CFD Simulation of Multiphase Flow in Concentric Annuli

Author(s):  
Amina Shynybayeva ◽  
Luis R. Rojas-Solórzano ◽  
Kristian Sveen

Multiphase flow is commonly found in almost every process related to oil and gas industry. The precise prediction of the flow behavior is essential to provide safe and efficient hydrocarbon recovery. An accurate characterization of multiphase flow plays a major role in well design optimization and development of successful production and transportation facilitiess. Even though the hydrodynamic behavior of multiphase flow in various pipe geometries typically found in the industry has been widely studied, there is still very little known about the flow pattern and hydrodynamic conditions presented in horizontal annular geometry. Current work presents Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of two-phase oil-water flow in horizontal concentric annuli using different turbulence models and Eulerian-Eulerian continuous-disperse interphase drag model. Water was modelled as disperse phase, while oil was considered as continuous phase. Effect of water droplet diameter in the interphase model is extensively discussed in this paper. Results of the simulations are compared to the experimental data for a variety of liquid velocities and water cuts.

Author(s):  
Ekhwaiter Abobaker ◽  
Abadelhalim Elsanoose ◽  
John Shirokoff ◽  
Mohammad Azizur Rahman

Abstract Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is presented to investigate the annular flow behavior in the vertical pipe by using ANSYS Fluent platform 17.2. The study was analyzed complex behavior of annular flow in two cases (upward and downward flow) for different air superficial velocities and range of Reynolds number for water, in order to obtain the effect of orientation flow and increasing superficial gas and liquid velocities on the base film, mean disturbance wave thickness, the average longitudinal size of disturbance wave as well as pressure gradient. For multiphase flow model, the volume of fluid method (VOF) for two-phase flow modelling was used and coupled with RNG k-ε turbulence model to predict fully annular flow structures in the upward and downward flow direction. From CFD simulation results, it is clear to see how increases in air velocity result in reductions in film thickness and increase in pressure gradient. Additionally, the results showed monotonic enhancement of film thickness occurring in tandem with increases in the liquid flow rate. However, due to the effect of gravitational force and interfacial friction, the film thickness and pressure gradient are slightly larger for the upward flow than for the downward flow. The results agree with the recent experimental data that studied the annular flow behavior and pressure drop in the upward and downward flow direction. This study will be very helpful in understanding multiphase flow behavior in natural gas wells.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3733
Author(s):  
Rasmus Thy Jørgensen ◽  
Gunvor Rossen Tonnesen ◽  
Matthias Mandø ◽  
Simon Pedersen

The goal of this study is to compare mainstream Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with the widely used 1D transient model LedaFlow in their ability to predict riser induced slug flow and to determine if it is relevant for the offshore oil and gas industry to consider making the switch from LedaFlow to CFD. Presently, the industry use relatively simple 1D-models, such as LedaFlow, to predict flow patterns in pipelines. The reduction in cost of computational power in recent years have made it relevant to compare the performance of these codes with high fidelity CFD simulations. A laboratory test facility was used to obtain data for pressure and mass flow rates for the two-phase flow of air and water. A benchmark case of slug flow served for evaluation of the numerical models. A 3D unsteady CFD simulation was performed based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) formulation and the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model using the open-source CFD code OpenFOAM. Unsteady simulations using the commercial 1D LedaFlow solver were performed using the same boundary conditions and fluid properties as the CFD simulation. Both the CFD and LedaFlow model underpredicted the experimentally determined slug frequency by 22% and 16% respectively. Both models predicted a classical blowout, in which the riser is completely evacuated of water, while only a partial evacuation of the riser was observed experimentally. The CFD model had a runtime of 57 h while the LedaFlow model had a runtime of 13 min. It can be concluded that the prediction capabilities of the CFD and LedaFlow models are similar for riser-induced slug flow while the CFD model is much more computational intensive.


Author(s):  
Benny T. Kuan ◽  
M. Philip Schwarz

Single-phase and two-phase (gas-solid) turbulent flow calculations are performed for 90° duct bends having radii of curvature ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 duct diameter, and with either a square or circular cross-section. The considered flow Reynolds number is between 6×104 and 3×105, and the particulate flows examined pertain to two different solid mass loading ratios: 1.5×10−4 and 0.33. Numerous turbulence models have been utilized to simulate the turbulent fluid motion within the duct bend while particle trajectories are calculated on the basis of a Lagrangian approach. Reasonable agreement with the experimental data is achieved for the continuous phase in the cases tested. In contrast, significant disparities with the measurements arise in particle tracking calculations, especially in regions where particle rope dispersion is predominant. Results of this investigation indicate the need for more experimental testing of mill-duct flows of similar configuration in order to facilitate a better understanding and modeling of strongly curved gas-solid duct flows.


Author(s):  
Jun Zhou ◽  
Tao Deng ◽  
Guangchuan Liang ◽  
Jinghong Peng ◽  
Tian Meng ◽  
...  

