Sand Erosion in Multiphase Flow for Low-Liquid Loading and Annular Conditions

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Vieira ◽  
N. R. Kesana ◽  
B. S. McLaury ◽  
S. A. Shirazi
Keyword(s):  
Multiphase Flow ◽  
Multiphase Flows ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Production Equipment ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Liquid Loading ◽  
Vertical Orientation ◽  
Horizontal Orientation ◽  
Sand Erosion

Low-liquid loading (LLL) and annular gas-liquid flow patterns are commonly encountered in gas transportation pipelines. They may also occur in other off-shore production facilities such as gas/condensate production systems. Experience gained from production of hydrocarbons has shown that severe degradation of production equipment will occur due to sand entrained in gas-dominant multiphase flows. Sand erosion in multiphase flows is a complex phenomenon since several factors influence the particle impact velocity with the wall. In order to give a more comprehensive understanding of the particle erosion process in this particular scenario and to improve the current semi-mechanistic models, erosion and sand distribution measurements were conducted on 76.2 mm (3 inch) and 101.6 mm (4 inch) diameter pipes in a large scale multiphase flow loop with varying gas (air) and liquid (water) velocities generating low-liquid loading and annular conditions. Particle sizes used in the experiments were 150 and 300 microns with the latter being sharper than the former. Erosion measurements were made at sixteen different locations on a 76.2 mm (3 inch) standard elbow using ultrasonic technology, whereas Electrical Resistance (ER) probes were used for the measurements in a 101.6 mm (4 inch) diameter pipe. The experiments were primarily performed in the upward vertical orientation but a few measurements were performed in the horizontal orientation. Results suggest that the erosion is an order of magnitude higher when the pipe is oriented vertically compared to horizontal orientation. Also, the location of maximum erosion is identified for these flow patterns and it is not dependent on the pipe inclination.

Multiphase Flow in Circular and Triangular Pipes: Examining Flow Characteristics, Sand Erosion and Heat Transfer Via CFD and Experimental Work

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald E. Vieira ◽  
Thiana A. Sedrez ◽  
Siamack A. Shirazi ◽  
Gabriel Silva
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Multiphase Flow ◽  
Experimental Work ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Liquid Distribution ◽  
Circular Pipes ◽  
Sand Erosion ◽  
Sand Flow

Abstract Air-water two-phase flow in circular pipes has been studied by many investigators. However, investigations of multiphase flow in non-circular pipes are still very rare. Triangular pipes have found a number of applications, such as multiphase flow conditioning, erosion mitigation in elbows, compact heat exchanges, solar heat collectors, and electronic cooling systems. This work presents a survey of air-water and air-water-sand flow through circular and triangular pipes. The main objective of this investigation is to study the potential effects of triangular pipe geometry on flow patterns, slug frequency, sand erosion in elbows, and heat transfer in multiphase flow. Firstly, twenty-three experiments were performed for horizontal air-water flow. Detailed videos and slug frequency measurements were collected through circular and triangular clear pipes to identify flow patterns and create a database for these pipe configurations. The effect of corners of the triangular pipe on the liquid distribution was investigated using two different orientations of triangular pipe: apex upward and downward and results of triangular pipes were compared to round tubes. Secondly, ultrasonic wall thickness erosion measurements, paint removal studies, and CFD simulations were carried out to investigate the erosion patterns and magnitudes for liquid-sand and liquid-gas-sand flows in circular and triangular elbows with the same radius of curvature and cross-sectional area. Thirdly, heat transfer rates for liquid flows were also simulated for both circular and triangular pipe cross-sections. Although similar flow patterns are observed in circular and triangular pipe configurations, the orientation of the triangular pipes seems to have an effect on the liquid distribution and slug frequency. For higher liquid rates, slug frequencies are consistently lower in the triangular pipe as compared to the circular pipe. Similarly, the triangular elbow offers better flow behavior as compared to circular elbows when investigated numerically with similar flow rates for erosion patterns for both liquid-sand flow and liquid-gas-sand flows. Experimental and CFD results show that erosion in the circular elbow is about three times larger than in the triangular elbow. Paint studies results validated erosion patterns and their relations with particle impacts. Finally, heat transfer to/from triangular pipes is shown to be more efficient than in circular pipes, making them attractive for compact heat exchangers and heat collectors. This paper represents a novel experimental work and CFD simulations to examine the effects of pipe geometries on multiphase flow in pipes with several practical applications. The present results will help to determine the efficiency of utilizing triangular pipes as compared to circular pipes for several important applications and field operations such as reducing slug frequencies of multiphase flow in pipes, and reducing solid particle erosion of elbows, and also increasing the efficiency of heat exchangers.

