Experimental Study of Low Liquid Loading Gas-Liquid Flow in Near-Horizontal Pipes

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas R. Olive ◽  
Hong-Quan Zhang ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Clifford L. Redus ◽  
James P. Brill
Keyword(s):  
Water Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Liquid Density ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Liquid Holdup ◽  
Liquid Loading ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Horizontal Pipes

Gas-liquid two-phase flow exists extensively in the transportation of hydrocarbon fluids. A more precise prediction of liquid holdup in near-horizontal, wet-gas pipelines is needed in order to better predict pressure drop and size downstream processing facilities. The most important parameters are pipe geometry (pipe diameter and orientation), physical properties of the gas and liquid (density, viscosity and surface tension) and flow conditions (velocity, temperature and pressure). Stratified flow and annular flow are the two flow patterns observed most often in near-horizontal pipelines under low liquid loading conditions. Low liquid loading is commonly referred to as cases in which liquid loading is less than 1,100m3/MMm3 (200 bbl/MMscf). Low liquid loading gas-liquid two-phase flow at −1° downward pipe was studied for air-water flow in the present study. The measured parameters included gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, pressure, differential pressure, temperature, liquid holdup, pipe wetted perimeter, liquid film flow rate, droplet entrainment fraction and droplet deposition rate. A new phenomenon was observed with air-water flow at low superficial velocities and with a liquid loading larger than 600m3/MMm3. The liquid holdup increased as gas superficial velocity increased. In order to investigate the effects of the liquid properties on flow characteristics, the experimental results for air-water flow are compared with the results for air-oil flow provided by Meng. (1999, “Low Liquid Loading Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow In Near-Horizontal Pipes,” Ph.D. Dissertation, U. of Tulsa.)

Experimental Study of Low Liquid Loading Gas-Liquid Flow in Near-Horizontal Pipes

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas R. Olive ◽  
Hong-Quan Zhang ◽  
Clifford L. Redus ◽  
James P. Brill
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Annular Flow ◽  
Film Flow ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Liquid Holdup ◽  
Liquid Loading ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Horizontal Pipes ◽  
Liquid Film Flow

Abstract Gas-liquid two-phase flow exists extensively in the transportation of hydrocarbon fluids. A more precise prediction of liquid holdup in near-horizontal, wet-gas pipelines is needed in order to better predict pressure drop and size downstream processing facilities. The most important parameters are pipe geometry (pipe diameter and orientation), physical properties of the gas and liquid (density, viscosity and surface tension) and flow conditions (velocity, temperature and pressure). Stratified flow and annular flow are the two flow patterns observed most often in near-horizontal pipelines under low liquid loading conditions. Low liquid loading is commonly referred to as cases in which liquid loading is less than 1,100 m3/MMm3 (200 bbl/MMscf). A previous study by Meng [1] was carried out on a new low liquid loading flow loop. A transparent test section (50.8-mm inner diameter and 19-m long) could be inclined within ± 2° from the horizontal. Mineral oil was used as the liquid and air was used as the gas phase. A surprising phenomenon was observed with air-oil flow; at high gas velocities (annular flow), liquid film flow rate, liquid holdup and pressure gradient decreased as liquid velocity increased. Low liquid loading gas-liquid two-phase flow in near-horizontal pipes was studied for air-water flow in the present study, in order to investigate the effects of the liquid properties on flow characteristics. This study was carried out on the same 2-in. ID flow loop used by Meng. The measured parameters included gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, pressure, differential pressure, temperature, liquid holdup, pipe wetted perimeter, liquid film flow rate, droplet entrainment fraction and droplet deposition rate. A new phenomenon was observed with air-water flow at low superficial velocities and with a liquid loading larger than 600 m3/MMm3. The liquid holdup increased as gas superficial velocity increased.

