Influence of separator control on the characteristics of severe slugging flow

Abstract

Due to the special structure of offshore multiphase pipes, it is easy for severe slugging to occur in the riser at low gas-liquid velocity. Violent pressure fluctuations and dramatic changes of flow rate are the main characteristics of severe slugging, leading to the risk of serious damage. In this paper, the separator control is adopted to accurately control the separator liquid level and pressure under severe slugging flow conditions. This indicates that the separator liquid level control alone does not have a significant impact on the upstream flow, but it is beneficial for normal operation and pressure control of the separator. As the separator pressure increases, the peak pressure in the riser apparently diminishes, and the amplitude of pressure fluctuation gradually decreases, which means that severe slugging is inhibited. During the slug blowing out, the gas/liquid slipping in the riser intensifies. The long gas plug quickly flows through the riser, and then tends to morph into short and slowly flowing gas bubbles. The elimination effect of the pressure control strategy on severe slugging is related to the relative rate of the superficial gas/liquid flow.