Empirical Modelization of Intermittent Gas/Liquid Flow Hydrodynamic Parameters: The Importance of Distinguishing between Plug and Slug Flows

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
A. Arabi ◽  
A. Azzi ◽  
R. Kadi ◽  
A. Al-Sarkhi ◽  
B. Hewakandamby

Summary Intermittent flow is one of the most complex flow regimes in horizontal pipes. Various studies have classified this regime as two distinct subregimes: plug and slug flow. This classification has been made based on flow observations. In this work, the behavior of several flow parameters that characterize plug and slug flow are presented. Data from eight published works in the open literature were collected and studied to explain the behavior of both regimes. These data include pressure drop, void fraction, and slug frequency, as well as the lengths of liquid slugs and elongated bubbles for slug and plug regimes. It is observed from the evolution and analysis of these parameters that plug and slug flows have several different distinct features and should be considered as two separate regimes for the empirical modelization of the hydrodynamic parameters. The mixture Froude number, and to a lesser extent the liquid superficial velocity to gas superficial velocity ratio, seem to have significant impacts on the plug-to-slug flow transition.

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. O. Nieckele ◽  
J. N. E. Carneiro ◽  
R. C. Chucuya ◽  
J. H. P. Azevedo

In the present work, the onset and subsequent development of slug flow in horizontal pipes is investigated by solving the transient one-dimensional version of the two-fluid model in a high resolution mesh using a finite volume technique. The methodology (named slug-capturing) was proposed before in the literature and the present work represents a confirmation of its applicability in predicting this very complex flow regime. Further, different configurations are analyzed here and comparisons are performed against different sets of experimental data. Predictions for mean slug variables were in good agreement with experimental data. Additionally, focus is given to the statistical properties of slug flows such as shapes of probability density functions of slug lengths (which were represented by gamma and log-normal distributions) as well as the evolution of the first statistical moments, which were shown to be well reproduced by the methodology.


Author(s):  
Carlos H. Romero ◽  
María A. Márquez ◽  
Sissi D. Vergara ◽  
María T. Valecillos

Two phase slug flow is the most common flow pattern for horizontal and near-horizontal pipelines. This study is designed to determine experimental velocities of elongated bubbles, lengths of liquid slugs and elongated bubbles, and slug frequencies for twenty flow rates combinations of a two phase air-water system that belong to a slug type pattern in horizontal pipes with a non invasive electronic device made of Photo-diodes (emitter) and photo-transistors (receiver) in a non visible length wave of 940 nanometers. The non intrusive electronic device is validated by simultaneously taking pictures with a high speed camera, (Kodak model Ektapro 4540 mx Imager, at shooting speed of 4500 frames per second, the picture resolution is 256 × 256 pixels), through a visualization cell filled with glycerin. This work is done with acrylic pipes of 0,03175 m inner diameter, to ensure complete flow development, the pictures are taken from a visualization cell located at a x/D = 249, the electronic device is located at x/D = 250. Air superficial velocity ranged between 0.156 and 0.468 m/s while water superficial velocity ranged between 0.159 and 1.264m/s. It is found that the non intrusive electronic device formed by photo diodes and photo transistors is an accurate technique that can be used in the determination of elongated bubble velocities, lengths and slug frequencies.


Author(s):  
A. Mehdizadeh ◽  
S. A. Sherif ◽  
W. E. Lear

In this paper the Navier-stokes equations for a single liquid slug have been solved in order to predict the circulation patterns within the slug. Surface tension effects on the air-water interface have been investigated by solving the Young–Laplace equation. The calculated interface shape has been utilized to define the liquid slug geometry at the front and tail interfaces of the slug. Then the effects of the surface tension on the hydrodynamics of the two-phase slug flow have been compared to those where no surface tension forces exist. The importance of the complex flow field features in the vicinity of the two interfaces has been investigated by defining a non-dimensional form of the wall shear stress. The latter quantity has been formulated based on non-dimensional parameters in order to define a general Moody friction factor for typical two-phase slug flows in microchannels. Moreover, the hydrodynamics of slug flow formation has been examined using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The volume-of-fluid (VOF) method has been applied to monitor the growth of the instability at the air-water interface. The lengths of the slugs have been correlated to the pressure fluctuations in the mixing region of the air and water streams at an axisymmetric T-junction. The main frequencies of the pressure fluctuations have been investigated using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method.


Author(s):  
R. C. Chucuya ◽  
J. N. E. Carneiro ◽  
A. O. Nieckele

In the present work, the onset and subsequent development of slug flow in horizontal pipes is investigated by accurately solving the transient one-dimensional version of the Two-Fluid Model using a finite volume technique. Growth of disturbances that eventually bridge the pipe section is an automatic outcome of the solution of the discretized equations in a high resolution mesh, avoiding the need for the commonly used phenomenological models for the stratified to slug transition. Slug dynamics evolve naturally without the need of empirical correlations for slug parameters. This methodology (named “slug-capturing”) was proposed before in the literature and the present work represents a rare confirmation of its applicability in predicting this very complex flow regime. Here, different configurations are analyzed and comparisons are performed against different sets of experimental data. Additionally, statistical analysis of the slug parameters is performed and it is shown through comparisons against experimental measurements that this methodology is able not only to provide mean values of e.g. slug and bubble lengths and their evolution inside the pipe, but also shapes of probability density functions (PDFs), with a good degree of accuracy.


