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.

INFLUENCE OF SURFACTANT ON TWO-PHASE FLOW REGIME AND PRESSURE DROP IN UPWARD INCLINED PIPES

The influence of a surfactant on the two-phase flow regime and the pressure drop in upward inclined pipes is investigated for various gas/liquid flow rates.The air/water and air/100 ppm sodium dodecyl sulphate aqueous solution are used as the working fluids.The influence of the surfactant on the two-phase flow regime in upward inclined pipes is investigated using the electrical tomographic technique.For 0o,2.5o and 5o pipe inclinations,the surfactant has obvious effect on the transition from the stratified wavy flow to the annular flow,and the range of the stratified smooth flow regime is also extended to higher gas velocities.For 10o pipe inclination,no stratified flow regime is observed in the air/water flow.In the air/surfactant solution system,however,the stratified flow regime can be found in the range of and.For all inclination angles,the changes of the pressure gradient characteristics are accompanied with the flow pattern transitions.Adding surfactant in a two-phase flow would reduce the pressure gradient significantly in the slug flow and annular flow regimes.In the annular flow regime,the pressure gradient gradually becomes free of the influence of the upward inclined angle,and is only dependent on the property of the two-phase flow.

Flow Regime Identification of Gas-liquid Two-phase Flow Based on HHT

A new method to identify flow regime in two-phase flow was presented, based on signal processing of differential pressure using Hilbert Huang transform （HHT）. Signals obtained from a Venturi meter were decomposed into different intrinsic mode functions （IMFs） with HHT, then the energy fraction of each intrinsic mode and the mean value of residual function were calculated, from which the rules of flow regime identification were summarized. Experiments were carried out on two-phase flow in the horizontal tubes with 50mm and 40mm inner diameter, while water flowrate was in the range of 1.3m^3.h^-1 to 10.5m^3.h^-1, oil flowrate was from 4.2m^3.h^-1 to 7.0m^3.h^-1 and gas flowrate from 0 to 15m^3.h^-1. The results show that the proposed rules have high precision for single phase, bubbly, and slug, plug flow regirne identification, which are independent of not only properties of two-phase fluid. In addition, the method can meet the need of industrial application because of its simple calculation.

Pressure Drop of Liquid–Solid Two-Phase Flow in the Vertical Tube Bundle of a Cold-Model Circulating Fluidized Bed Evaporator

A cold-model vertical multi-tube circulating fluidized bed evaporator was designed and built to conduct a visualization study on the pressure drop of a liquid–solid two-phase flow and the corresponding particle distribution.Water and polyformaldehyde particle(POM)were used as the liquid and solid phases,respectively.The effects of operating parameters such as the amount of added particles,circulating flow rate,and particle size were systematically investigated.The results showed that the addition of the particles increased the pressure drop in the vertical tube bundle.The maximum pressure drop ratios were 18.65%,21.15%,18.00%,and 21.15%within the experimental range of the amount of added particles for POM1,POM2,POM3,and POM4,respectively.The pressure drop ratio basically decreased with the increase in the circulating flow rate but fluctuated with the increase in the amount of added particles and particle size.The difference in pressure drop ratio decreased with the increase in the circulating flow rate.As the amount of added particles increased,the difference in pressure drop ratio fluctuated at low circulating flow rate but basically decreased at high circulating flow rate.The pressure drop in the vertical tube bundle accounted for about 70%of the overall pressure drop in the up-flow heating chamber and was the main component of the overall pressure within the experimental range.Three-dimensional phase diagrams were established to display the variation ranges of the pressure drop and pressure drop ratio in the vertical tube bundle corresponding to the operating parameters.The research results can provide some reference for the application of the fluidized bed heat transfer technology in the industry.

Flow characteristics and regime transition of aqueous foams in porous media over a wide range of quality,velocity,and surfactant concentration

Aqueous foam is broadly applicable to enhanced oil recovery(EOR).The rheology of foam as a function of foam quality,gas and liquid velocities,and surfactant concentration constitute the foundation of its application.The great variations of the above factors can affect the effectiveness of N2 foam in EOR continuously in complex formations,which is rarely involved in previous relevant studies.This paper presents an experimental study of foam flow in porous media by injecting pre-generated N2 foam into a sand pack under the conditions of considering a wide range of gas and liquid velocities and surfactant concentrations.The results show that in a wide range of gas and liquid velocities,the pressure gradient contours are L-shaped near the coordinate axes,but V-shaped in other regions.And the surfactant concentration is a strong factor influencing the trend of pressure gradient contours.Foam flow resistance is very sensitive to the surfactant concentration in both the high-and low-foam quality regime,especially when the surfactant concentration is less than CMC.The foam quality is an important variable to the flow resistance obtained.There exists a transition point from low-to high-quality regime in a particular flow system,where has the maximum flow resistance,the corresponding foam quality is called transition foam quality,which increases as the surfactant concentration increases.The results can add to our knowledge base of foam rheology in porous media,and can provide a strong basis for the field application of foams.

