Some Interesting Flow Characteristics of a Heavy Crude Pipeline

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changchun Wu ◽  
Hongsheng Cui ◽  
Lili Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Critical Reynolds Number ◽  
Heating Temperature ◽  
Friction Loss ◽  
Unstable Flow ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Pipe Section ◽  
Heavy Crude

In this paper the hydraulic characteristics of a heavy crude pipeline were discussed in detail. The crude oil to be transported is very heavy and highly viscous, with the specific density as high as 0.965 (API degree is about 14.7) at 20°C and the kinematic viscosity as high as 920mm2/s at 50°C, and its viscosity increases sharply with decreasing temperature. Due to its poor flow-ability the heavy crude is to be heated in the heating-pumping stations of the heat-insulated pipeline during its pipelining process. It is interesting that the pipeline does not behave like a usual hot oil pipeline in two ways. First, given a heating temperature and a pressure drop for a section of the pipeline, the trial-and-error process to solve for the flow-rate of the section is likely to fall into the trap of an unstable flow-rate interval, in which the friction loss of a pipe section decreases with increasing flow-rate, just contrary to usual oil pipelines. Secondly, the flow of heavy crude through the pipeline is probably in the critical regime between laminar flow and turbulent flow, so it is possible that a proper flow-rate can not be found corresponding to some heating temperature and pressure drop of the pipeline. For a hot oil pipeline, the necessary condition for occurrence of an unstable flow-rate interval is to fix the discharge temperature of a heating station, additionally, a steep curve of viscosity versus temperature and good heat transfer condition between the pipeline and its surroundings will be activating factors. Based on the hydraulic calculations of Xinmei heavy crude pipeline at different flow-rates, the curves of friction loss versus flow-rate were plotted, from which the unstable flow-rate intervals may be determined. From the viewpoint of safe operation, the unstable flow-rate interval should be avoided. For the hydraulic calculations of an oil pipeline, a critical Reynolds number of 2000 is usually used to divide flow regimes into laminar and turbulent flow. Because of different friction factors determined respectively from laminar flow and turbulent flow for the Reynolds number 2000, for some values of friction loss of a pipe section, the corresponding flow-rates do not exist, in this case, the problem for finding out the flow-rate of a pipe section is not solvable. On the other hand, the critical Reynolds number is sensitive to many factors related to pipe flow, so for the stable operation of a pipe section, its Reynolds number should be far from the Reynolds number 2000.

Loss Characteristics of Orifices and Nozzles

1978 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. H. Alvi ◽  
K. Sridharan ◽  
N. S. Lakshmana Rao
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Flow Regime ◽  
Discharge Coefficient ◽  
Critical Reynolds Number ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Center Line ◽  
Laminar Regime ◽  
Variation Of Parameters ◽  
Turbulent Flow Regime

Loss characteristics of sharp-edged orifices, quadrant-edged orifices for varying edge radii, and nozzles are studied for Reynolds numbers less than 10,000 for β ratios from 0.2 to 0.8. The results may be reliably extrapolated to higher Reynolds numbers. Presentation of losses as a percentage of meter pressure differential shows that the flow can be identified into fully laminar regime, critical Reynolds number regime, relaminarization regime, and turbulent flow regime. An integrated picture of variation of parameters such as discharge coefficient, loss coefficient, settling length, pressure recovery length, and center line velocity confirms this classification.

Computerized Model of Transition in Circular Pipe Flows: Part 1 — Experimental Definition of the Problem

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidesada Kanda
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Critical Reynolds Number ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Entrance Region ◽  
Circular Pipe ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Circular Pipes ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract A conceptual model was constructed for the problem of determining in circular pipes the conditions under which the transition from laminar to turbulent flow occurs, so that it becomes possible to calculate the minimum critical Reynolds number. Up until now this problem has been investigated by stability theory with disturbances at the pipe inlet. However, the minimum critical Reynolds number has not yet been obtained theoretically. Hence, the author took up the problem directly from many previous experimental investigations and found that (i) plots of the transition length versus the Reynolds number show that the transition occurs in the entrance region under the condition of a natural disturbance, and (ii) plots of the critical Reynolds number versus the ratio of bellmouth diameter to the pipe diamter show that with larger shapes of bellmouths, laminar flow will persist to higher Reynolds numbers. The problem is thus defined clearly as: Under the condition of an ordinary disturbance, the transition from laminar to turbulent flow occurs in the entrance region of a straight circular pipe, then the Reynolds number takes a minimum value of about 2000.