Influences of Impeller Diameter and Diffuser Blades on Air-Water Two-Phase Flow Performance of Centrifugal Pump

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Matsushita ◽  
Akinori Furukawa ◽  
Kusuo Okuma ◽  
Satoshi Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Flow Condition ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Water Flow Rate ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase

A tandem arrangement of double rotating cascades and single diffuser cascade, proposed as a centrifugal pump with high performance in air-water two-phase flow condition, yields lower head due to the smallness of the impeller outlet in comparison with a impeller with large outlet diameter and no diffuser. Influences of impeller diameter change and installation of diffuser blades on two-phase flow performance were experimentally investigated under the case of the same volute casing. As the result, the similarity law of the diameter of impeller having the similar blade geometry and the rotational speed is satisfied even in two-phase flow condition. Comparing pump performances between a large impeller without diffuser blades and a small one with diffuser blades, higher two-phase flow performance is obtained by controlling the rotational speed of a small impeller with diffuser blades in the range of small water flow rates, while a large impeller with no diffuser gives high performance in the range of high water flow rate and small air flow rate.

Wet Gas Flow Metering Based on Differential Pressure and BSS Techniques

2011 ◽  
Vol 383-390 ◽  
pp. 4922-4927
Author(s):  
Peng Xia Xu ◽  
Yan Feng Geng
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Liquid Flow Rate ◽  
Differential Pressure ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Flow Metering ◽  
Wet Gas

Wet gas flow is a typical two-phase flow with low liquid fractions. As differential pressure signal contains rich information of flow parameters in two-phase flow metering, a new method is proposed for wet gas flow metering based on differential pressure (DP) and blind source separation (BSS) techniques. DP signals are from a couple of slotted orifices and the BSS method is based on time-frequency analysis. A good relationship between the liquid flow rate and the characteristic quantity of the separated signal is established, and a differential pressure correlation for slotted orifice is applied to calculate the gas flow rate. The calculation results are good with 90% relative errors less than ±10%. The results also show that BSS is an effective method to extract liquid flow rate from DP signals of wet gas flow, and to analysis different interactions among the total DP readings.

Visualization Study on Two-Phase Flow Behaviors in the Gas-Liquid-Solid Microreactor for Hydrogenation of Nitrobenzene

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Feng ◽  
Xun Zhu ◽  
Rong Chen ◽  
Qiang Liao
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Microchannel Reactor ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Modified Surface

In this study, visualization study on the gas-liquid two phase flow characteristics in a gas-liquid-solid microchannel reactor was carried out. Palladium nanocatalyst was coated onto the polydopamine functionalized surface of the microchannel through eletroless deposition. The materials characterization results indicated that palladium nanocatalyst were well dispersed on the modified surface. The effects of both the gas and liquid flow rates as well as inlet nitrobenzene concentration on the two-phase flow characteristics were studied. The experimental results revealed that owing to the chemical reaction inside the microreactor, the gas slug length gradually decreased along the flow direction. For a given inlet nitrobenzene concentration, increasing the liquid flow rate or decreasing the gas flow rate would make the variation of the gas slug length more obvious. High inlet nitrobenzene concentration would intensify both the nitrobenzene transfer efficiency and gas reactants consumption, and thereby the flow pattern in the microchannel was transferred from Taylor flow into bubble flow. Besides, the effect of both flow rate and original nitrobenzene concentration on the variation of nitrobenzene conversion and the desired product aniline yield were also discussed.

Modeling Oscillatory Behavior of Electrical Submersible Pump Wells Under Two-Phase Flow Conditions

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rinaldo Antonio de Melo Vieira ◽  
Mauricio Gargaglione Prado
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Liquid Flow Rate ◽  
Oscillatory Behavior ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Submersible Pump ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Electrical Submersible Pump

The effect of free gas on electrical submersible pump (ESP) performance is well known. At a constant rotational speed and constant liquid flow rate, a small amount of gas causes a mild head reduction when compared to the single phase liquid head. However, at higher gas rates, a drastic reduction in the head is observed. This critical condition, known as the surging point, is a combination of liquid and gas flow rates that cause a maximum in the head performance curve. The first derivative of the head with respect to the liquid flow rate changes sign as the liquid flow rate crosses the surging point. In several works on ESP two-phase flow performance, production conditions to the left of the surging region are described or reported as unstable operational conditions. This paper reviews basic concepts on stability of dynamical systems and shows through simulation that ESP oscillatory behavior may result from two-phase flow conditions. A specific drift flux computation code was developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of ESP wells producing without packers.

