Modeling of liquid film thickness around Taylor bubbles rising in vertical stagnant and co-current slug flowing liquids

The hydrodynamic study of the liquid film around Taylor bubbles in slug flow has great significance for understanding parallel flow and interaction between Taylor bubbles.The prediction models for liquid film thickness mainly focus on stagnant flow,and some of them remain inaccurate performance.However,in the industrial process,the slug flow essentially is co-current flow.Therefore,in this paper,the liquid film thickness is studied by theoretical analysis and experimental methods under two conditions of stagnant and co-current flow.Firstly,under the condition of stagnant flow,the present work is based on Batchelor's theory,and modifies Batchelor's liquid film thickness model,which effectively improves its prediction accuracy.Under the condition of co-current flow,the prediction model of average liquid film thickness in slug flow is established by force and motion analysis.Taylor bubble length is introduced into the model as an important parameter.Dynamic experiments were carried out in the pipe with an inner diameter of 20 mm.The liquid film thickness,Taylor bubble velocity and length were measured by distributed ultrasonic sensor and intrusive cross-correlation conductivity sensor.Comparing the predicted value of the model with the measured results,the relative error is controlled within 10%.

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.

A Model on the Void Fraction in Liquid Slugs for Vertical Slug Flow

目的建立垂直上升气液两相弹状流液弹空隙度模型．方法通过考虑Ｔａｙｌｏｒ气泡与尾随液弹之间的气体交换建立垂直上升气液两相弹状流液弹空隙度模型；用实验来验证和评价模型的正确性．结果模型计算结果与本文实验数据及其它相关数据进行了比较，两者符合较好，模型计算值与实验数据的误差在±２０％以内．结论推荐的模型可以准确地预测垂直上升气液两相弹状流液弹空隙度．

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.

IMPROVED HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL OF TWO-PHASE SLUG FLOW IN VERTICAL TUBES

Merits of the Fernandes model(Fernandes et al.1983)for two-phase slug flow in verticaltubes are reviewed in this paper.While predicting many macroscopic parameters of slug flow in verti-cal tubes,it fails to present correctly the trend that the average voidage in liquid slugs increases asthe rising velocity of Taylor bubbles is increased.It is also desirable to extend its application toelectrolyte systems, and to churn flow conditions.Based on the diagnostic analysis,the model equa-tion for gas entrainment by falling liquid film is reformulated and the influence of surface tension isalso accounted for.Development of the falling liquid film is recognized in the revised model in or-der to suit the case of short Taylor bubbles as well.The modified model predicts the variation of av-erage voidage in liquid slugs in good agreement with available experimental data.

Influence of separator control on the characteristics of severe slugging flow

Due to the special structure of offshore multiphase pipes, it is easy for severe slugging to occur in the riser at low gas-liquid velocity. Violent pressure fluctuations and dramatic changes of flow rate are the main characteristics of severe slugging, leading to the risk of serious damage. In this paper, the separator control is adopted to accurately control the separator liquid level and pressure under severe slugging flow conditions. This indicates that the separator liquid level control alone does not have a significant impact on the upstream flow, but it is beneficial for normal operation and pressure control of the separator. As the separator pressure increases, the peak pressure in the riser apparently diminishes, and the amplitude of pressure fluctuation gradually decreases, which means that severe slugging is inhibited. During the slug blowing out, the gas/liquid slipping in the riser intensifies. The long gas plug quickly flows through the riser, and then tends to morph into short and slowly flowing gas bubbles. The elimination effect of the pressure control strategy on severe slugging is related to the relative rate of the superficial gas/liquid flow.

Development of Liquid Slug Length in Gas-Liquid Slug Flow along Horizontal Pipeline: Experiment and Simulation

The liquid slug length distribution is crucial for designing the downstream processing system with mul-tiphase pipeline. Experiments were conducted in a 133m long horizontal test loop. The measurements were per-formed by conductivity probes to determine the liquid slug length distribution. The data covered both the slug and plug flow regimes. From experimental results, the mean liquid slug lengths were relatively insensitive to gas and liquid flow rates in the higher mixture velocity range. But in the lower mixture velocity range, the mean liquid slug length decreased and then increased with mixture velocity. It shows that the development length of slug flow was longer than x/D=1157. A slug tracking model was adapted to study the evolution of liquid slug length distribution in a horizontal pipeline. In the present model, the wake effect of elongated bubble and the pressure drop due to accel-eration are taken into account and random slug lengths are introduced at the entrance. The results of the model are compared with the measured slug length distributions of slug flow regime. It shows that the predicted mean and maximum slug lengths are in agreement with the experimental data at x/D=1157 and the form of the slug length distributions is also predicted well by the model.

