Unsteady Fluidynamic Behavior of Gas Bubbles Flowing in Curved Pipes: A Numerical Study

Abstract

Petroleum is considered as one of the factors for the development of a nation as well as a cause of economic and political conflicts around the world because of the diversity of products obtained with their derivatives such as fuel for automotives and aviation, and manufacturing plastic parts, among others. The crude petroleum (usually oil, water and gas) found in an underground reservoir is transported to the surface by pipes, and has drawn the attention of researchers because of the problems generated in the pipeline with particular attention to the loss of pressure, friction and bubbles. For a fluid flow in plug regime, where many of the bubbles formed coalesce and produce bigger ones of sizes almost equal to the pipe diameter (Taylor bubble), severe instability in the flow is caused. In this context, the objective of this research has been to study the Taylor bubble flow in curved ducts using the software CFX. Results of the transient effects of the air concentration on the bubble air volumetric fraction, of the viscosity on bubble format, and pipe angle of 90˚ on bubble symmetry are presented and interpreted.