Flow pattern and pressure drop of gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow in a horizontal pipe

The gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow can increase the gas-liquid two-phase contact area and enhance the heat and mass transfer efficiency between gas and liquid.The swirl flow has important practical application value for promoting gas hydrate formation and ensuring the flow safe of natural gas hydrate slurry.The experimental section was made of plexiglass pipe and the experimental medium was air and water.The flow pattern of the gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow in the horizontal pipe was divided,according to a high-definition camera and the overall characteristics of the gas-liquid interface.The flow pattern map of the gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow in a horizontal pipe was studied.The influence of the flow velocity and vane parameters on pressure drop was investigated.Two types of gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow pressure drop models was established.The homogeneous-phase and split-phase pressure drop models have good prediction on swirl bubble flow,swirl dispersed flow,swirl annular flow and swirl stratified flow,and the predictive error band is not more than 20%.

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.

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.

A Model for Predicting Holdup and Pressure Drop in Gas- Liquid Stratified Flow

The time-dependent liquid film thickness and pressure drop were measured by using parallel-wire conductance probes and capacitance differential-pressure transducers. Applying the eddy viscosity theory and an appropriate correlation of interfacial sear stress,a new two-dimensional separated model of holdup and pressure drop of turbulent/turbulent gas-liquid stratified flow was presented. Prediction results agreed well with experimental data.

Experimental study and correlation development for the two-phase frictional pressure drop of flow boiling in copper foam fin microchannels

Flow boiling in microchannels with porous walls has received extensive attention in recent years. Compared with the emphasis on heat transfer, there is a lack of research on the effect of the porous wall structures on the pressure drop characteristics. In this study, systematic experiments are performed to measure the pressure drop of water-vapor two-phase flow in five microchannels with copper foam fins, which consist of nine or six channels and fins of copper foam. The porosities of the foam fins range from0.78 to 0.82 and ratios of fin width to channel width range from 0.5 to 2. The channels are approximately 0.5 or 1 mm in width and 1 mm in height. Both adiabatic and flow boiling experiments are conducted with water at mass fluxes ranging from 66 to 407 kg/(m^(2)s). In the adiabatic experiments, the average quality in channels is between 0.017 and 0.846. In the flow boiling experiments, the outlet quality of channels is between 0.040 and 0.863. Slug flow, churn flow, annular flow, and wispy-annular flow are observed in adiabatic experiments. A two-phase frictional pressure drop correlation based on the Lockhart-Martinelli model is developed for copper foam fin microchannels by introducing the effects of the mass flux, porosity, ratio of fin width to channel width, and heating condition step by step. The mean absolute percentage errors of the new correlation are 7.53% for 325data points under adiabatic conditions and 5.51% for 268 data points under flow boiling conditions, respectively. This work provides insight into the correlations of frictional pressure drop in microchannels with porous walls.

Numerical Investigation of Two-Phase Flow through a T-Junction Microchannel Reactor

Recently, microreactors have become available to be fabricated and used safely. The performance of these microreactors depends on the behavior of the multiphase flow hydrodynamics. Gas-liquid flow through T-junction microchannel reactor is simulated numerically using VOF （volume of fluid） method. 2-D （Two-dimensional） and 3-D （three-dimensional） models of the T-junction microchannel reactor were introduced to the simulations. Both 2-D and 3-D simulations for nitrogen-water flow were performed in the FLUENT （Fluent. Inc.） computational fluid dynamics package. The third direction effect has been studied by comparing the results of the 2-D and 3-D simulations with the published experimental data. Also, the bubble slug length was calculated for the 2-D and 3-D simulations. Furthermore, the hydrodynamics of the flow was studied for the 2-D and 3-D simulations, and compared with other experimental data. The pressure drop, mean bubble velocity, the velocity distribution and the void fraction were calculated and found to be in good agreement with published data.

