Flow Control Devices in Steam Assisted Thermal Applications: A Way to Optimize Both Steam Injection and Fluids Production

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Da Zhu ◽  
Alberto Uzcategui
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Steam Injection ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Pressure Drops ◽  
Steam Flooding ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices

Abstract Flow Control Device (FCD) completions in steam assisted thermal applications have been implemented in several places: Canada, California, China, Oman and Colombia, among others. Such completion configurations have been more common in recent years to mitigate or avoid uneven and/or improper steam placement and steam breakthrough, which are some of the critical issues operators have experienced in these developments. This study presents different FCD technologies designed to optimize the steam injection and fluids production for diverse steam assisted applications including SAGD, CSS and Steam Flooding. Three FCD technologies are introduced: (i) supersonic steam injection FCD, (ii) steam choking FCD and (iii) multi-directional FCD. Extensive Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations, analytic near-wellbore simulations and flow loop testing were conducted to evaluate the performance of the three technologies: (i) the supersonic steam injection FCD showed a high pressure recovery (therefore, less upstream pressure requirements) and a reduction of the cumulative steam-oil ratio, (ii) the steam choking FCD demonstrated the highest steam choking capability for these type of devices and (iii) the multi-directional FCD showed promising results for CSS applications to allow for supersonic steam injection during the injection phase and steam choking capabilities during the production phase Common FCD deployment risks such as erosion, scaling potential and high pressure drops were reviewed to provide the reader with a high level understanding of the factors which could induce these issues. Finally, field data where FCD completions have been installed is presented to compare the FCD wells performance versus conventional well designs and illustrate the success of these completions strategies. Keywords: flow control devices, supersonic steam injection, steam choking

scholarly journals Prediction of flow-control devices' noise with modified acoustic perturbation equations

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-627
Author(s):  
Luca Fenini ◽  
Stefano Malavasi
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
International Standards ◽  
The Other ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Noise Prediction ◽  
Acoustic Perturbation ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Perturbation Equations

Abstract Fluid-dynamic noise emissions produced by flow-control devices inside ducts are a concerning issue for valve manufacturers and pipeline management. This work proposes a modified formulation of Acoustic Perturbation Equations (APE) that is applicable to industrial frameworks where the interest is addressed to noise prediction according to international standards. This formulation is derived from a literature APE system removing two terms allowing for a computational time reduction of about 20%. The physical contribution of the removed terms is discussed according to the literature. The modified APE are applied to the prediction of the noise emitted by an orifice. The reliability of the new APE system is evaluated by comparing the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and the acoustic pressure with the ones returned by LES and literature APE. The new formulation agrees with the other methods far from the orifice: moving over nine diameters downstream of the trailing edge, the SPL is in accordance with the other models. Since international standards characterize control devices with the noise measured 1 m downstream of them, the modified APE formulation provides reliable and faster noise prediction for those devices with outlet diameter, d, such that 9d < 1 m.

scholarly journals The flow past a flatback airfoil with flow control devices: Benchmarking numerical simulations against wind tunnel data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Papadakis ◽  
Marinos Manolesos
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Root Region ◽  
Flow Past ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Rans Simulations ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Flatback Airfoil

Abstract. As wind turbines grow larger, the use of flatback airfoils has become standard practice for the root region of the blades. Flatback profiles provide higher lift and reduced sensitivity to soiling at significantly higher drag values. A number of flow control devices has been proposed to improve the performance of flatback profiles. In the present study, the flow past a flatback airfoil at a chord Reynolds number of 1.5 × 106 with and without trailing edge flow control devices is considered. Two different numerical approaches are applied, Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations and Detached Eddy Simulations (DES). The computational predictions are compared to wind tunnel measurements to assess the suitability of each method. The effect of each flow control device on the flow is examined based on the DES results on the finer mesh. Results agree well with the experimental findings and show that a newly proposed flap device outperforms traditional solutions for flatback airfoils. In terms of numerical modelling, the more expensive DES approach is more suitable if the wake frequencies are of interest, but the simplest 2D RANS simulations can provide acceptable load predictions.

scholarly journals CNN-Based Flow Control Device Modelling On Aerodynamic Airfoils

