Numerical Simulation of Two-Phase Oil-Water Flow in Horizontal Pipelines: a Review

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronaldo Höhn ◽  
Marcelo Souza de Castro
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Oil Water

Application of Increment-Dimension Precise Integration Method in Numerical Simulation of Two-Phase Oil-Water Flows in a Low Permeability Reservoir

2011 ◽  
Vol 243-249 ◽  
pp. 5985-5988
Author(s):  
Fu Liang Mei ◽  
Xiang Song Wu ◽  
Guang Ping Lin
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
Integration Method ◽  
Pore Fluid ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Precise Integration ◽  
Water Flows ◽  
Oil Water

The numerical simulation of two-phase oil-water flows in a low permeability reservoir was carried out by means of an increment-dimension precise integration method (IDPIM). First of all, state equations denoted with pore fluid pressures at mesh nodes were built up according to finite difference method (FDM). Secondly, the recurrence formulae of the pore fluid pressures at mesh nodes were set up based on IDPIM. Finally, the numerical simulations of two-phase oil water seepages for a typical five point injection-production reservoir as an example were conducted by means of IDPIM and IMPES respectively. Calculation results by IDPIM are in good accordance with those by IMPES, and then IDPIM is quite reliable. At the same time, the effect rule of the startup pressure gradients on recovery degree, liquid production rate and oil production rate has been investigated. The start-up pressure gradients have an outstanding effect on recovery degree, liquid production rate and oil production rate, and the existence of the startup pressure gradients will enhance development difficulty and cost.

Hydrodynamic Modeling of Three-Phase Flow in Production and Gathering Pipelines

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Zaghloul ◽  
Michael Adewumi ◽  
M. Thaddeus Ityokumbul
Keyword(s):  
Water Flow ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Hydrate Formation ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Gas Oil ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Flow Reduction ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Three Phase Flow ◽  
Oil Water

The transport of unprocessed gas streams in production and gathering pipelines is becoming more attractive for new developments, particularly those is less friendly enviroments such as deep offshore locations. Transporting gas, oil, and water together from wells in satellite fields to existing processing facilities reduces the investments required for expanding production. However, engineers often face several problems when designing these systems. These problems include reduced flow capacity, corrosion, emulsion, asphaltene or wax deposition, and hydrate formation. Engineers need a tool to understand how the fluids travel together, quantify the flow reduction in the pipe, and determine where, how much, and the type of liquid that would from in a pipe. The present work provides a fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics and hydrodynamic mechanisms of this type of flow. We present a model that couples complex hydrodynamic and thermodynamic models for describing the behavior of fluids traveling in near-horizontal pipes. The model incorporates: • A hydrodynamic formulation for three-phase flow in pipes. • A thermodynamic model capable of performing two-phase and three-phase flow calculations in an accurate, fast and reliable manner. • A new theoretical approach for determining flow pattern transitions in three-phase (gas-oil-water) flow, and closure models that effectively handle different three-phase flow patterns and their transitions. The unified two-fluid model developed herein is demonstrated to be capable of handling systems exhibiting two-phase (gas-water and gas-oil) and three-phase (gas-oil-water) flow. Model predictions were compared against field and experimental data with excellent matches. The hydrodynamic model allows: 1) the determination of flow reduction due to the condensation of liquid(s) in the pipe, 2) assessment of the potential for forming substances that might affect the integrity of the pipe, and 3) evaluation of the possible measures for improving the deliverability of the pipeline.

scholarly journals A sensor system for oil fraction estimation in a two phase oil-water flow

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1247-1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Demori ◽  
Vittorio Ferrari ◽  
Domenico Strazza
Keyword(s):  
Water Flow ◽  
Sensor System ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Oil Fraction ◽  
Oil Water

Numerical modelling of two-phase oil–water flow patterns in a subsea pipeline

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 135-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Pouraria ◽  
Jung Kwan Seo ◽  
Jeom Kee Paik
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modelling ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Subsea Pipeline ◽  
Oil Water

Effect of Inclination Pipe Angle on Oil-Water Two Phase Flow Patterns and Pressure Loss

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Alireza Hojati ◽  
Pedram Hanafizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Water Flow ◽  
Inclination Angle ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Inclination Angles ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Pipe Inclination

The flow patterns in two phase and multi-phase flows is a significant factor which influences many other parameters such as drag force, drag coefficient and pressure drop in pipe lines. One of the major streams in the gas and oil industries is oil-water two phase flow. The main flow patterns in oil-water flows are bubbly, slug, dual continuous, stratified and annular. In the present work flow patterns in two phase oil-water flow were investigated in a 0.5in diameter pipe with length of 2m. 3D simulation was used for this pipe and six types of mesh grid were used to investigate mesh independency of the simulation. The proposed numerical analyses were performed by a CFD package which is based both on volume of fluid (VOF) and Eulerian-Eulerian methods. The results showed that some flow patterns can be simulated better with VOF method and some other maybe in Eulerian-Eulerian method, so these two methods were compared with together for all flow patterns. The flow patterns may be a function of many parameters in flow. One of the important parameter which may affect flow patterns in pipe line is pipe inclination angle; therefore flow patterns in the different pipe inclination angles were investigated in two phase oil-water flow. The range of inclinations has been varied between −45 to +45 degree about the horizon. In the presented simulation oil is mixed with water via a circular hole at center of the pipe, the ratio of oil surface to water surface at entrance is 2/3 so water phase was considered as the main phase. Flow patterns were investigated for every angle of pipe and numerical results were compared with available experimental data for verification. Also the flow patterns simulated by numerical approaches were compared with available flow regime maps in the previous literatures. Finally, effect of pipe inclination angle and flow patterns on the pressure loss were investigated comprehensively.

Investigation of Holdup and Pressure Drop Behavior for Oil-Water Flow in Vertical and Deviated Wells

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Flores ◽  
C. Sarica ◽  
T. X. Chen ◽  
J. P. Brill
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Production Optimization ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Drift Flux Model ◽  
Drift Flux ◽  
Inclination Angles ◽  
Oil Water

Two-phase flow of oil and water is commonly observed in wellbores, and its behavior under a wide range of flow conditions and inclination angles constitutes a relevant unresolved issue for the petroleum industry. Among the most significant applications of oil-water flow in wellbores are production optimization, production string selection, production logging interpretation, down-hole metering, and artificial lift design and modeling. In this study, oil-water flow in vertical and inclined pipes has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The data are acquired in a transparent test section (0.0508 m i.d., 15.3 m long) using a mineral oil and water (ρo/ρw = 0.85, μo/μw = 20.0 & σo−w = 33.5 dyne/cm at 32.22°C). The tests covered inclination angles of 90, 75, 60, and 45 deg from horizontal. The holdup and pressure drop behaviors are strongly affected by oil-water flow patterns and inclination angle. Oil-water flows have been grouped into two major categories based on the status of the continuous phase, including water-dominated and oil-dominated flow patterns. Water-dominated flow patterns generally showed significant slippage, but relatively low frictional pressure gradients. In contrast, oil-dominated flow patterns showed negligible slippage, but significantly large frictional pressure gradients. A new mechanistic model is proposed to predict the water holdup in vertical wellbores based on a drift-flux approach. The drift flux model was found to be adequate to calculate the holdup for high slippage flow patterns. New closure relationships for the two-phase friction factor for oil-dominated and water-dominated flow patterns are also proposed.

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