Author(s):  
Dong-Xu Wang ◽  
Qi-Hui Hu ◽  
Yu-Xing Li ◽  
Quan Wang ◽  
Shuang Li

Abstract Currently, most of the traditional flow pattern recognition methods are based on the features of differential pressure signal, and the verification data is majorly derived from the horizontal or almost horizontal pipes. This paper proposes a new method that combines the probability density function (PDF) of the liquid holdup signal and the support vector machine (SVM). Results demonstrate the capability of the proposed algorithm to effectively recognize the stratified flow, bubble flow, slug flow, and severe slug flow and eliminate subjective factors.


Author(s):  
André Mendes Quintino ◽  
Davi Lotfi Lavor Navarro da Rocha ◽  
Oscar Mauricio Hernandez Rodriguez

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Gang Liu ◽  
Zongrui Hao ◽  
Yueshe Wang ◽  
Wanlong Ren

The dynamic responses of simply supported horizontal pipes conveying gas-liquid two-phase slug flow are explored. The intermittent characteristics of slug flow parameters are mainly considered to analyze the dynamic model of the piping system. The results show that the variations of the midpoint transverse displacement could vary from periodic-like motion to a kind of motion whose amplitude increases as time goes on if increasing the superficial gas velocity. Meanwhile, the dynamic responses have certain relations with the vibration acceleration. By analyzing the parameters in the power spectrum densities of vibration acceleration such as the number of predominant frequencies and the amplitude of each peak frequency, the dynamic behaviors of the piping system like periodicity could be calculated expediently.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Etminan ◽  
Yuri S. Muzychka ◽  
Kevin Pope

Abstract This paper presents a CFD-based simulation method for air/water and water/dodecane Taylor flows through an axisymmetric microchannel with a circular cross-sectional area. A systematic analysis is conducted by exploring the effects of different superficial velocities and apparent viscosities on the hydrodynamics of a slug flow regime. A concentric junction is employed to make bubbles of air in a continuous flow of water and slugs of water in a continuous flow of dodecane oil. A time-history study is conducted to predict the air-bubble and water-slug evolution processes, in particular at the moment of slug breakup. The results show that the larger apparent viscosity ratio of phases involved in the liquid-liquid flow generates a more stable interface. However, the liquid slug length is less and film thickness is slightly larger in liquid-liquid compared to gas-liquid flow. Furthermore, variations in gas and liquid holdups are correlated by the superficial velocity ratio. The numerical analysis developed in this paper is in good agreement with the correlations and data in the literature.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihyeon Kim ◽  
Narakorn Srinil

Subsea jumper is the steel pipe structure to connect wellhead and subsea facilities such as manifolds or processing units in order to transport the produced multiphase flows. Generally, the jumper consists of a goalpost with two loop structures and a straight pipe between them, carrying the multiphase oil and gas from the producing well. Due to the jumper pipe characteristic geometry and multi-fluid properties, slug flows may take place, creating problematic fluctuating forces causing the jumper oscillations. Severe dynamic fluctuations cause the risk of pipe deformations and resonances resulting from the hydrodynamic momentum/pressure forces which can lead to unstable operating pressure and decreased production rate. Despite the necessity to design subsea jumper with precise prediction on the process condition and the awareness of slug flow risks, it is challenging to experimentally evaluate, identify and improve the modified design in terms of the facility scale, time and cost efficiency. With increasing high computational performance, numerical analysis provides an alternative approach to simulate multiphase flow-induced force effects on the jumper. The present paper discusses the modelling of 3-D flow simulations in a subsea jumper for understanding the development process of internal slug flows causing hydrodynamic forces acting on the pipe walls and bends. Based on the fluctuating pressure calculated by the fluid solver, dynamic responses of the jumper pipe are assessed by a one-way interaction approach to evaluate deformation and stress. A potential resonance is discussed with the jumper modal analysis. Results from the structural response analyses show dominant multi-modal frequencies due to intermittent slug flow frequencies. Numerical results and observed behaviors may be useful for a comparison with other simulation and experiment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ryan Anugrah Putra ◽  
Akhlisa Nadiantya Aji Nugroho

The gas-liquid flow inside a horizontal static mixer was numerically investigated by using Euler-Euler Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results confirm that the liquid superficial velocity plays a significant role on the mixing behavior of the gas and liquid. The mixing behavior in this present study at a liquid superficial velocity of 0.2 m/s was the worst both axially and radially. Increasing the liquid superficial velocity significantly improve the mixing between gas and liquid. However, the unwanted gas layer still can be found at the superficial liquid velocity less than 0.8 m/s. A good mixing behavior in this study was achieved at a relatively high velocity (i.e. larger than 0.8 m/s).


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