Non-Newtonian Two-Phase Flow Characteristics across Sudden Expansion in Horizontal Rectangular Minichannel

In the present paper, in order to clarity the effects of non-Newtonian liquid properties on the flow, similar experiments have been conducted for that of 0.4 wt% polyacrylamide (PAM) aqueous solutions as the working liquid, and air as the working gas. Liquid single-phase and air-liquid two-phase flow experiments were conducted at room temperature using the horizontal rectangular mini-channel with a sudden expansion. The cross-sectional dimensions of the narrow channel upstream from the sudden expansion were 2.79 mm, 3.09 mm and 2.94 mm in the height (H), the width (W) and the hydraulic diameter (DH), while those for the wide channel were 2.95 mm, 5.98 mm and 3.95 mm. The pressure distributions in the channels upstream and downstream from the expansion were measured with calibrated pressure transducer to determine the pressure change due to the expansion. The flow pattern, the bubble velocity, the bubble length, and the void fraction were measured with a high-speed video camera. The flow pattern map is drawn from the observed flow pattern, i.e., bubble flow, slug flow and annular flow in both the wide and the narrow channels. The bubble length data were compared with the calculation by the scaling law proposed by Kanezaki et al. and Kawahara et al. The pressure change data at the expansion were compared with our previous data together with several correlations in literature. Results of such experiment and comparisons are reported in the present paper.

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

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

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

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

Flow Field Characteristics of Multi-Trophic Artificial Reef Based on Computation Fluid Dynamics

On the basis of computational fluid dynamics,the flow field characteristics of multi-trophic artificial reefs,including the flow field distribution features of a single reef under three different velocities and the effect of spacing between reefs on flow scale and the flow state,were analyzed.Results indicate upwelling,slow flow,and eddy around a single reef.Maximum velocity,height,and volume of upwelling in front of a single reef were positively correlated with inflow velocity.The length and volume of slow flow increased with the increase in inflow velocity.Eddies were present both inside and backward,and vorticity was positively correlated with inflow velocity.Space between reefs had a minor influence on the maximum velocity and height of upwelling.With the increase in space from 0.5 L to 1.5 L(L is the reef lehgth),the length of slow flow in the front and back of the combined reefs increased slightly.When the space was 2.0 L,the length of the slow flow decreased.In four different spaces,eddies were present inside and at the back of each reef.The maximum vorticity was negatively correlated with space from 0.5 L to 1.5 L,but under 2.0 L space,the maximum vorticity was close to the vorticity of a single reef under the same inflow velocity.

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

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

Flow field, sedimentation, and erosion characteristics around folded linear HDPE sheet sand fence: Numerical simulation study

Wind and sand hazards are serious in the Milan Gobi area of the Xinjiang section of the Korla Railway. In order to ensure the safe operation of railroads, there is a need for wind and sand protection in heavily sandy areas. The wind and sand flow in the region is notably bi-directional. To shield railroads from sand, a unique sand fence made of folded linear high-density polyethylene(HDPE) is used, aligning with the principle that the dominant wind direction is perpendicular to the fence. This study employed field observations and numerical simulations to investigate the effectiveness of these HDPE sand fences in altering flow field distribution and offering protection. It also explored how these fences affect the deposition and erosion of sand particles. Findings revealed a significant reduction in wind speed near the fence corner;the minimum horizontal wind speed on the leeward side of the first sand fence(LSF) decreased dramatically from 3 m/s to 0.64 m/s. The vortex area on the LSF markedly impacted horizontal wind speeds. Within the LSF, sand deposition was a primary occurrence. As wind speeds increased, the deposition zone shrank, whereas the positive erosion zone expanded. Close to the folded corners of the HDPE sand fence, there was a notable shift from the positive erosion zone to a deposition zone. Field tests and numerical simulations confirmed the high windproof efficiency(WE) and sand resistance efficiency(SE) in the HDPE sand fence. Folded linear HDPE sheet sand fence can effectively slow down the incoming flow and reduce the sand content, thus achieving good wind and sand protection. This study provides essential theoretical guidance for the design and improvement of wind and sand protection systems in railroad engineering.