Slug Flow Characteristics in Inclined and Vertical Channels

Horizontal well production technology gradually occupies a dominant position in the petroleum field.With the rise in water production in the later stage of exploitation,slug flow phenomena will exist in horizontal,inclined and even vertical sections of gas wells.To grasp the flow law of slug flow and guide engineering practice,the flow law of slug flow at various inclination angles(30°~90°)is studied by means of the combination of laboratory experiments(including high frequency pressure data acquisition system)and finite element numerical simulation.The results reveal that because of the delay of pressure variation at the corresponding position of pipeline resulting from gas expansion,the highest point of pressure change curve corresponds not to the highest point of liquid holdup curve(pressure change lags behind 0.125 s of liquid holdup change).Thus,the delay of pressure should be highlighted in predicting slug flow using pressure parameter change;otherwise the accuracy of prediction will be affected when slug flow occurs.It is generally known that liquid holdup and pressure drop are the major factors affecting the pressure variation and stable operation of pipelines.Accordingly,the results of finite element numerical simulation and Beggs-Brill model calculation are compared with those of laboratory experiments.The numerical simulation method is applicable to predicting the pressure drop of the pipeline,while the Beggs-Brill model is more suitable for predicting the liquid holdup variation of the pipeline.The research conclusion helps reveal the slug flow law,and it is of a scientific guiding implication to the prediction method of flow parameters under slug flow pattern in the process of gas well exploitation.

Influence of slug flow on flow fields in a gas–liquid cylindrical cyclone separator:A simulation study

A simulation method for slug flow based on the VOF multiphase flow model was implemented in ANSYS?Fluent via a user-defined function(UDF)and applied to the dissipation of liquid slugs in the inlet pipe of a gas–liquid cylindrical cyclone(GLCC)separator while varying the expanding diameter ratio and angle of inclination.The dissipation of liquid slug in inlet pipe is analyzed under different expanding diameter ratios and inclination angles.In the inlet pipe,it is found that increasing expanding diameter ratio and inclination angle can reduce the liquid slug stability and enhancing the effect of gravity,which is beneficial to slug flow dissipation.In the cylinder,increasing the expanding diameter ratio can significantly reduce the liquid carrying depth of the gas phase but result in a slightly increase of the gas content in the liquid phase space.Moreover,increasing the inclination angle results in a decrease in the carrying depth of liquid in the vapor phase,but enhances gas–liquid mixing and increases the gas-carrying depth in the liquid phase.Taking into consideration the dual effects of slug dissipation in the inlet pipe and carrying capacity of gas/liquid spaces in the cylinder,the optimal expanding diameter ratio and inclination angle values can be determined.

Experimental Study and Simulation Principles of An Oil-Gas Multiphase Transportation System

Presented is an experimental study on the performance of an oil-gas multiphase transportation system, especially on the multiphase flow patterns, multiphase pumping and multiphase metering of the system. A dynamic simulation analysis is conducted to deduce simulation parameters of the system and similarity criteria under simplified conditions are obtained. The reliability and feasibility of two-phase flow experiment with oil and natural gas simulated by water and air are discussed by using the similarity criteria.

Gas-liquid-liquid slug flow and mass transfer in hydrophilic and hydrophobic microreactors

Gas-liquid-liquid three-phase slug flow was generated in both hydrophilic and hydrophobic microreactors with double T-junctions.The bubble-droplet relative movement and the local mass transfer within the continuous slug and the dispersed droplet were investigated.It was found that bubbles moved faster than droplets under low capillary number(Ca),while droplets moved faster upon the increase of Ca due to the increased inertia.For the first time,we observed that the increased viscosity of droplets fastened the droplet movement.The mass transfer in the continuous slug was dominated by convection,leading to nearly constant global mass transfer coefficient(k_(L)a);while that in the dispersed droplet was dominated by diffusion,resulting in k_(L) decreasing along the channel.Such features are analogical to the corresponding gas-liquid or liquid-liquid two-phase slug flow,but the formation of bubble-droplet clusters caused by relative movement lowered the absolute mass transfer coefficient.These results provide insights for the precise manipulation of gas-liquid-liquid slug flow in microreactors towards process optimization.