Abstract Pigging techniques are widely used in the oil and gas industry. The unsteady motion of the PIG in an undulating pipe section during the pigging process after a water pressure test affects the stable operation of the pipeline and also causes a pipe rupture accident in serious cases. First, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the pigging process of air–water two phase pipe flows, and the PIG reverse movement and hydraulic pulse phenomenon were observed. Subsequently, a hydraulic transient model of the pigging process after a water pressure test was established in a dual-grid system. The model combined mass and motion equations of gas and liquid and PIG dynamic equations, considered three types of PIG motion states, namely positive movement, reverse movement and still, and used the method of characteristics to solve the equations. The model exhibits the ability for PIG tracing and hydraulic pulse prediction. It can be used to obtain the position and speed of the PIG. Finally, the field data and simulation results were compared, and the results indicated that they are essentially identical. This verified the accuracy of the model that is established in this study and the reliability of computed results and provided a reliable and effective theoretical basis for the development of field pigging plans.


Author(s):  
Diana Marcela Martinez Ricardo ◽  
German Efrain Castañeda Jiménez ◽  
Janito Vaqueiro Ferreira ◽  
Pablo Siqueira Meirelles

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.


JOM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 1589-1599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuiqing Zhan ◽  
Jianhong Yang ◽  
Zhentao Wang ◽  
Ruijie Zhao ◽  
Jun Zheng ◽  
...  

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 3930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang ◽  
Meng ◽  
Wei ◽  
Xu ◽  
Li

Managed pressure drilling (MPD) is a drilling technique used to address the narrow density window under complex geological environments. It has widespread applications in the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas, both onshore and offshore. In this study, to achieve effective control of the downhole pressure to ensure safety, a gas–liquid two-phase flow model based on the drift flux model is developed to describe the characteristics of transient multiphase flow in the wellbore. The advection upwind splitting method (AUSM) numerical scheme is used to assist with calculation and analysis, and the monotonic upwind scheme for conservation laws (MUSCLs) technique with second-order precision is adopted in combination with the Van Leer slope limiter to improve precision. Relevant data sourced from prior literature are used to validate the suggested model, the results of which reveal an excellent statistical consistency. Further, the influences of various parameters in a field application, including backpressure, density, and mass flow, are analyzed. Over the course of later-stage drilling, a combination of wellhead backpressure and displacement is recommended to exercise control.


Fluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hosseini Boosari

Multiphase flow of oil, gas, and water occurs in a reservoir’s underground formation and also within the associated downstream pipeline and structures. Computer simulations of such phenomena are essential in order to achieve the behavior of parameters including but not limited to evolution of phase fractions, temperature, velocity, pressure, and flow regimes. However, within the oil and gas industry, due to the highly complex nature of such phenomena seen in unconventional assets, an accurate and fast calculation of the aforementioned parameters has not been successful using numerical simulation techniques, i.e., computational fluid dynamic (CFD). In this study, a fast-track data-driven method based on artificial intelligence (AI) is designed, applied, and investigated in one of the most well-known multiphase flow problems. This problem is a two-dimensional dam-break that consists of a rectangular tank with the fluid column at the left side of the tank behind the gate. Initially, the gate is opened, which leads to the collapse of the column of fluid and generates a complex flow structure, including water and captured bubbles. The necessary data were obtained from the experience and partially used in our fast-track data-driven model. We built our models using Levenberg Marquardt algorithm in a feed-forward back propagation technique. We combined our model with stochastic optimization in a way that it decreased the absolute error accumulated in following time-steps compared to numerical computation. First, we observed that our models predicted the dynamic behavior of multiphase flow at each time-step with higher speed, and hence lowered the run time when compared to the CFD numerical simulation. To be exact, the computations of our models were more than one hundred times faster than the CFD model, an order of 8 h to minutes using our models. Second, the accuracy of our predictions was within the limit of 10% in cascading condition compared to the numerical simulation. This was acceptable considering its application in underground formations with highly complex fluid flow phenomena. Our models help all engineering aspects of the oil and gas industry from drilling and well design to the future prediction of an efficient production.


2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 705
Author(s):  
A. Lagan

There are few people today who would dare to say that business and ethics are incompatible forces. This was not the case so very long ago. Despite this shift, the recent spate of spectacular business collapses would seem to suggest that there is still a lag between the values being espoused by today’s business leaders, and the resources allocated to ensuring the ethical imperative is embedded in day-to-day decision-making.This paper seeks to present an overview of where the business ethics debate sits today and how this relates to the current state of ethical play in the oil and gas industry. It reviews the major forces pushing ethics up the corporate agenda and seeks to build the business case for why attention to business ethics will improve overall organisational performance. It does this by reviewing the new business philosophies of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and argues that these new business doctrines can be seen as essentially applied ethical practices and present the greatest opportunity to date for embedding the ethical imperative in organisational life.The author argues that historically it has been the oil and gas industries that have been the first to recognise the interdependence of business ethics and organisational performance and that it is these industries have now moved into stage two phase of sustainability development where they are focussing their efforts on embedding the ethical perspective into their day-to-day performance management systems.


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