The Flow Pattern Transition and Water Holdup of Gas–Liquid Flow in the Horizontal and Vertical Sections of a Continuous Transportation Pipe

Abstract

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the flow pattern transitions and water holdup during oil–water–gas three-phase flow considering both a horizontal section and a vertical section of a transportation pipe simultaneously. The flowing media were white mineral oil, distilled water, and air. Dimensionless numbers controlling the multiphase flow were deduced to understand the scaling law of the flow process. The oil–water–gas three-phase flow was simplified as the two-phase flow of a gas and liquid mixture. Based on the experimental data, flow pattern maps were constructed in terms of the Reynolds number and the ratio of the superficial velocity of the gas to that of the liquid mixture for different Froude numbers. The original contributions of this work are that the relationship between the transient water holdup and the changes of the flow patterns in a transportation pipe with horizontal and vertical sections is established, providing a basis for judging the flow patterns in pipes in engineering practice. A dimensionless power-law correlation for the water holdup in the vertical section is presented based on the experimental data. The correlation can provide theoretical support for the design of oil and gas transport pipelines in industrial applications.

Classification of Oil-Gas-Water Three-Phase Flow in a Pipeline Based on BP Neural Network Analysis

“…Therefore, the understanding of flow patterns is a very practical and very important problem for evaluating the status of oilfield operations [2]. The water holdup is the key parameter determining flow patterns [3].…”

“…In the in-site oil pipeline layout, the horizontal pipelines are often combined with vertical pipes or even inclined pipes. However, few studies on flow patterns in a horizontal pipe combined with a vertical pipe have been carried out [3].…”

Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in a Pipe or Channel

“…The experimental study of the flow structure and the water holdup in an oil-water-gas three-phase flow in a horizontal and vertical pipe was carried out in [5]. The three-phase flow consisted of white mineral oil, distilled water, and air.…”