An experimental investigation and two-fluid model validation for dilute viscous oil in water dispersed pipe flow

Abstract

In this work we investigated high viscous oil in water dispersions (Do/w) in pipe. The experiments are performed in a 22.8-mm-id 9-m-long horizontal glass pipe using a high viscous oil (density of 886kg/m3 and viscosity of 900mPas) and tap water as test fluids. Pressure gradients are collected; hold-up data are measured using the quick-closing-valves technique (QCV) and a capacitance sensor, specifically optimized for dispersed flows detection. A new two-fluid model for liquid–liquid dispersed pipe flow to predict hold-up, pressure gradient, and the slip ratio between the liquid phases is presented. The experimental data are compared at first with homogeneous model predictions. Then the presented two-fluid model is validated against experimental data of this work and against experimental data taken from the literature showing a good agreement. The predicted and measured slip ratio is grater than unity for all oil–water dispersions investigated.