A Novel Approach to Subsea Multiphase Solid Transport

2011 ◽  
Vol 367 ◽  
pp. 413-420
Author(s):  
Kelani Bello ◽  
Babs Mufutau Oyeneyin ◽  
Gbenga Folorunso Oluyemi
Keyword(s):  
Multiphase Flow ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Transport Models ◽  
Horizontal Pipe ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Solid Transport

Transportation of multiphase reservoir fluid through subsea tiebacks has gained considerable attention in recent years especially in the deep offshore and ultra deep offshore environments where there is increasing pressure on the operators to reduce development costs without compromising oil production. However, the main challenge associated with this means of transporting unprocessed reservoir fluids is the need to guarantee flow assurance and optimise production. Solids entrained in the fluid may drop off and settle at the bottom of horizontal pipe thereby reducing the space available to flow and causing erosion and corrosion of the pipeline. The problem has been largely attributed to insufficient flow velocity among other parameters required to keep the solids in suspension and prevent them from depositing in the pipe. The continuous changing flow patterns have introduced additional complexities dependent on gas and liquid flow rates. Acquisition of experimental data for model development and validation in multiphase flow has been largely focused on single and two phase flow. This has impeded our understanding of the behaviour and associated problems of three phase or four phase (oil, water, gas and solid) in pipes. The result is inappropriate solid transport models for three phase and four phase. In order to bridge this gap, the Well Engineering Research group at Robert Gordon University has initiated a project on integrated multiphase flow management system underpinned by comprehensive experimental investigation of multiphase solids transport. The project is aimed at developing precise/accurate sand transport models and an appropriate design and process optimisation simulator for subsea tiebacks. In this paper, the physics of the multiphase transport models being developed is presented. The models will allow for the prediction of key design and operational parameters such as flow patterns, phase velocity, pressure gradient, critical transport velocity, drag & lift forces, flow rate requirements and tiebacks sizing for transient multiphase flow. A new multiphase flow loop is being developed which will be used to generate experimental database for building and validating the theoretical models for use in a proposed integrated simulator for deepwater applications.

Multifunction Expansion Design of the Wellbore Multiphase-Flow Experimental System

2013 ◽  
Vol 732-733 ◽  
pp. 421-425
Author(s):  
Hui Rong Liang ◽  
Jian Ning Xu ◽  
Duan Yin Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Multiphase Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Experimental System ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Annular Space ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Mixed Modes ◽  
Oil Gas

In this paper, a set of wellbore multiphase flow experimental system with several functions is designed. The system can complete a flow loop of the two-phase flow or the multiphase flow of oil, gas, and water in a level, vertical or tilt angle tube, used to study the flow law of these different mixed modes in the inner tube and the annular space of the wellbore and the heat transfer law between the fluids in the inner tube and the annular space. It is a set of large-scale and complete experimental system to research the multiphase flow.

scholarly journals A Super-Green Factory: The Sharp Kameyama Plant

MRS Bulletin ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 456-458
Author(s):  
Tetsuo Kusakabe
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Liquid Crystal Display ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Production Equipment ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Energy Supply System ◽  
Cogeneration System ◽  
Environmental Measures

Sharp Corporation is making a concerted effort to reduce environmental impacts to the greatest extent possible at its production facilities around the world, and it is applying its own original evaluation criteria to recognize those plants having an extremely high level of environmental performance as “SuperGreen Factories.”Our Kameyama plant, the frst such factory to be so recognized, is an integrated, start-to-fnish production facility for liquid-crystal display (LCD) televisions (TVs), from fabricating the LCD panel to assembling the fnished TV set (see Table I). Given that large amounts of energy are consumed to operate production equipment and to power air conditioning, we focused particular attention on environmental measures intended to reduce global warming and introduced an energy supply system that combines environmental friendliness and operational stability. As shown in Figure 1, this system is based on integrating different types of large-scale distributed power sources and consists of a gas-fred cogeneration system, a fuel cell system, and a photovoltaic power generating system. The power output of this system covers about one-third of the total electrical needs of the plant.

The Oppel–Kundt Illusion and Its Relation to Horizontal-Vertical and Oblique Effects

Perception ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 030100662110065
Author(s):  
Klaus Landwehr
Keyword(s):  
Oblique Effect ◽  
The Other ◽  
Vertical Orientation ◽  
Horizontal Orientation ◽  
Full Circle ◽  
Original Stimulus ◽  
Vertical Part

The Oppel–Kundt illusion consists in the overestimation of the length of filled versus empty extents. Two experiments explored its relation to the horizontal-vertical illusion, which consists in the overestimation of the length of vertical versus horizontal extents, and to the oblique effect, which consists in poorer discriminative sensitivity for obliquely as opposed to horizontally or vertically oriented stimuli. For Experiment 1, Kundt’s (1863) original stimulus was rotated in steps of 45° full circle around 360°. For Experiment 2, one part of the stimulus remained at a horizontal or vertical orientation, whereas the other part was tilted 45° or 90°. The Oppel–Kundt illusion was at its maximum at a horizontal orientation of the stimulus. The illusion was strongly attenuated with L-type figures when the vertical part was empty, but not enhanced when this part was filled, suggesting that the horizontal-vertical illusion only acts on nontextured extents. There was no oblique effect.

