Investigating the Effect of Pipe Inclination on Two-Phase Gas-Liquid Flows Using Advanced Instrumentation

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abolore Abdulahi ◽  
Lokman A. Abdulkareem ◽  
Safa Sharaf ◽  
Mukhtar Abdulkadir ◽  
Valente Hernandez Perez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Void Fraction ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Silicone Oil ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Superficial Velocity ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Two Phase

Pipes that make up oil and gas wells are not vertical but could be inclined at any angle between the vertical and the horizontal which is a significant technology of modern drilling. Hence, this study has been undertaken to look at the effect of inclination on flow characteristics especially at 10 degrees from both horizontal and vertical. Air/silicone oil flows in a 67 mm slightly deviated pipe have been investigated using advanced instrumentation: Wire Mesh Sensor Tomography (WMS) and Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT). They provide time and cross-sectionally resolved data on void fraction. Both the ECT probes and WMS were mounted on the inclined pipes upstream just at the point where flows were fully developed. By keeping the liquid flow rate constant at 10 litres/min (or liquid superficial velocity of 0.052m/s), gas flow rate was varied from 10 litres/min to 1000 litres/min (or gas superficial velocity from 0.05m/s to 4.7m/s). Then other values of liquid superficial velocity were considered. Visual observations were considered. Time series and void fraction were then measured for WMS while time series and liquid holdup were measured for ECT. The raw data were processed and then interpreted for proper analysis. From an analysis of the output from the tomography equipment, flow patterns were identified using both the reconstructed images as well as the characteristic signatures of Probability Density Function (PDF) plots of the time series of cross-sectionally averaged void fraction as suggested by some authors. Bubbly, slug and churn flows were observed for 10° from vertical pipe while bubbly, plug as well as slug flow when the pipe was inclined at 10° from horizontal. Examples of the PDFs are well illustrated which compares the use of ECT with WMS. In addition, statistical data such as Power Spectral Density (PSD), dominant frequency, mean void fraction as well as the structure velocities from cross correlation of the two planes of ECT have been identified.

Influence of Inclination Angle on Intermittent Two Phase Flows

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josep Escrig Escrig ◽  
Buddhika Hewakandamby ◽  
Georgios Dimitrakis ◽  
Barry Azzopardi
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Void Fraction ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Silicone Oil ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Intermittent Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Inclined Pipes

Intermittent gas and liquid two-phase flow was generated in a 6 m × 67 mm diameter pipe mounted rotatable frame (vertical up to −20°). Air and a 5 mPa s silicone oil at atmospheric pressure were studied. Gas superficial velocities between 0.17 and 2.9 m/s and liquid superficial velocities between 0.023 and 0.47 m/s were employed. These runs were repeated at 7 angles making a total of 420 runs. Cross sectional void fraction time series were measured over 60 seconds for each run using a Wire Mesh Sensor and a twin plane Electrical Capacitance Tomography. The void fraction time series data were analysed in order to extract average void fraction, structure velocities and structure frequencies. Results are presented to illustrate the effect of the angle as well as the phase superficial velocities affect the intermittent flows behaviour. Existing correlations suggested to predict average void fraction and gas structures velocity and frequency in slug flow have been compared with new experimental results for any intermittent flow including: slug, cap bubble and churn. Good agreements have been seen for the gas structure velocity and mean void fraction. On the other hand, no correlation was found to predict the gas structure frequency, especially in vertical and inclined pipes.

Two-Phase Upward Flow in a Slightly Deviated Pipe

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abolore Abdulahi ◽  
Barry J. Azzopardi
Keyword(s):  
Void Fraction ◽  
Silicone Oil ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Visual Observation ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Vertical Position ◽  
Upward Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Observation Methods

This study was undertaken to look at the effect of a slight inclination of pipe on upward flow characteristics especially at 10 deg from vertical position. Air-silicone oil flows in a 67 mm diameter pipe have been investigated using a capacitance wire mesh sensor (WMS) and electrical capacitance tomography (ECT). They provide time and cross-sectionally resolved data on void fraction. Superficial gas and liquid velocities of 0.05–1.9 and 0.05–0.5 were studied. Statistical methods and visual observation methods were used to characterize the fluid flows obtained into different flow patterns. From the output results from the tomography instruments, flow patterns were identified using both the reconstructed images as well as the characteristic signatures of Probability density function (PDF) plots of the time series of cross-sectionally averaged void fraction. Bubbly, cap bubble, slug, and churn flows were observed when the pipe was deviated by 10 deg from vertical pipe for the range of superficial gas velocities considered.