Flow Pattern and Pressure Fluctuation of Severe Slugging in Pipeline-riser System

在利用期间近海油和气体，形成严重猛击是容易的哪个能在连接水源的起床人引起大伤害并且近海平台预处理系统。严重猛击的流动模式和压力变化与 0.051 m 的内部直径在一个试验性的模拟系统被学习。严重猛击能被划分成三严重猛击政体，这被发现：我与大压力变化，在起床人的液体和气体的断断续续的流动，和液体阶段的明显的截止在低气体和液体流动评估的政体，以有非周期性的变化和不连续的液体流出和没有煤气的截止的高煤气的流动率的政体 II ，以有退化压力变化处于良好的竟技状态的高液体流动率的政体 III 相对冒泡的马厩或塞子流动。当管道的偏斜角度是 0 时。

Fluid−Structure Interaction of Two-Phase Flow Passing Through 90° Pipe Bend Under Slug Pattern Conditions

Numerical simulations of evolution characteristics of slug flow across a 90°pipe bend have been carried out to study the fluid−structure interaction response induced by internal slug flow.The two-phase flow patterns and turbulence were modelled by using the volume of fluid(VOF)model and the Realizable k−εturbulence model respectively.Firstly,validation of the CFD model was carried out and the desirable results were obtained.The different flow patterns and the time-average mean void fraction was coincident with the reported experimental data.Simulations of different cases of slug flow have been carried out to show the effects of superficial gas and liquid velocity on the evolution characteristics of slug flow.Then,a one-way coupled fluid-structure interaction framework was established to investigate the slug flow interaction with a 90°pipe bend under various superficial liquid and gas velocities.It was found that the maximum total deformation and equivalent stress increased with the increasing superficial gas velocity,while decreased with the increasing superficial liquid velocity.In addition,the total deformation and equivalent stress has obvious periodic fluctuation.Furthermore,the distribution position of maximum deformation and stress was related to the evolution of slug flow.With the increasing superficial gas velocity,the maximum total deformation was mainly located at the 90°pipe bend.But as the superficial liquid velocity increases,the maximum total deformation was mainly located in the horizontal pipe section.Consequently,the slug flow with higher superficial gas velocity will induce more serious cyclical impact on the 90°pipe bend.

Experimental Investigation of Slug Development on Horizontal Two-phase Flow

沿着 5.0 厘米标志的蛞蝓开始和随后的进化， 16m 长水平的管子试验性地被学习。界面的结构的短暂特征被沿着管子在多重地点使用液体高度的同时的大小描述。沿着管子的蛞蝓开始和进化上的表面的气体和液体速度和压力摆动的各种各样的效果被说明。蛞蝓被一个确定的过程为表面的气体速度 USG 在入口附近与液体的补充和弄空开始，这被发现 > 3.0 m · s 1 并且由有沿着为 USG 的管子的波浪结合的一个随机的过程 < 3.0 m · s 1。蛞蝓的进化被表面的气体和液体速度强烈为 USG 影响 < 3.0 m · s 1 但是微弱地为 USG 由表面的气体速度影响了 < 3.0 m · s 1。在管子入口的压力摆动的抑制显著地推迟猛击的发作，与形成的蛞蝓进一步下游地推迟了。然而，在插头的蛞蝓频率没被变化在压力摆动影响。

Void fraction measurement and calculation model of vertical upward co-current air-water slug flow

The focus of this paper is on the measurement and calculation model of void fraction for the vertical upward co-current air-water slug flow in a circular tube of 15 mm inner diameter. High-speed photography and optical probes were utilized, with water superficial velocity ranging from 0.089 to 0.65 m·s^(-1)and gas superficial velocity ranging from 0.049 to 0.65 m·s^(-1). A new void fraction model based on the local parameters was proposed, disposing the slug flow as a combination of Taylor bubbles and liquid slugs. In the Taylor bubble region, correction factors of liquid film thickness Cδand nose shape CZ*were proposed to calculate aTB. In the liquid slug region, the radial void fraction distribution profiles were obtained to calculate aLS, by employing the image processing technique based on supervised machine learning. Results showed that the void fraction proportion in Taylor bubbles occupied crucial contribution to the overall void fraction. Multiple types of void fraction predictive correlations were assessed using the present data. The performance of the Schmidt model was optimal, while some models for slug flow performed not outstanding. Additionally, a predictive correlation was correlated between the central local void fraction and the cross-sectional averaged void fraction, as a straightforward form of the void fraction calculation model. The predictive correlation showed a good agreement with the present experimental data, as well as the data of Olerni et al., indicating that the new model was effective and applicable under the slug flow conditions.

