Abstract
Blind tees are commonly used in offshore production systems for the flow mixing and measurement of oil and gas products. Since subsea pipelines usually consist of multiple bends, the blind-tee effects on bend combinations should be thoroughly investigated. In this paper, numerical simulations have been conducted to investigate the effects of blind tees on the flow physics in double-bend combinations. First, three-dimensional flow characteristics are analyzed to illustrate the blind-tee effects on double-bend pipes. Then, the absolute helicity density is introduced to quantitively evaluate the mixing capacity along the bend pipes with and without blind tees. Significant differences in flow behaviours and mixing qualities are observed in different bend configurations. If a blind tee is arranged in the first bend, strong vortices are generated, and the mixing conditions are significantly improved. However, when the blind tee is in the second bend, its internal flow is negatively influenced by the upstream elbow, resulting in a poor mixing condition. Besides, the effects of the structural parameters of double-bend combinations on the flow behaviours and mixing conditions have been systematically investigated. The analysis and results of this study can provide guidance for the application of blind tees in complex piping systems.
Published Version
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