Uncertainty Quantification of Low Void Fraction Measurements Using Wire-Mesh Sensors in Horizontal Air-Water Flows

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Étienne M. Lessard ◽  
Robert C. Bowden ◽  
Sun-Kyu Yang
Keyword(s):  
Uncertainty Quantification ◽  
Void Fraction ◽  
Physical Theory ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Superficial Velocity ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Void Fractions

The need for a revised methodology and uncertainty quantification for wire-mesh sensor void fraction measurements in horizontal low void fraction flow conditions was identified. Two-phase flow measurements were performed at a low-pressure, adiabatic and horizontal flow loop using wire-mesh sensors over a range of water superficial velocities from 3.5 to 5.5 m/s, air superficial velocities from 0.05 to 0.9 m/s and volumetric void fractions from 1 to 16% Using this proposed analysis, a corrected trend with average percent differences of 36, 21 and 6% was obtained for the low, medium and high gas flow rate cases, respectively, when comparing the wire-mesh sensor void fractions to two-phase pipe flow models. By combining these measurements of the void fraction with those of the interfacial velocity, the gas superficial velocity was calculated based on the physical theory, and compared to the superficial velocity measured by the flowmeters for validation purposes. An estimation of the uncertainty of these parameters showed that most of the measured parameters agreed reasonably with physical theory within 20%.

Experimental Study of Turbulent Swirling Flow in a Vertical Tube for Heat Transfer Enhancement Using Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP)

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ari Hamdani ◽  
Nobuyoshi Tsuzuki ◽  
Hiroshige Kikura
Keyword(s):  
Ultrasonic Velocity ◽  
Void Fraction ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Liquid Flow Rate ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Twisted Tape ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Two Phase

Two-phase swirling flow through a pipe is a complex turbulent flow and its prediction is still challenging. The present paper describes the experimental investigation of the air-water two phase swirling flow in vertical co-current flow. Swirling flow is induced by a twisted tape in a 20 mm inner diameter pipe. The flow is investigated using Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP), which allows the measurement of liquid and gas velocities simultaneously. Furthermore, simultaneous measurement of void fraction is performed using Wire Mesh Sensor (WMS). The experimental results reveal that swirling flow has significant impact on bubbles’ distribution. In low liquid flow rate, the average bubble velocity is fairly uniform along the radial position and void fraction increases in the near wall region. However, increasing liquid flow rate at constant gas flow rate leads to increase in void fraction in the core region, this is mainly due to drift velocity which is affected by centrifugal force. Experimental findings and parametric trends based on the effects of swirling flow are summarized and discussed.

Visualization Study on Two-Phase Flow Behaviors in the Gas-Liquid-Solid Microreactor for Hydrogenation of Nitrobenzene

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Feng ◽  
Xun Zhu ◽  
Rong Chen ◽  
Qiang Liao
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Microchannel Reactor ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Modified Surface

In this study, visualization study on the gas-liquid two phase flow characteristics in a gas-liquid-solid microchannel reactor was carried out. Palladium nanocatalyst was coated onto the polydopamine functionalized surface of the microchannel through eletroless deposition. The materials characterization results indicated that palladium nanocatalyst were well dispersed on the modified surface. The effects of both the gas and liquid flow rates as well as inlet nitrobenzene concentration on the two-phase flow characteristics were studied. The experimental results revealed that owing to the chemical reaction inside the microreactor, the gas slug length gradually decreased along the flow direction. For a given inlet nitrobenzene concentration, increasing the liquid flow rate or decreasing the gas flow rate would make the variation of the gas slug length more obvious. High inlet nitrobenzene concentration would intensify both the nitrobenzene transfer efficiency and gas reactants consumption, and thereby the flow pattern in the microchannel was transferred from Taylor flow into bubble flow. Besides, the effect of both flow rate and original nitrobenzene concentration on the variation of nitrobenzene conversion and the desired product aniline yield were also discussed.

Visualization Study of Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in a Hydrophobic Pipe

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayoshi Kikuchi ◽  
Tatsuya Hazuku ◽  
Yutaka Fukuhara ◽  
Tomoji Takamasa ◽  
Takashi Hibiki
Keyword(s):  
Flow Regime ◽  
Void Fraction ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Churn Flow ◽  
Effect Of Surface

To evaluate the effect of pipe wall surface wettability on flow characteristics in a vertical upward gas-liquid two-phase flow, a visualization study was performed using an acrylic pipe and a hydrophobic pipe. Such basic flow characteristics as flow patterns, pressure drop and void fraction were investigated in these pipes. In the hydrophobic pipe, an inverted-churn flow regime was observed in a region where the churn flow regime was observed in the acrylic pipe, while a droplet flow regime was observed in the region where an annular flow regime was observed in the acrylic pipe. At a high gas flow rate, the average void fraction in the hydrophobic pipe was higher than in the acrylic pipe. The effect of surface wall wettability on frictional pressure loss was confirmed to be insignificant under the present experimental conditions.

