Seminar

May, 2014
Ana Sousa 51968
Outline

What is Multiphase Flow?

Vertical Two-Phase Flow

Case-studies. Liquid-Gas
Flows:
Horizontal Two-Phase Flow: Flow Pattern

Challenges involving flow

assurance

Some Practical Solutions

What is Multiphase Flow?
What is Multiphase
Interacting flow of two or more phases, where the interface Flow?
between the phases is influenced by their motion

Case-studies:
Gas Liquid-Gas Flows

Flow Assurance

Water
Some Practical
Solutions

Oil

Importance of studding multiphase flow:

Need to optimum design
Prediction of operational limits
Safety of plant operation
 What is Multiphase Flow?
Challenge in multiphase flow - To predict the pressure drop along the pipe. What is Multiphase
Flow?
The number of the variables affecting the pressure drop is enormous:
thermodynamics parameters and variables describing the interaction
between the phases. Case-studies:
Liquid-Gas Flows
Compressibility - density depends on the actual flowing pressure and
temperature.
Frictional pressure losses are much more difficult to describe, since more
than one phases is in contact with the pipe wall. Flow Assurance
Slippage loss - The great difference in densities of the liquid and gas
phases and the tendency of the gas phase to overtake or slip-by the
liquid phase.
Some Practical
Pressure losses considerably vary with the spatial arrangement in the Solutions
pipe of the flowing phases

Multiphase flow
 Vertical Two-Phase Flow
Bubble flow Slug flow Churn flow Annular flow Wispy Annular
What is Multiphase
Flow?

Case-studies:
Liquid-Gas Flows

Flow Assurance

Bubble Flow - the liquid is continuous and there is a dispersion of bubbles

within the liquid;
Slug or Plug Flow - the bubbles have coalesced to make larger bubbles Some Practical
which approach the diameter of the tube; Solutions

Churn Flow - the slug flow bubbles have broken down to give oscillating
churn regime;
Annular Flow - the liquid flows on the wall of the tube as a film, with some
liquid entrained in the core, and the gas flows in the centre;
Wispy Annular Flow - as the liquid flow rate is increased, the concentration Video
of drops in the gas core increases, leading to the formation of large lumps or
streaks (wisps) of liquid.
 Horizontal Two-Phase Flow
What is Multiphase
Stratified flow Flow?

Stratified wavy flow Case-studies:

Increasing flow speed

Liquid-Gas Flows

Elongated bubble flow (Plug)

Flow Assurance

Slug flow

Some Practical
Bubble flow Solutions

Annular flow

Stratified Flow - the gravitational separation is complete;

Stratified Wavy Flow - the surface becomes unstable and waves appear on it;
Elongated Bubble Flow - large bubbles flowing near the top of the tube;
Definition of Flow Pattern
What is Multiphase
Flow?

Case-studies:
Liquid-Gas Flows

Flow Assurance

Some Practical
Solutions

Horizontal Two-Phase Flow Pattern

Challenges involving Flow Assurance
What is Multiphase
Hydrates
Flow?
Fluid control Wax / Paraffin deposition
Scale

Emulsions Case-studies:
Flow control Liquid-Gas Flows
Slugging
Sand

Flow Assurance

Some Practical
Solutions
Challenges involving Flow Assurance
What is Multiphase
Flow?

Asphaltenes Case-studies:
Liquid-Gas Flows

Hydrates

Wax
Flow Assurance

Scales Some Practical

Solutions

Slugs Corrosion
Some Practical Solutions to Assure Flow
What is Multiphase
Problem Solution Flow?

Asphaltenes Asphaltenes inhibitors

Scales Inhibitors and pigging. Case-studies:
Liquid-Gas Flows
Hydrates Hydrates inhibitors
Wax 1. Hot oiling for flow line cleanup can be cost
effective if the paraffin is totally removed and
Flow Assurance
stays in solution in the oil used at separator
temperature.
2. Regular pigging
3. Solvent or condensate treatments
Some Practical
4. Chemicals can be applied Solutions

Corrosion To cool the fluids prior to entry to the pipeline. An

alternative is to use corrosion resistant pipe for
the initial sections of the pipeline
Some Practical Solutions to Assure Flow
Problem Solution What is Multiphase
Flow?
Slugs Slug avoidance:
Heavy slugging can be avoided by design or
operational changes. Smaller diameter pipelines Case-studies:
can reduce slugging; Liquid-Gas Flows
Another solution often used on-shore is to install
a big slug catcher at the receiving facilities.

Flow Assurance

Slug control: Some Practical

Active use of the topside choke; Solutions

Artificial gas-lift
Increase gas injection on the well;
References:
1. Barnea, D. (1987) A unified model for predicting flow-pattern transitions for
the whole range of pipe inclinations, Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 13, 1-12.

2. Dukler, A. E. and Taitel, W. (1986) Flow Pattern Transitions in Gas-Liquid

Systems: Measurement and Modelling, Chapter 1 of Multiphase Science and
Technology, Vol. 2 (Ed. G. F. Hewitt, J. M. Delhaye and N. Zuber),
Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.

3. Hewitt, G. F. (1982) Chapter 2, Handbook of Multiphase Systems (Ed.

G. Hetsroni), Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, New York.

4. Hewitt, G. F., Martin, C. J. and Wilkes, N. S. (1985) Experimental and

modelling studies of annular flow in the region between flow reversal and the
pressure drop minimum, Physico-Chemical Hydrodynamics, 6, 43-50.

5. Lin, P. Y. and Hanratty, T. J. (1986) Prediction of the initiation of slugs with

linear stability theory, Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 12, 79-98.

6. Taitel, Y., Barnea, D. and Dukler, A. E. (1980) Modelling flow pattern

transitions for steady upward gas-liquid flow in vertical tubes, AIChE J, 26,
345-354.

7. Bratland O. (2009) Pipe Flow 2 Multiphase Flow Assurance 12