Modeling Oscillatory Behavior of ESP Wells Under Two-Phase Flow Conditions

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rinaldo Antonio de Melo Vieira ◽  
Mauricio Gargaglione Prado
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Liquid Flow Rate ◽  
Oscillatory Behavior ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Operational Conditions

The effect of free gas on the Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) performance is well known. At a constant rotational speed and constant liquid flowrate, small amount of gas causes a mild head reduction when compared to the single phase liquid head. However, at higher gas rates, a drastic reduction in the head is observed. This critical condition, known as surging point, is a combination of liquid and gas flow rates that cause a maximum in the head performance curve. The first derivative of the head with respect to the liquid flow rate change sign as the liquid flow rate crosses the surging point. In several works on ESP two-phase flow performance, production conditions to the left of the surging region are described or reported as unstable operational conditions. This paper reviews basic concepts on stability of dynamical systems and shows through simulation that ESP oscillatory behavior may result from two-phase flow conditions. A specific drift flux computation code was developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of ESP wells producing without packer.

Development of Air/Water Two-Phase Flow Centrifugal Pump and Its Operating Characteristics

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akinori Furukawa ◽  
Satoshi Ohshita ◽  
Kusuo Okuma ◽  
Satoshi Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Water Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Water Flow Rate ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Air Flow Rate ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Flow Pump

A centrifugal impeller, the pumping action of which could be highly kept even at an air-water two-phase flow condition of inlet void fraction more than 30% in the region of relatively high water flow rate, has been developed. In the present paper, the design concept of two-phase flow impeller is described, at first, with experimental results. The short bladed forward impeller with high outlet blade angle was decided to keep theoretical head higher even in two-phase flow condition and to disperse the air accumulating region on the suction blade surface by the water jet flow coming from the pressure side. Furthermore, the tandem arrangement of outer and inner rotating cascades with the same blade numbers was adopted to suppress the rotating stall phenomena appearing in the case of a single stage of outer cascade. It should be noted that these results were obtained with operating a boost pump installed upstream of mixing section of air and water, that is not an actual operation of two-phase flow pump. Secondly, the operating characteristics of this two-phase flow pump with change of air flow rate were investigated experimentally without operating the boost pump. As the trajectory of operating point with increasing air flow rate appears along the resistance curve of piping system, the impossibility of pumping occurs at lower air flow rate even though pump head takes a positive value at high air flow rate with increasing water flow rate. It is recognized that it is necessary to improve two-phase flow head characteristic curves in the region of low water flow rate to operate in wider two-phase flow conditions.

scholarly journals Experimental Study on Hydraulic Characteristics of Pneumatic Lifting Pump

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Juanli Zuo ◽  
Fengchao Li ◽  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Denghui He ◽  
Wen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Liquid Flow Rate ◽  
Bubble Formation ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Hydraulic Characteristics ◽  
Two Phase

A pneumatic lifting pump is used in sewage treatment, offshore oil production, and other fields because of its simple structure and strong practicability. In order to study its internal hydraulic characteristics and gas-liquid two-phase flow, this paper carries out experimental research on the influence of different air intake modes and riser diameters on the performance of a pneumatic lifting pump. The air-water two-phase flow pattern in the riser and motion characteristics of bubble formation at the nozzle are obtained by a high-speed camera. Through theoretical analysis, the theoretical model of a pneumatic lifting pump is established, and experimental results verify the theoretical model well. The results show that when the submergence ratio is constant, the lifting efficiency decreases with the smaller intake area under different intake areas; and the influences of different holes distributions on liquid flow rate and lifting efficiency are not significant under the same intake area. At the same submergence ratio, the smaller the riser diameter, the smaller the final lifting liquid flow rate and the larger the lifting efficiency peak value.

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