Experimental research on characteristic of start-up pressure wave propagation in gelled crude oil by large-scale flow loop

Abstract

In order to research start-up pressure wave propagation mechanism and determine pressure wave speed in gelled crude oil pipelines accurately, experiment of Large-scale flow loop was carried out. In the experiment, start-up pressure wave speeds under various operation conditions were measured, and effects of correlative factors on pressure wave were analyzed. The experimental and theoretical analysis shows that thermal shrinkage and structural properties of gelled crude oils are key factors influencing on start-up pressure wave propagation. The quantitative analysis for these effects can be done by using volume expansion coefficient and structural property parameter of gelled crude oil. A new calculation model of pressure wave speed was developed on the basis of Large-scale flow loop experiment and theoretical analysis.