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koldo Portal-Porras ◽  
Unai Fernandez-Gamiz ◽  
Ekaitz Zulueta ◽  
Alejandro Ballesteros-Coll ◽  
Asier Zulueta
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Flow Control Device ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Control Devices

Abstract Wind energy has become an important source of electricity generation, with the aim of achieving a cleaner and more sustainable energy model. However, wind turbine performance improvement is required to compete with conventional energy resources. To achieve this improvement, flow control devices are implemented on airfoils. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are the most popular method for analyzing this kind of devices, but in recent years, with the growth of Artificial Intelligence, predicting flow characteristics using neural networks is becoming increasingly popular. In this work, 158 different CFD simulations of a DU91W(2)250 airfoil are conducted, with two different flow control devices, rotating microtabs and Gurney flaps, added on its Trailing Edge (TE). These flow control devices are implemented by using the cell-set meshing technique. These simulations are used to train and test a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for velocity and pressure field prediction and another CNN for aerodynamic coefficient prediction. The results show that the proposed CNN for field prediction is able to accurately predict the main characteristics of the flow around the flow control device, showing very slight errors. Regarding the aerodynamic coefficients, the proposed CNN is also capable to predict them reliably, being able to properly predict both the trend and the values. In comparison with CFD simulations, the use of the CNNs reduces the computational time in four orders of magnitude.

scholarly journals The flow past a flatback airfoil with flow control devices: benchmarking numerical simulations against wind tunnel data

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 911-927
Author(s):  
George Papadakis ◽  
Marinos Manolesos
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Root Region ◽  
Flow Past ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Rans Simulations ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Flatback Airfoil

Abstract. As wind turbines grow larger, the use of flatback airfoils has become standard practice for the root region of the blades. Flatback profiles provide higher lift and reduced sensitivity to soiling at significantly higher drag values. A number of flow control devices have been proposed to improve the performance of flatback profiles. In the present study, the flow past a flatback airfoil at a chord Reynolds number of 1.5×106 with and without trailing edge flow control devices is considered. Two different numerical approaches are applied, unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations and detached eddy simulations (DES). The computational predictions are compared against wind tunnel measurements to assess the suitability of each method. The effect of each flow control device on the flow is examined based on the DES results on the finer mesh. Results agree well with the experimental findings and show that a newly proposed flap device outperforms traditional solutions for flatback airfoils. In terms of numerical modelling, the more expensive DES approach is more suitable if the wake frequencies are of interest, but the simplest 2D RANS simulations can provide acceptable load predictions.

Single and Multi-Phase Flow Loop Testing for Characterization and Optimization of Flow Control Devices Used in SAGD: The Effect of Viscosity and Gas-to-Liquid Ratio on Tool Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yishak Yusuf ◽  
Morteza Roostaei ◽  
Mohammad Soroush ◽  
Giuseppe Rosi ◽  
Kelly Berner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Performance Testing ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Wall Profile

ABSTRACT The design of Flow Control Devices (FCDs) requires performance data of an FCD’s internal nozzle under a wide range of flow scenarios. The current study specifically considers the effect of nozzle diameter and wall profile on the induced pressure loss, and subsequently the recovery performance of an FCD. For this study, a flow measurement facility is developed to test the performance of different orifice/nozzle geometries. The flow of single- and two-phase fluid at various flow rates and mass fractions, is experimented. The pressure drop data from the experiments is used to produce performance curves that characterize pressure loss across the geometries. The pressure loss for two-phase flows are compared to their single-phase counterparts to characterize the performance of the tested geometries in the two scenarios. A detailed protocol for performance testing of FCDs is followed as per Advanced Well Equipment Standard (AWES: recommended practice3362). The testing protocol was utilized to characterize the performance of different FCDs geometries under single- and two-phase flow conditions. The results showed the pressure loss characteristic obtained from the flow loop experiments match the corresponding theories. The study has thus provided promising results for the successful application of direct flow loop testing to obtain reliable data which can be used in FCD design, performance investigation, and reservoir simulation.