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

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

Effect of droplet characteristics on liquid-phase distribution in spray zone of internal mixing air-mist nozzle

In continuous casting production,droplet characteristics are important parameters for evaluating the nozzle atomization quality,and have a significant impact on the secondary cooling effect and the slab quality.In order to study the behavior of atomized droplets after reaching the slab surface and to optimize the spray cooling effect,the influence of droplet diameter and droplet velocity on the migration behavior of droplets in the secondary cooling zone was analyzed by FLUENT software.Results show that the droplets in the spray zone and on the slab surface are mainly concentrated in the center,thus,the liquid volume fraction in the center is higher than that of either side.As the droplet diameter increases,the region of high liquid volume fraction on the slab surface becomes wider,and the liquid phase distribution in the slab width direction becomes uneven.Although increasing the droplet velocity at the nozzle exit has little effect on droplet diffusion in the spray zone,the distribution becomes more uneven due to more liquid reaches the slab surface per unit time.A prediction formula of the maximum water flow rate on the slab surface for specific droplet characteristics was proposed based on dimensionless analysis and validated by simulated data.A nozzle spacing of 210 mm was recommended under the working conditions in this study,which ensures effective coverage of the spray water over the slab surface and enhances the distribution uniformity of water flow rate in the transverse direction.

Simulation and Analysis of Cascading Faults in Integrated Heat and Electricity Systems Considering Degradation Characteristics

Cascading faults have been identified as the primary cause of multiple power outages in recent years.With the emergence of integrated energy systems(IES),the conventional approach to analyzing power grid cascading faults is no longer appropriate.A cascading fault analysis method considering multi-energy coupling characteristics is of vital importance.In this study,an innovative analysis method for cascading faults in integrated heat and electricity systems(IHES)is proposed.It considers the degradation characteristics of transmission and energy supply com-ponents in the system to address the impact of component aging on cascading faults.Firstly,degradation models for the current carrying capacity of transmission lines,the water carrying capacity and insulation performance of thermal pipelines,as well as the performance of energy supply equipment during aging,are developed.Secondly,a simulation process for cascading faults in the IHES is proposed.It utilizes an overload-dominated development model to predict the propagation path of cascading faults while also considering network islanding,electric-heating rescheduling,and load shedding.The propagation of cascading faults is reflected in the form of fault chains.Finally,the results of cascading faults under different aging levels are analyzed through numerical examples,thereby verifying the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed model and method.

Study on Characteristics of a High-Precision Cold Gas Micro Thruster

In order to improve the reliability of the spacecraft micro cold gas propulsion system and realize the precise control of the spacecraft attitude and orbit, a micro-thrust, high-precision cold gas thruster is carried out, at the same time due to the design requirements of the spacecraft, this micro-thrust should be continuous working more than 60 minutes, the traditional solenoid valve used for the thrusts can’t complete the mission, so a long-life micro latching valve is developed as the control valve for this micro thruster, because the micro latching valve can keep its position when it cuts off the outage. Firstly, the authors introduced the design scheme and idea of the thruster. Secondly, the performance of the latching valve and the flow characteristics of the nozzle were simulated. Finally, from the experimental results and compared with the numerical study, it shows that the long-life micro cold gas thruster developed in this paper meets the mission requirements.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Influence of matrix physical properties on flow characteristics in dual network model

The tight oil formation develops with microfractures and matrix pores,it is important to study the influence of matrix physical properties on flow characteristics.At first,the representative fracture and matrix samples are selected respectively in the dual media,the fracture and matrix digital rocks are constructed with micro-CT scanning at different resolutions,and the corresponding fracture and matrix pore networks are extracted,respectively.Then,the modified integration method is proposed to build the dual network model containing both fracture and matrix pore-throat elements,while the geometric-topological structure equivalent matrix pores are generated to fill in the skeleton domain of fracture network,the constructed dual network could describe the geometric-topological structure characteristics of fracture and matrix pore-throat simultaneously.At last,by adjusting the matrix pore density and the matrix filling domain factor,a series of dual network models are obtained to analyze the influence of matrix physical properties on flow characteristics in dual-media.It can be seen that the matrix system contributes more to the porosity of the dual media and less to the permeability.With the decrease in matrix pore density,the porosity/permeability contributions of matrix system to dual media keep decreasing,but the decrease is not significant,the oil-water co-flow zone decreases and the irreducible water saturation increases,and the saturation interval dominated by the fluid flow in the fracture keeps increasing.With the decrease in matrix filling domain factor,the porosity/permeability contributions of matrix system to dual media decreases,the oil-water co-flow zone increases and the irreducible water saturation decreases,and the saturation interval dominated by the fluid flow in the fracture keeps increasing.The results can be used to explain the dual-media flow pattern under different matrix types and different fracture control volumes during tight oil production.

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

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