Abstract
This paper is concerned with the measurement and modelling of pressure wave transmission and attenuation in an upward air–water bubbly pipe flow. The pressure waves in this two phase mixture are produced by a fluidic pressure pulse transmitting flowmeter placed upstream of the vertical section. The pressure pulses produced by the flowmeter are proportional to the flow going through the flowmeter. This device has been shown to work well in single phase liquids, but it is known that oil production is predominately two phase (oil and gas). To this end, the attenuation of pressure pulses in two phase flow was a vital element in assessing the viability of this device. Experimental work has been conducted to do with measuring the attenuation of the pressure waves as they travel up a 6.6 m high, 0.1 m diameter vertical pipe, initially filled with water. Frequencies between 4 and 12 Hz and air void fractions up to 25% were used for this series of experiments. The average air bubble radius was measured as being 3 mm. High speed photography was employed to obtain a clear observation of the wave effect on the air bubbles. Theoretical modelling was conducted using a CFD package (FLUENT) in order to predict the wave decay in the bubbly flow. The modelled results were found to agree well with experimental measurement of signal attenuation, confirming the potential of the flowmeter for remote flow measurement of two phase bubbly flow.
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