Flow Profiling Using Fiber Optics in a Horizontal Steam Injector with Liner-Deployed Flow Control Devices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Javaheri ◽  
Minh Tran ◽  
Richard Scot Buell ◽  
Timothy Lee Gorham ◽  
Jack Sims ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Fiber Optics ◽  
Optical Fibers ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Steam Injection ◽  
Flow Profile ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Capital Costs ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices

Abstract Horizontal steam injectors can improve the efficiency of thermal operations relative to vertical injectors. However, effective in-well and reservoir surveillance is needed to understand steam conformance. Uniform steam chest development improves steam-oil-ratio (SOR) in continuous steam injection and accelerates recovery in cyclic steam injection. Conformance of the injected steam can be achieved by flow control devices (FCD) deployed on either tubing or liner. A new liner-deployed FCD was used in a horizontal steam injector in the Kern River field. The liner-deployed FCD is intended to replace the tubing-deployed FCDs while reducing capital costs, surveillance costs, and well intervention costs for conformance control. Fiber optics was used for surveillance, which is the most promising method in horizontal steam injectors considering reliability, accuracy, and cost. Fiber optic data enables monitoring the performance of liner-deployed FCDs as well as estimating the flow profile along the lateral length. Multi-mode Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) optical fibers and single-mode Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) optical fibers were installed in the well for these objectives. Algorithms for interpreting DTS were improved to include a new technique, Shape Language Modeling (SLM), and a probabilistic approach. The configuration of the FCDs was changed during a well intervention, and it was monitored by DTS and DAS. Data from both DTS and DAS confirms the open/closed position of the sliding sleeve of FCDs initially and after the intervention. The probabilistic estimates of steam outflow in several FCD configurations match well with the theoretical outflow that is expected from the critical flow of steam through chokes installed in the FCDs.

The Development of Active Flow Control Devices From Shape Memory Alloys for the Convective Cooling of Heated Surfaces

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd S. Aris ◽  
Ieuan Owen ◽  
Chris J. Sutcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Heated Surface ◽  
Active Flow Control ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Flow Control Device ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Channel Configuration ◽  
Active Flow

This paper is concerned with the convective heat transfer of heated surfaces through the use of active flow control devices. An investigation has been carried out into the use of two flow control design configurations manufactured from Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) which are activated at specified temperatures. In this design, a high surface temperature would activate rectangular flaps to change shape and protrude at a 45° angle of attack. This protrusion would generate longitudinal vortices and at the same time allow air to flow into cooling channels underneath the flaps, cooling a heated surface downstream of the flow control device. One- and two-channel flow control configurations were explored in this work. The flow control device was made from pre-alloyed powders of SMA material in a rapid prototyping process known as Selective Laser Melting (SLM). It was tested for its heat transfer enhancement in an open test section wind tunnel supplied with low velocity air flow. Infrared thermography was used to evaluate the surface temperatures of the downstream heated surface. Promising results were obtained for the flow control design when the heated surface temperatures were varied from 20 °C to 85 °C. In the one-channel configuration, the flow control device in its activated shape increased heat transfer to a maximum of 50% compared to its deactivated shape. The activated flow control device in the two-channel configuration experienced a heat transfer enhancement of up to 90% compared to when it is deactivated.

Optimizing of Flow Control Devices in a Single Strand Continuous Casting Tundish

2011 ◽  
Vol 284-286 ◽  
pp. 1209-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Lei Zhang ◽  
Deng Fu Chen ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Min Zhang ◽  
Xin Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Continuous Casting ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Flow Control Device ◽  
Continuous Casting Tundish ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Water Simulation ◽  
Orthogonal Optimization

Flow control devices (weir and dam) in a continuous casting tundish are very important to the flow field, which influences the temperature uniform and the inclusion floating. In this work, the weir and dam were firstly optimized through numerical simulation and water simulation synthetically by orthogonal optimization tests. And the optimal parameters showed that the distance from upper weir to inlet was 1000 mm, the distance of upper weir to tundish bottom was 150 mm, the distance from upper weir to dam was 600 mm, and the height of the dam was 320 mm. Then the effect of different arrangement holes on the dam was discussed through RTD curve and velocity field under the optimum flow control device. And it revealed that the hole influenced the flow pattern in that area obviously, a dam with two holes could get a better flow field.

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