Hydraulic Characteristics of Pipelines Transporting Hot Waxy Crudes

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Chen ◽  
Jinjun Zhang ◽  
Hongying Li
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Pour Point ◽  
Friction Loss ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Critical Flow ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Hydraulic Characteristics ◽  
Critical Flow Rate ◽  
Waxy Crude ◽  
Oil Pipeline

Waxy crudes are generally pipelined by means of heating. In general, the friction loss of a pipeline decreases with decreasing flow rate. This is the case of isothermal pipeline. However, a hot oil pipeline operated at low flow rate might show a contrary case, i.e. friction-loss increases with decreasing flow rate. This is an unstable operation state and may result in disastrous consequence of flow ceasing if tackled improperly. For a waxy crude pipeline, this may also be exaggerated by the non-Newtonian flow characteristics at temperatures near the pour point. That is to say, there may exist a critical flow rate for pipelines transporting heated waxy crude, and in order to ensure safe operation, the flow rate of a pipeline transporting hot oil should be no less than this critical flow rate. Based on theoretical analysis and can study, the hydraulic characteristics of pipelines transporting hot waxy crudes was investigated, and an empirical model was developed correlating the critical flow rate QC and the pipelining parameters, such as the average overall heat transfer coefficient, the ground temperature, the heating temperature, etc. Another relationship was found between TZC, the outlet temperature of the pipeline corresponding to the critical flow rate, and the critical flow rate. This TZC is also the lowest pipeline outlet temperature that ensures the normal pipelining operation state. Case study on a 720mm O.D. pipeline transporting heated Daqing waxy crude with a pour point of 36 °C showed that the TZC was in a range of 31∼34.2°C.

Turbulence in transient channel flow

2013 ◽  
Vol 715 ◽  
pp. 60-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. He ◽  
M. Seddighi
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Turbulent Structures ◽  
Turbulent Spots ◽  
Transient Channel ◽  
Transitional Phase

AbstractDirect numerical simulations (DNS) are performed of a transient channel flow following a rapid increase of flow rate from an initially turbulent flow. It is shown that a low-Reynolds-number turbulent flow can undergo a process of transition that resembles the laminar–turbulent transition. In response to the rapid increase of flow rate, the flow does not progressively evolve from the initial turbulent structure to a new one, but undergoes a process involving three distinct phases (pre-transition, transition and fully turbulent) that are equivalent to the three regions of the boundary layer bypass transition, namely, the buffeted laminar flow, the intermittent flow and the fully turbulent flow regions. This transient channel flow represents an alternative bypass transition scenario to the free-stream-turbulence (FST) induced transition, whereby the initial flow serving as the disturbance is a low-Reynolds-number turbulent wall shear flow with pre-existing streaky structures. The flow nevertheless undergoes a ‘receptivity’ process during which the initial structures are modulated by a time-developing boundary layer, forming streaks of apparently specific favourable spacing (of about double the new boundary layer thickness) which are elongated streamwise during the pre-transitional period. The structures are stable and the flow is laminar-like initially; but later in the transitional phase, localized turbulent spots are generated which grow spatially, merge with each other and eventually occupy the entire wall surfaces when the flow becomes fully turbulent. It appears that the presence of the initial turbulent structures does not promote early transition when compared with boundary layer transition of similar FST intensity. New turbulent structures first appear at high wavenumbers extending into a lower-wavenumber spectrum later as turbulent spots grow and join together. In line with the transient energy growth theory, the maximum turbulent kinetic energy in the pre-transitional phase grows linearly but only in terms of ${u}^{\ensuremath{\prime} } $, whilst ${v}^{\ensuremath{\prime} } $ and ${w}^{\ensuremath{\prime} } $ remain essentially unchanged. The energy production and dissipation rates are very low at this stage despite the high level of ${u}^{\ensuremath{\prime} } $. The pressure–strain term remains unchanged at that time, but increases rapidly later during transition along with the generation of turbulent spots, hence providing an unambiguous measure for the onset of transition.

