithm achieves the most accurate predictions of orifice meter flow rates for the dataset studied.GEP and RBF also achieve high levels of accuracy.ANFIS and LSSVM perform less well,particularly in the lower flow rate range(i.e.,<40,000 stb/day).Some machine learning algorithms have the potential to overcome the limitations of idealized streamline analysis applying the Bernoulli equation when predicting flow rate across an orifice meter,particularly at low flow rates and in turbulent flow conditions.Further studies on additional datasets are required to confirm this.

Remaining useful life prediction based on the Wiener process for an aviation axial piston pump

An aviation hydraulic axial piston pump＇s degradation fiom comprehensive wear is a typical gradual failure model. Accurate wear prediction is difficult as random and uncertain char- acteristics must be factored into the estimation. The internal wear status of the axial piston pump is characterized by the return oil flow based on fault mechanism analysis of the main frictional pairs in the pump. The performance degradation model is described by the Wiener process to predict the remaining useful life （RUL） of the pump. Maximum likelihood estimation （MLE） is performed by utilizing the expectation maximization （EM） algorithm to estimate the initial parameters of the Wiener process while recursive estimation is conducted utilizing the Kalman filter method to estimate the drift coefficient of the Wiener process. The RUL of the pump is then calculated accord- ing to the performance degradation model based on the Wiener process. Experimental results indi- cate that the return oil flow is a suitable characteristic for reflecting the internal wear status of the axial piston pump, and thus the Wiener process-based method may effectively predicate the RUL of the pump.

Numerical Investigation of Flow Separation Control on a Highly Loaded Compressor Cascade by Plasma Aerodynamic Actuation

To discover the characteristic of separated flows and mechanism of plasma flow control on a highly loaded compressor cascade, numerical investigation is conducted. The simulation method is validated by oil flow visualization and pressure distribution. The loss coefficients, streamline patterns, and topology structure as well as vortex structure are analyzed. Results show that the numbers of singular points increase and three pairs of additional singular points of topology structure on solid surface generate with the increase of angle of attack, and the total pressure loss increases greatly. There are several principal vortices inside the cascade passage. The pressure side leg of horse-shoe vortex coexists within a specific region together with passage vortex, but finally merges into the latter. Corner vortex exists independently and does not evolve from the suction side leg of horse-shoe vortex. One pair of radial coupling-vortex exists near blade trailing edge and becomes the main part of backflow on the suction surface. Passage vortex interacts with the concentrated shedding vortex and they evolve into a large-scale vortex rotating in the direction opposite to passage vortex. The singular points and separation lines represent the basic separation feature of cascade passage. Plasma actuation has better effect at low freestream velocity, and the relative reductions of pitch-averaged total pressure loss coefficient with different actuation layouts of five and two pairs of electrodes are up to 30.8% and 26.7% while the angle of attack is 2~. Plasma actuation changes the local topology structure, but does not change the number relation of singular points. One pair of additional singular point of topology structure generates with plasma actuation and one more reattachment line appears, both of which break the separation line on the suction surface.