Numerical Modeling of the Dynamical Interaction Between Slug Flow and Vortex Induced Vibration in Horizontal Submarine Pipelines

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris M. Bossio V. ◽  
Armando J. Blanco A. ◽  
Euro L. Casanova M.
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Flow Regime ◽  
Vortex Shedding ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Reference Value ◽  
Dynamical Interaction ◽  
Vortex Induced Vibration ◽  
Resonance Effects ◽  
Cyclic Damage

Fatigue life of submarines pipelines is known to depend on many factors, e.g., materials, spanning length, vortex induced vibration (VIV), pipe soil-interaction, etc. In the case of VIV, the external flow due to marine currents can generate the well known alternate vortex shedding regime. In this regime, a time-varying pressure distribution over the surface of the pipeline imposes forces upon the pipeline itself, thus producing vibration with a defined frequency. On the other hand, in recent years some authors have shown that slug flow regime may produce a cyclic damage that could reduce in a significant way the fatigue life of submarine pipelines, thus constituting a governing mechanism in their design. In slug flow regime, slugs traveling in the pipe act as moving gravity loads for the pipeline structure, producing a dynamic response, especially important for the free spans. If both frequencies of the before mentioned effects are closer and, in addition, are in the same range of the natural frequency of the pipeline span, resonance effects can be expected to be reinforced and drastic changes in the dynamics of the pipeline could appear. In this work, a first study of the interaction between slug flow induced vibration in horizontal pipelines and cross-flow response due to vortex shedding is presented. The fluid model was based on the classical wake oscillator model. A numerical model based on the finite difference method was implemented for the structure. Two particular extreme cases were modeled to analyze the pipeline dynamics for “small-size” and “large-size” slugs, for a range of marine current velocities. For the case involving small-size slugs, it was observed a near 10% increment in the vibration amplitude (compared to a reference value), while in the case of “large-slugs” the VIV was overweighed by the slug induced vibration (SIV) phenomenon.

Effects of Soil Non-Linearity on the Dynamic Behavior and Fatigue Life of Pipeline Spans Subjected to Slug Flow

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euro Casanova ◽  
Armando Blanco
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Vibration Response ◽  
Perfectly Plastic ◽  
Equilibrium Configurations ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Cyclic Damage ◽  
Pipeline Design ◽  
Soil Pipe

Offshore production fields require long submarine pipelines for transporting production fluids that are inherently multiphase. This condition and hydraulic sizing of pipelines lead often to the development of slug flow patterns in which condensate slugs traveling in the pipeline, act as moving gravity loads for the piping structure, therefore producing a dynamic response especially important for the free spans. Recently some authors have shown that this phenomenon may produce a cyclic damage that could reduce in a significant way the fatigue life of the pipelines, thus constituting a governing mechanism in their design. On the other hand, pipe-soil interaction has also been identified as an important factor in pipeline design and fatigue life; in particular it is important for determination of the static equilibrium configurations and the vibration response of free spanning pipelines. In this work a previously presented numerical model which combines fluid equations for predicting slug characteristics and a structural finite element model for the pipelines transporting slugs, is improved by introducing non linear characteristics of seabed supports. Different seabed supports (linear, perfectly plastic, and non linear with tension cut-off) and different properties of soil-pipe interaction (stiffness, damping and length of soil-pipe interaction) are considered, and their effects on vibration response and fatigue life are compared. Results show that soil pipe interaction is an important parameter in vibration response and fatigue life for pipeline spans subjected to slug flow.

Validation of 2D CFD for Two-Phase Transient Flow in a Channel and Comparison With 1D Model

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stamatis Kalogerakos ◽  
Mustapha Gourma ◽  
Chris Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Flow Regime ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Volume Of Fluid ◽  
Inviscid Limit ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Vof Model ◽  
Two Fluid

Severe limitations of the use of three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics codes (CFD) arise when trying to simulate multiphase flow in long pipes due to time constraints. 1D codes for two-phase flow, based on two-fluid models, are fast but are known to be accurate only when the velocities are within the Kelvin-Helmholtz inviscid limit [1]. An alternative is to carry out a two-dimensional CFD simulation of a channel based on the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model. 2D CFD has a wider applicability range compared to 1D, it does not have the issue of ill-posedness and it also has better turbulence models built in. Again compared to 1D the 2D VOF model has a better interface description and wall treatment. In this paper a novel method is introduced that allows swift simulations of pipeline two-phase flow in the stratified and slug flow regime, by approximating the pipe as a channel and with a methodology that solves the problem of the interfacial velocity differences, inherent in the volume of fluid model. An initial validation using the wave growth problem has already been carried out [2]. Here a set consisting of 92 experimental cases in the slug flow regime has been simulated with 2D CFD, and the simulation results showed a good agreement with experimental results. Discussions in the paper include also the question of the range of applicability for 2D CFD, and the advantages and disadvantages compared to 3D CFD and also to 1D code based on the two-fluid model. Shear stresses are then extracted from the 2D CFD simulations and used to recalibrate the friction factors [3] used in the 1D code.