Study of Bubble Size and Velocity in a Vibrating Bubble Column

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahrouz Mohagheghian ◽  
Brian R. Elbing
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Void Fraction ◽  
Bubble Size ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Bubble Column ◽  
Mass Transfer Rate ◽  
Superficial Velocity ◽  
Bubble Velocity ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Two Phase

Bubble columns are two-phase and three-phase reactors in which a gas flow drives a liquid flow and allows transport phenomena’s to take place. With a broad application from aeration of organic organisms in bio-rectors to hydrogenation of coal slurries in the Fischer-Tropsch process and production of synthetic fuel, bubble column reactors are cheap and easy to operate. In this work bubble size was studied in a bubble column and effect of injector size and gas superficial velocity was investigated. Results showed larger bubble size as gas superficial velocity was increased. It was previously shown that vibration increases the mass transfer between phases, which one active mechanism is that vibration increases the void fraction and with more gas in contact with liquid mass transfer rate increases. To check that a shaker table setup capable of generating vibration in the range of 5–15 Hz of frequency at 5 mm of amplitude using an eccentric drive mechanism was refurbished to study the bubble velocity and void fraction under vibration. The experimental setup was first verified to check if tests are repeatable and also the results are in agreement with literature. Void fraction, bubble size and velocity was measured and comparison with previously published data showed good agreement. Bubble size measurements in a stationary column showed that over the range tested bubble size increases with increasing gas superficial velocity. Bubble velocity decreases when gas superficial velocity was increased. Vibration showed a gradual reduction in bubble velocity as vibration frequency was increased.

scholarly journals Development of Hybrid Airlift-Jet Pump with Its Performance Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Yao ◽  
Kwongi Lee ◽  
Minho Ha ◽  
Cheolung Cheong ◽  
Inhiug Lee
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Jet Pump ◽  
Two Phase

A new pump, called the hybrid airlift-jet pump, is developed by reinforcing the advantages and minimizing the demerits of airlift and jet pumps. First, a basic design of the hybrid airlift-jet pump is schematically presented. Subsequently, its performance characteristics are numerically investigated by varying the operating conditions of the airlift and jet parts in the hybrid pump. The compressible unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, combined with the homogeneous mixture model for multiphase flow, are used as the governing equations for the two-phase flow in the hybrid pump. The pressure-based methods combined with the Pressure-Implicit with Splitting of Operators (PISO) algorithm are used as the computational fluid dynamics techniques. The validity of the present numerical methods is confirmed by comparing the predicted mass flow rate with the measured ones. In total, 18 simulation cases that are designed to represent the various operating conditions of the hybrid pump are investigated: eight of these cases belong to the operating conditions of only the jet part with different air and water inlet boundary conditions, and the remaining ten cases belong to the operating conditions of both the airlift and jet parts with different air and water inlet boundary conditions. The mass flow rate and the efficiency are compared for each case. For further investigation into the detailed flow characteristics, the pressure and velocity distributions of the mixture in a primary pipe are compared. Furthermore, a periodic fluctuation of the water flow in the mass flow rate is found and analyzed. Our results show that the performance of the jet or airlift pump can be enhanced by combining the operating principles of two pumps into the hybrid airlift-jet pump, newly proposed in the present study.

scholarly journals Multiphase gas-flow model of an electrical submersible pump

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Diana Marcela Martinez Ricardo ◽  
German Efrain Castañeda Jiménez ◽  
Janito Vaqueiro Ferreira ◽  
Pablo Siqueira Meirelles
Keyword(s):  
Gas Flow ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
System Response ◽  
Submersible Pump ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Electrical Submersible Pump

Various artificial lifting systems are used in the oil and gas industry. An example is the Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP). When the gas flow is high, ESPs usually fail prematurely because of a lack of information about the two-phase flow during pumping operations. Here, we develop models to estimate the gas flow in a two-phase mixture being pumped through an ESP. Using these models and experimental system response data, the pump operating point can be controlled. The models are based on nonparametric identification using a support vector machine learning algorithm. The learning machine’s hidden parameters are determined with a genetic algorithm. The results obtained with each model are validated and compared in terms of estimation error. The models are able to successfully identify the gas flow in the liquid-gas mixture transported by an ESP.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document