A Theory of Transitional and Turbulent Flow of Non-Newtonian Slurries Between Flat Parallel Plates

1971 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 52-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Hanks ◽  
Maheshkumar P. Valia
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Critical Reynolds Number ◽  
Frictional Resistance ◽  
Newtonian Fluids ◽  
Transitional Flow ◽  
Parallel Plates ◽  
Bingham Plastic ◽  
Turbulent Transition ◽  
Large Width

Abstract A theoretical model is developed which Permits prediction of velocity profiles and frictional prediction of velocity profiles and frictional resistance factors for the isothermal flow of Bingham plastic non-Newtonian slurries in laminar, transitional, and turbulent flow between that parallel walls, in rectangular ducts of large width-to-height ratios, or in concentric annuli with radius ratios approaching unity. The theory is tested with available frictional resistance data for a range of Hedstrom numbers from 10(4) to 10(8) and a set of theoretical design curves of friction factor vs Reynolds number is developed. The model indices that for certain ranges of Hedstrom number (the non-Newtonian index) turbulence is suppressed relative to Newtonian flow behavior, whereas for other ranges of Hedstrom number, the converse is true. Introduction The handling of non-Newtonian fluids in turbulent motion is an important operation in many modern technological processes. Despite this fact, however, little has been done to develop models which are comparable to those available for Newtonian turbulent flow. In particular, a model of the transitional flow regime is notably lacking. Recently, a theory of laminar-turbulent transition for non-Newtonian slurries flowing in pipes and parallel plates was presented. A theory of parallel plates was presented. A theory of transitional and turbulent flow of Newtonian fluids in pipes and parallel plate ducts has also recently been developed. This theory permits the analytic calculation of the friction factor-Reynolds number curves as a continuous function of Reynolds number from the critical Reynolds number of laminar turbulent transition to any condition of turbulent flow. In this paper these two theories will be combined in order to develop a theory for the transitional and turbulent flow of non-Newtonian slurries in parallel plate ducts, rectangular ducts of large width-to-height ratio, or concentric annuli with radius ratios approaching unity. THEORETICAL ANALYSIS The rheological model which will be used to represent the non-Newtonian slurry behavior is the linear Bingham plastic model, ..............(1) ............(2) For this model the laminar flow curve is given by ..............(3) where q = 2v/b, b is one-half the distance between the plates, w = b(−dp/dz) is the wall shear stress, and D = o/ w. The end of the laminax flow, region is determined by the equations ........(4) .........(5) where N Rec = 4bp vc/ p is the critical Reynolds number, Dc is the critical transitional value of D and N He -16bp o/ p is the Hedstrom number expressed in terms of the hydraulic diameter for parallel plates. parallel plates. The calculation of the transitional flow field for this type of fluid will be based upon the model developed by Hanks for Newtonian fluids. SPEJ P. 52

An experimental study of absolute instability of the rotating-disk boundary-layer flow

1996 ◽  
Vol 314 ◽  
pp. 373-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Lingwood
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Wave Packet ◽  
Boundary Layer Flow ◽  
Critical Reynolds Number ◽  
Linear Stability Theory ◽  
Absolute Instability ◽  
Unstable Flow ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Layer Flow

In this paper, the results of experiments on unsteady disturbances in the boundary-layer flow over a disk rotating in otherwise still air are presented. The flow was perturbed impulsively at a point corresponding to a Reynolds numberRbelow the value at which transition from laminar to turbulent flow is observed. Among the frequencies excited are convectively unstable modes, which form a three-dimensional wave packet that initially convects away from the source. The wave packet consists of two families of travelling convectively unstable waves that propagate together as one packet. These two families are predicted by linear-stability theory: branch-2 modes dominate close to the source but, as the packet moves outwards into regions with higher Reynolds numbers, branch-1 modes grow preferentially and this behaviour was found in the experiment. However, the radial propagation of the trailing edge of the wave packet was observed to tend towards zero as it approaches the critical Reynolds number (about 510) for the onset of radial absolute instability. The wave packet remains convectively unstable in the circumferential direction up to this critical Reynolds number, but it is suggested that the accumulation of energy at a well-defined radius, due to the flow becoming radially absolutely unstable, causes the onset of laminar–turbulent transition. The onset of transition has been consistently observed by previous authors at an average value of 513, with only a small scatter around this value. Here, transition is also observed at about this average value, with and without artificial excitation of the boundary layer. This lack of sensitivity to the exact form of the disturbance environment is characteristic of an absolutely unstable flow, because absolute growth of disturbances can start from either noise or artificial sources to reach the same final state, which is determined by nonlinear effects.