An Investigation on the Void Fraction for upward Gas-Liquid Slug Flow in Vertical Pipe

In order to investigate the influence of the entrance effect on the spatial distribution of phases, the experiments on gas-liquid two-phase slug flow in a vertical pipe of 0.03m ID were carried out by using optical probes and an EKTAPRO 1000 high speed motion analyzer. It demonstrates that the radial profile of slug flow void fraction is parabolic. Influenced by the falling liquid film, the radial profile curve of liquid slug void fraction in the wake region is also parabolic. Since fully turbulent velocity distribution is built up in the developed region,the void fraction profile in this region is the saddle type. At given superficial liquid velocity, the liquid slug void fraction increases with gas velocity. The radial profiles of liquid slug void fraction at different axial locations are all saddle curves, but void fraction is obviously high around the centerline in the entrance region. The nearer the measuring station is from the entrance, the farther the peak location is away from the wall.

An Experimental Study of the Flowrate Transients in Slug Flow

An investigation of the characteristics of flowrate transients within slug flow was conducted in a largescale outdoor testing facility.The test section consisted of a 378m long,7.62cm diameter stainless steel pipe. Air and water were used as the test fluids.The response to a change of flowrate o either phase or two phases was measured using a series of pressure transducers and differential pressure transducers.An increase or decrease in gas flowrate caused a pressure overshoot above the value at new steady state or led to a pressure undershoot to form a temporary stratified flow.Pressure waves existed in the pipeline,spreading from the entrance to the exit.The magnitude of pressure overshoot in “up-gas”transient or of pressure undershoot and period of the temporary stratified flow in “Down-gas” transient are related to the change of gas flowrate and the distance away from the entrance.In contrast,the change in liquid flowrate was accommodated by smooth transitions between the corresponding steady states,and only one obvious change was found in the slug frequency.According to experimental results,the pressure overshoot,pressure undershoot and the pressure wave propagation were analyzed,and the phenomena were explained reasonably.Some correlations for the calculation of the pressure overshoot and undershoot were proposed.

A Hydrodynamic Modei for Slug Frequency in Horizontal Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow

The prediction of slug frequency has important significance on gas-liquid two-phase flow. A hydrodynamic model was put forward to evaluate slug frequency for horizontal two-phase flow, based on the dependence of slug frequency on the frequency of unstable interfacial wave. Using air and water, experimental verification of the model was carried out in a large range of flow parameters. Six electrical probes were installed at different positions of a horizontal plexiglass pipe to detect slug frequency development. The pipe is 30 m long and its inner diameter is 24 ram. It is observed experimentally that the interracial wave frequency at the inlet is about i to 3 times the frequency of stable slug. The slug frequencies predicted by the model fit well with Tronconi (1990) model and the experimental data. The combination of the hydrodynamic model and the experimental data results in a conclusion that the frequency of equilibrium liquid slug is approximately half the minimum frequency of interfacial wave.

Investigation on the performance of a helico-axial multiphase pump under slug flow

The helico-axial multiphase pump is often used for gas-liquid mixture transportation in offshore oilfields,and slug flow is the main reason for the unstable operation of the pump.Aimed for slug flow condition,a self-designed three-stage multiphase pump is set to the object to perform unsteady simulations and fluid-structure interaction calculations,and the inlet gas void fraction(IGVF)is set from 20%to 80%.The results show that affected by the flow from the slug,the gas-liquid two-phase flow pattern in the multiphase pump changes sharply,resulting in severe fluctuations in the differential pressure,spindle torque and deformation of the multiphase pump.The gas-phase enters the first-impeller along the suction blade surface when affected by Taylor bubbles,while the second and third-stage impellers gas-phases are in the form of small air masses flow into the impeller along the pressure blade surface.The deformation trend of impeller torque,differential pressure and the main pump spindle is similar to that of trigonometric function,while the fluctuation of torque is more intense,and the shape variable of spindle increases with the inflow of liquid plug,and the maximum deformation amount increases by10.9%at high GVF relative to IGVF.

Simple Model for Gas Holdup and Liquid Velocity of Annular Photocatalytic External-Loop Airlift Reactor Under both Bubble and Developing Slug Flow

Based on the momentum conservation approach, a theoretical model was developed to predict the superficial liquid velocity, and a correlation equation was established to calculate the gas holdup of an annular external-loop airlift reactor(AELAR)in the bubble flow and developing slug flow pattern. Experiments were performed by using tap-water and silicone oil with the viscosity of 2.0 mm^2/s(2cs-SiO)and 5.0 mm^2/s(5cs-SiO)as liquid phases. The effects of liquid viscosity and flow pattern on the AELAR performance were investigated. The predictions of the proposed model were in good agreement with the experimental results of the AELAR. In addition, the comparison of the experimental results shows that the proposed model has good accuracy and could be used to predict the gas holdup and liquid velocity of an AELAR operating in bubble and developing flow pattern.