Modeling Pressure Gradient of Gas–Oil–Water Three-Phase Flow in Horizontal Pipes Downstream of Restrictions

Abstract

Gas–oil–water three-phase slug flows in pipes commonly exist in the oil and gas industry as oil fields are becoming mature and water production is becoming inevitable. Although studies on multiphase flows in pipes have been ongoing for decades, most previous research has focused on gas–liquid or oil–water two-phase flows, with limited studies on gas–liquid–liquid flows. This leads to limited modeling studies on gas–liquid–liquid flows. One factor contributing to the complexity of the gas–liquid–liquid flow is the mixing between the oil and water phases, which have closer fluid properties and low interfacial tension. Restrictions or piping components play a crucial role in altering phase mixing. Unfortunately, modeling studies that consider the effects of these restrictions are limited due to the scarcity of experimental research. To address this gap, we conducted experimental studies on a gas–liquid–liquid flow downstream of a restriction and developed a new mechanistic modeling approach to predict the pressure gradient. Our model focuses on the flow pattern where the oil and water phases are partially mixed. This work emphasizes the modeling approach. The model evaluation results show that the model outperforms other existing models, with an average absolute relative error of 6.71%. Additionally, the parametric study shows that the new modeling approach effectively captures the effects of restriction size, water cut, and gas and liquid flow rates on the three-phase slug flow pressure gradient in horizontal pipes. Most previous slug flow modeling work assumes either a stratified flow or fully dispersed flow between the oil and water phases. This work provides a novel perspective in modeling a three-phase slug flow in which the oil and water phases are partially mixed. In addition, this novel approach to modeling the restriction effects on the pressure gradient paves the way for future modeling for different types of piping components or restrictions.