An Experimental Investigation of In Situ Combustion in High Permeability Contrast Systems

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Melek Deniz Paker ◽  
Murat Cinar
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Combustion Front ◽  
Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Front Propagation ◽  
High Permeability ◽  
Vertical Orientation ◽  
In Situ Combustion ◽  
Horizontal Orientation

Abstract A significant portion of world oil reserves reside in naturally fractured reservoirs and a considerable amount of these resources includes heavy oil and bitumen. Thermal enhanced oil recovery methods (EOR) are mostly applied in heavy oil reservoirs to improve oil recovery. In situ combustion (/SC) is one of the thermal EOR methods that could be applicable in a variety of reservoirs. Unlike steam, heat is generated in situ due to the injection of air or oxygen enriched air into a reservoir. Energy is provided by multi-step reactions between oxygen and the fuel at particular temperatures underground. This method upgrades the oil in situ while the heaviest fraction of the oil is burned during the process. The application of /SC in fractured reservoirs is challenging since the injected air would flow through the fracture and a small portion of oil in the/near fracture would react with the injected air. Only a few researchers have studied /SC in fractured or high permeability contrast systems experimentally. For in situ combustion to be applied in fractured systems in an efficient way, the underlying mechanism needs to be understood. In this study, the major focus is permeability variation that is the most prominent feature of fractured systems. The effect of orientation and width of the region with higher permeability on the sustainability of front propagation are studied. The contrast in permeability was experimentally simulated with sand of different particle size. These higher permeability regions are analogous to fractures within a naturally fractured rock. Several /SC tests with sand-pack were carried out to obtain a better understanding of the effect of horizontal vertical, and combined (both vertical and horizontal) orientation of the high permeability region with respect to airflow to investigate the conditions that are required for a self-sustained front propagation and to understand the fundamental behavior. Within the experimental conditions of the study, the test results showed that combustion front propagated faster in the higher permeability region. In addition, horizontal orientation almost had no effect on the sustainability of the front; however, it affected oxygen consumption, temperature, and velocity of the front. On the contrary, the vertical orientation of the higher permeability region had a profound effect on the sustainability of the combustion front. The combustion behavior was poorer for the tests with vertical orientation, yet the produced oil AP/ gravity was higher. Based on the experimental results a mechanism has been proposed to explain the behavior of combustion front in systems with high permeability contrast.

Numerical Modelling of Multiphase Flow With Application to Industrial Processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ashutosh Bhokare
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modelling ◽  
Multiphase Flow ◽  
Multiphase Flows ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fresh Concrete ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Fluidised Bed ◽  
Bingham Model ◽  
Drag Models ◽  
Concrete Flow

Multiphase flows are witnessed often in nature and the industry. Simulating the behaviour of multiphase flows is of importance to scientists and engineers for better prediction of phenomena and design of products. This thesis aims to develop a multiphase flow framework which can be applied to industrial applications such as placement of concrete in construction and proppant transport in oil and gas. Techniques available in literature to model multiphase flows are systematically introduced and each of their merits and demerits are analysed. Their suitability for different applications and scenarios are established. The challenges surrounding the placement of fresh concrete in formwork is investigated. Construction defects, the physics behind these defects and existing tests used to monitor fresh concrete quality are evaluated. Methods used to simulate fresh concrete flow as an alternative to experiments are critically analysed. The potential benefits of using numerical modelling and the shortcoming of the existing approaches are established. It is found that the homogeneous Bingham model is currently the most widely used technique to model fresh concrete flow. Determining the Bingham parameters for a given concrete mix remains a challenge and a novel method to obtain values for them is demonstrated in this work. The Bingham model is also applied to a full-scale tremie concrete placement procedure in a pile. Knowledge on the flow pattern followed by concrete being placed using a tremie is extracted. This is used to answer questions which the industry currently demands. The need for a more sophisticated model is emphasised in order to obtain an even greater understanding of fresh concrete flow behaviour. A CFD-DEM framework in which the multiphase nature of concrete is captured is developed. To validate this framework a new benchmark test is proposed in conjunction with the fluidised bed experiment. A comparative study of the drag models used in CFD-DEM approaches is performed to systematically assess each of their performances. CFD-DEM modelling is then applied to model fresh concrete flow and its potential to model defect causing phenomena is demonstrated. A model to capture more complex behaviours of concrete such as thixotropy is introduced and demonstrated.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document