A Preliminary Study on the Interaction Between Slug Flow and Vortex Induced Vibration in Fatigue Life of Submarines Pipelines

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armando Blanco ◽  
Euro Casanova
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Dynamical Behavior ◽  
Practical Interest ◽  
Flow Density ◽  
Wake Oscillator ◽  
Marine Current ◽  
Flow Induced Vibrations

Flow induced vibrations is a very important subject that should be carefully considered when facilities to transport hydrocarbons from marine sub-sea to shore line are designed. In particular, interaction between internal pipeline flow and external marine currents on horizontal, inclined or vertical (i.e. risers) pipelines need to be considered to properly estimate their fatigue life. Between these two form of excitations a coupling of resonances may appear, thus producing fatigue life predictions different from those calculated when each excitation is considered separately. In this paper a fluid-structural model for analyzing the dynamical behavior of a riser subjected to simultaneous internal slug flow and an external marine current uniform flow was developed. The fluid model was based on the classical wake oscillator model. A numerical model based on the finite difference method was implemented for the structure. Different tests cases were modeled to analyze the riser dynamics for a typical field case, when marine current velocity is constant. Preliminary results show that, in some cases of practical interest, the dynamical behavior of the riser could be influenced by the slug flow and the predicted fatigue life may be different from those predicted when each flow is considered separately. Additionally, results show that study of different slug flow scenarios may be simplified considering a monophasic flow whose density is equivalent to that of the average slug flow density.

Numerical Investigation of Slug Flow in a Horizontal Pipe Using a Multi-Scale Two-Phase Approach to Incorporate Gas Entrainment Effects

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Wenzel ◽  
Marek Czapp ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer
Keyword(s):  
Flow Regime ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Interfacial Area ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Multiscale Approach ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Horizontal Pipe ◽  
Horizontal Pipes ◽  
Interface Capturing

Numerical as well as experimental investigations of the highly intermittent slug flow regime of a gas-liquid mixture in horizontal pipes are of particular interest for nuclear reactor safety in post loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) situations. The strong variation of governing interfacial length scales, as they are characterizing the slug flow regime, pushes common numerical multi-phase approaches to their limits, since they are designed either for interface capturing or for modeling the sub-grid behavior of the dispersed mixture. In this work an enhanced hybrid two-phase flow solver is employed to investigate the global and local characteristics of adiabatic, horizontal slug flows in a water-air system. A dynamic switching algorithm for an interface capturing procedure is introduced to examine segregated and dispersed parts in the same flow domain. The inter-facial area transport equation (IATE) is used to detect dispersed flow regions as well as to determine variable bubble sizes and their distribution within the slug body. Experimental results of videometry measurements on a horizontal, 10 m long pipe with an inner diameter of 54 mm at atmospheric pressure and room temperature are compared with numerical results of the same geometry in terms of global characteristics such as slug frequency and onset position. Local properties, such as the interfacial area density in the slug body, are also examined. This study demonstrates the capability of a coupled multiscale approach based on the Euler-Euler two-fluid model (TFM) for the simulation of slug flow in horizontal pipes with a high amount of entrainment.

On Instabilities in Horizontal Two-Phase Flow

1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 2595-2603
Author(s):  
Lothar Ebner ◽  
Marie Fialová
Keyword(s):  
Differential Equation ◽  
Flow Regime ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Annular Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Annular Flows ◽  
Flow Regime Maps

Two regions of instabilities in horizontal two-phase flow were detected. The first was found in the transition from slug to annular flow, the second between stratified and slug flow. The existence of oscillations between the slug and annular flows can explain the differences in the limitation of the slug flow in flow regime maps proposed by different authors. Coexistence of these two regimes is similar to bistable behaviour of some differential equation solutions.

Initiation and Statistical Evolution of Horizontal Slug Flow With a Two-Fluid Model

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. O. Nieckele ◽  
J. N. E. Carneiro ◽  
R. C. Chucuya ◽  
J. H. P. Azevedo
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Horizontal Pipes ◽  
Dimensional Version ◽  
Two Fluid Model ◽  
Log Normal ◽  
Two Fluid

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.