MaI-Uniformity of Two-Phase Flow Distribution in Merged Pipe Distributor under Different Outlet Channel Length

Two-phase flow distributions in the merged pipe distributor have still remained mal-uniformity problem and the causes have not clearly discovered yet. Therefore, the enhancement study is needed, absolutely. The experimental was carried out upon the distributor constructed by acrylics resembling merged triple pipe, 8 mm in diameter of inlet channel and two set 5 mm in diameter of each outlet channel, set horizontally sideways. Three flow patterns were fed, i.e., bubble, slug and stratified flow, observed via high speed video camera. The pressure distribution was measured by series of U-tube water gauge manometer. The flow patterns, phase distribution and pressure drop were analyzed by CFD software, validated by experimental data and compared by existing correlation, analytically. The experiment is extended by modeling, in order to vary three inclinations of distributor： horizontally, 45° and vertically up-ward as well as to vary three outlet channel lengths with length ratio lc/dc： 3.2, 10 and 70. It was revealed that the two-phase flow distribution tends to be mal-uniform and to transform to different flow pattern in outlet channels. These are promoted by different： outlet channel length, feeding two-phase flow pattern in inlet distributor and inclination angle. The changing of flow pattern is driven by fluctuating velocity in both upper and lower outlet channel.

Experimental study on prediction model of wet gas pressure drop across single-orifice plate in horizontal pipes in the low gas phase Froude number region

The pressure drop prediction of wet gas across single-orifice plate in horizontal pipes had been solved satisfactorily under an annular-mist flow in the upstream of orifice plates.However,this pressure drop prediction is still not clearly determined when the upstream is in an intermittent flow or stratified flow,which is corresponding to a region of low FrG(gas phase Froude number)in the flow pattern map of wet gases.In this study,the wet gas pressure drop across a single-orifice plate was experimentally investigated in the low FrG region.By the experiment,the flow pattern transition in the downstream of single-orifice plates,as well as the effects of FrG and FrL(liquid phase Froude number)on UG(gas phase multiplier),were determined and compared when the upstream is in the flow pattern transition and the stratified flow region,respectively.Prediction performances were examined on the available pressure drop models.It was found that no model could be capable of jointly predicting the wet gas pressure drop in the low FrG region with an acceptable accuracy.With a new method of correlating FrG and FrL simultaneously,new correlations were proposed for the low FrG region.Among which the modified Chisholm model shows the best prediction accuracies,with the prediction deviations of UG being within 7%and 3%when the upstream is in flow pattern transition and stratified flow region,respectively.

The Relation between the Coefficient of Friction and Pressure Drop by Using the Different Reynolds Number in a Circular Tube

This study explains the relationship between friction coefficient and pressure change at a range of Reynolds (21,056 - 28,574) and (0 - 1.4) solid loading ratio of two-phase flow (gas-solid) inside a circular copper pipe by using laboratory apparatus and solving the equations mathematically. An experimentally relationship of friction coefficient and pressure change with Reynolds number and flow velocity obtained also the relationship between the Solid loading ratio with friction coefficient and pressure change has been done for a Limit range of Reynolds number. It was noticed that the increase in friction coefficient and pressure change for two-phase flow was occurred when solid loading ratio increased. Also the relationship between pressure change and Reynolds number was direct proportion while the relationship between friction coefficient and Reynolds Number was inversely related.

A lattice Boltzmann exploration of two-phase displacement in 2D porous media under various pressure boundary conditions

While experimental designs developed in recent decades have contributed to research on dynamic nonequilibrium effects in transient two-phase flow in porous media,this problem has been seldom investigated using direct numerical simulation(DNS).Only a few studies have sought to numerically solve Navier—Stokes equations with level-set(LS)or volume-of-fluid(VoF)methods,each of which has constraints in terms of meniscus dynamics for various flow velocities in the control volume(CV)domain.The Shan—Chen multiphase multicomponent lattice Boltzmann method(SC-LBM)has a fundamental mechanism to separate immiscible fluid phases in the density domain without these limitations.Therefore,this study applied it to explore two-phase displacement in a single representative elementary volume(REV)of two-dimensional(2D)porous media.As a continuation of a previous investigation into one-step inflow/outflow in 2D porous media,this work seeks to identify dynamic nonequilibrium effects on capillary pressure—saturation relationship(P_(c)—S)for quasi-steady-state flow and multistep inflow/outflow under various pressure boundary conditions.The simulation outcomes show that P_(c),S and specific interfacial area(a_(nw))had multistep-wise dynamic effects corresponding to the multistep-wise pressure boundary conditions.With finer adjustments to the increase in pressure over more steps,dynamic nonequilibrium effects were significantly alleviated and even finally disappeared to achieve quasisteady-state inflow/outflow conditions.Furthermore,triangular wave-formed pressure boundary conditions were applied in different periods to investigate dynamic nonequilibrium effects for hysteretical Pc—S.The results showed overshoot and undershoot of P_(c)to S in loops of the nonequilibrium hysteresis.In addition,the flow regimes of multistep-wise dynamic effects were analyzed in terms of Reynolds and capillary numbers(Re and Ca).The analysis of REV-scale flow regimes showed higher Re(1<Re<10)for more significant dynamic nonequilibrium effects.This indicates that inertia is critical for transient twophase flow in porous media under dynamic nonequilibrium conditions.