scholarly journals A peculiar behaviour of liquid jet impact

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 ◽  
pp. 05001
Author(s):  
Claudiu Pătraşcu ◽  
Corneliu Bălan
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Critical Reynolds Number ◽  
Bond Number ◽  
Critical Distance ◽  
Liquid Jet ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
Peculiar Behaviour ◽  
Jet Impact

Coalescent masses of fluid, formed upon liquid jet impact, should exhibit either dripping or jetting regardless of the distance between the nozzles. The study reveals that above a certain flow rate, by increasing this distance, the coalescent mass enters a dripping state, when only a jetting regime is previously present. This is followed again by a jetting regime before breakup which occurs at a critical distance. The upper limit of this dripping state is achieved when Bond number is equal to unity, this result being valid below a certain critical Reynolds number.

Research on Contamination Caused by the Topographical Difference in Batch Transportation

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Gong ◽  
Zhengling Kang ◽  
Dafan Yan
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Critical Reynolds Number ◽  
Mixing Model ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Height Difference ◽  
Axial Dispersion Coefficient ◽  
Topographical Difference ◽  
Products Pipeline ◽  
Contamination Concentration

This paper presents the mixing model for illuminating the influence of density, viscosity and the topographical height difference on the interfacial product-mixing in pipeline, in which a new virtual axial dispersion coefficient related with contamination concentration and its gradient was utilized. With the simplification of the Reynolds number of the mixture unvaried with the concentration, contamination concentration distribution relevant to density difference and gravitation acceleration etc was developed. When the Reynolds number of the mixture was a function of concentration, the mixing model was solved numerically by Crank-Nicholson implicit difference scheme. Analysis indicated that the effect of inclination angle on contamination decreases gradually with the increase of the distance traveled by the interface and the contamination Reynolds number. Particularly, the degree of effect became invisible when pipeline is in completely turbulent flow, and the Reynolds number is greater than the critical Reynolds number defined by Austin and Palfrey while the pipeline was considerably long. In the undulate long-distance multi-products pipeline, contamination due to topographical height difference can be ignored in turbulent flow while the Reynolds number is greater than critical Reynolds number.

scholarly journals Computational analysis of transient turbulent flow and conjugate heat transfer characteristics in a solar collector panel with internal, rectangular fins and baffles

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachid Saim ◽  
Said Abboudi ◽  
Boumédiene Benyoucef
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Solar Collector ◽  
Computational Analysis ◽  
Heat Transfer Characteristics ◽  
Thermal Exchange

The poor thermal exchange between the absorber and the fluid in the solar air flat plate collector, gives the bad performance and the mediocre thermal efficiency. The introduction of obstacles in the dynamic air vein of the solar collector in order to obtain a turbulent flow is a technique that improves the thermal exchange by convection between the air and the absorber. This article present a computational analysis on the turbulent flow and heat transfer in solar air collector with rectangular plate fins absorber and baffles which are arranged on the bottom and top channel walls in a periodically staggered way. To this end we solved numerically, by the finite volumes method, the conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy. The low Reynolds number k-? model was adopted for the taking into account of turbulence. The velocity and pressure terms of momentum equations are solved by the SIMPLE algorithm. The parameters studied include the entrance mass flow rate of air. The influence of the mass flow rate of air on the axial velocity and the efficiency of upward type baffled solar air heaters have been investigated numerically. The results show that the flow and the heat transfer characteristics are strongly dependent on mass-flow rate of air and the presence and/or the absence of the baffles and fins in the solar collector. It was observed that increasing the Reynolds number will increase the efficiency of the solar panel, as expected.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document