Practical Design Considerations for Managing Marine Growth on VIV Suppression Devices

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don W. Allen ◽  
Li Lee ◽  
Dean Henning ◽  
Stergios Liapis
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Low Reynolds Number ◽  
Vortex Induced Vibration ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Drag Forces ◽  
Practical Design ◽  
Helical Strakes ◽  
Viv Suppression

Most deepwater tubulars experiencing high currents frequently require vortex-induced vibration (VIV) suppression to maintain an acceptable fatigue life. Helical strakes and fairings are the most popular VIV suppression devices in use today. Marine growth can significantly affect the VIV of a bare riser, often within just a few weeks or months after riser installation. Marine growth can have a strong influence on the performance of helical strakes and fairings on deepwater tubulars. This influence affects both suppression effectiveness as well as the drag forces on the helical strakes and fairings. Unfortunately, many VIV analyses and suppression designs fail to account for the effects of marine growth at all, even on a bare riser. This paper utilizes results from both high and low Reynolds number VIV test programs to provide some design considerations for managing marine growth for VIV suppression devices.

Numerical evaluation of separation efficiency in the diverging T-junction for slug flow

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faheem Ejaz ◽  
William Pao ◽  
Hafiz Muhammad Ali
Keyword(s):  
Slug Flow ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Diameter Ratio ◽  
Maintenance Costs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
High Separation

Purpose Offshore industries encounter severe production downtime due to high liquid carryovers in the T-junction. The diameter ratio and flow regime can significantly affect the excess liquid carryovers. Unfortunately, regular and reduce T-junctions have low separation efficiencies. Ansys as a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was used to model and numerically inspect a novel diverging T-junction design. The purpose of diverging T-junction is to merge the specific characteristics of regular and reduced T-junctions, ultimately increasing separation efficiency. The purpose of this study is to numerically compute the separation efficiency for five distinct diverging T-junctions for eight different velocity ratios. The results were compared to regular and converging T-junctions. Design/methodology/approach Air-water slug flow was simulated with the help of the volume of the fluid model, coupled with the K-epsilon turbulence model to track liquid-gas interfaces. Findings The results of this study indicated that T-junctions with upstream and downstream diameter ratio combinations of 0.8–1 and 0.5–1 achieved separation efficiency of 96% and 94.5%, respectively. These two diverging T-junctions had significantly higher separation efficiencies when compared to regular and converging T-junctions. Results also revealed that over-reduction of upstream and downstream diameter ratios below 0.5 and 1, respectively, lead to declination in separation efficiency. Research limitations/implications The present study is constrained for air and water as working fluids. Nevertheless, the results apply to other applications as well. Practical implications The proposed T-junction is intended to reduce excessive liquid carryovers and frequent plant shutdowns. Thus, lowering operational costs and enhancing separation efficiency. Social implications Higher separation efficiency achieved by using diverging T-junction enabled reduced production downtimes and resulted in lower maintenance costs. Originality/value A novel T-junction design was proposed in this study with a separation efficiency of higher than 90%. High separation efficiency eliminates loss of time during shutdowns and lowers maintenance costs. Furthermore, limitations of this study were also addressed as the lower upstream and downstream diameter ratio does not always enhance separation efficiency.

Multiphase Fluid Structure Interaction in Bends and T-Joints

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos F. Cargnelutti ◽  
Stefan P. C. Belfroid ◽  
Wouter Schiferli ◽  
Marlies van Osch
Keyword(s):  
Flow Regime ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Single Phase ◽  
Scaling Factor ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Large Radius ◽  
Single Phase Flow ◽  
Wide Range

Air-water experiments were carried out in a horizontal 1″ pipe system to measure the magnitude of the forces induced by the multiphase flow. Forces and accelerations were measured on a number of bends and T-joint configurations for a wide range of operating conditions. Five different configurations were measured: a baseline case consisting of straight pipe only, a sharp edged bend, a large radius bend, a symmetric T-joint and a T-joint with one of the arms closed off. The gas flow was varied from a superficial velocity of 0.1 to 30 m/s and the liquid flow was varied from 0.05 to 2 m/s. This operating range ensures that the experiment encompasses all possible flow regimes. In general, the slug velocity and frequency presented a reasonable agreement with classical models. However, for high mixture velocity the measured frequency deviated from literature models. The magnitude of the measured forces was found to vary over a wide range depending on the flow regime. For slug flow conditions very high force levels were measured, up to 4 orders of magnitude higher than in single phase flow for comparable velocities. The annular flow regime resulted in the (relative) lowest forces, although the absolute amplitude is of the same order as in the case of slug flow. These results from a one inch pipe were compared to data obtained previously from similar experiments on a 6mm setup, to evaluate the scaling effects. The results for the one inch rig experiments agreed with the model proposed by Riverin, with the same scaling factor. A modification of this scaling factor is needed for the model to predict the forces measured on the 6mm rig. The validity of the theories developed based on the 6mm experiments were tested for validity at larger scales. In case of slug flow, the measured results can be described assuming a simple slug unit model. In annular and stratified flow a different model is required, since no slug unit is present. Instead, excitation force can be estimated using mixture properties. This mixture approach also describes the forces for the slug regime relatively well. Only the single phase flow is not described properly with this mixture model, as would be expected.

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