Two-phase flow distributors for fuel cell flow channels

All existing proton exchange membrane （PEM） fuel cell gas flow fields have been designed on the basis of single-phase gas flow distribution. The presence of liquid water in the flow causes non-uniform gas distribution, leading to poor cell performance. This paper demonstrates that a gas flow restrictor/distributor, as is commonly used in two-phase flow to stabilize multiphase transport lines and multiphase reactors, can improve the gas flow distribution by significantly reducing gas real-distribution caused by either non-uniform water formation in parallel flow channels or flow instability associated with negative-slope pressure drop characteristic of two-phase horizontal flow systems.

Improving Existing Drainage and Gas Recovery Technologies: An Experimental Study on the Wellbore Flow in a Horizontal Well

With the increasing number of horizontal wells with low pressure,low yield,and water production,the phenomenon of water and liquid accumulation in gas wells is becoming progressively more serious.In order to fix these issues,it is necessary to improve existing drainage and gas recovery technologies,increase the fluid carrying capacity of these wells,and ensure that the bottom-hole airflow has enough energy to transport the liquid to the wellhead.Among the many techniques of drainage and gas recovery,the gas lift has recently become a popular method.In the present study,through the simulation of the entire horizontal well,the flow regularity of the whole wellbore during the lift of low-pressure gas has been analyzed.The pressure distribution,liquid holdup rate,flow pattern,and energy loss(including gravity loss and friction loss)have been determined using the Beggs-brill approach.It has been found that the total pressure drop of the wellbore decreases first and increases gradually after reaching a minimum value when gas extraction is carried out via gas lift.Based on the analysis of the influence of the injection volume on wellbore pressure drop and the influence of flow pattern on the lifting efficiency,the optimal gas-lift injection parameters have been determined by taking the minimum pressure loss of wellbore as the judgment criterion.

A Model of Turbulent-Laminar Gas-Liquid Stratified Flow

The time-dependent liquid film thickness and pressure drop are measured by using parallel-wire conduc tance probes and capacitance differential-pressure transducer. A mathematical model with iterative procedure to calculate holdup and pressure drop in horizontal and inclined gas-liquid stratified flow is developed. The predictions agree well with over a hundred experimental data in 0.024 and 0.04 m diameter pipelines.

Effect of perforation density distribution on production of perforated horizontal wellbore

To address the issue of horizontal well production affected by the distribution of perforation density in the wellbore,a numerical model for simulating two-phase flow in a horizontal well is established under two perforation density distribution conditions(i.e.increasing the perforation density at inlet and outlet sections respectively).The simulation results are compared with experimental results to verify the reliability of the numerical simulation method.The behaviors of the total pressure drop,superficial velocity of air-water two-phase flow,void fraction,liquid film thickness,air production and liquid production that occur with various flow patterns are investigated under two perforation density distribution conditions based on the numerical model.The total pressure drop,superficial velocity of the mixture and void fraction increase with the air flow rate when the water flow rate is constant.The liquid film thickness decreases when the air flow rate increases.The liquid and air productions increase when the perforation density increases at the inlet section compared with increasing the perforation density at the outlet section of the perforated horizontal wellbore.It is noted that the air production increases with the air flow rate.Liquid production increases with the bubble flow and begins to decrease at the transition point of the slug-stratified flow,then increases through the stratified wave flow.The normalized liquid flux is higher when the perforation density increases at the inlet section,and increases with the radial air flow rate.

Flow-regime transitions in fluidized beds of non-spherical particles

Fluidized beds frequently involve non-spherical particles, especially if biomass is present. For spheri- cal particles, numerous experimental investigations have been reported in the literature. In contrast, complex-shaped particles have received much less attention. There is a lack of understanding of how par- ticle shape influences flow-regime transitions. In this study, differently shaped Geldart group D particles are experimentally examined. Bed height, pressure drop, and their respective fluctuations are analyzed. With increasing deviation of particle shape from spheres, differences in flow-regime transitions occur with a tendency for the bed to form channels instead of undergoing smooth fluidization. The correlations available in the literature for spherical particles are limited in their applicability when used to predict regime changes for complex-shaped particles. Hence, based on existing correlations, improvements are derived.