Oil mist transport process in a long pipeline on turbulent flow transition region

Abstract

Internal gas velocity fluctuations and their effects on the mist diffusion process were examined in a long horizontal pipe to understand oil mist transportation, particularly in the laminar-to-turbulent flow transition region. Three hot-wire anemometers and aerosol concentration monitors were used to deduce these effects as the two-phase mist flow gradually developed in the stream-wise direction. We found significant axial mist diffusion at Reynolds numbers (Re) <1000 because of passive scalar transport by Poiseuille flow. However, this diffusion was restricted by the non-zero inertia of the mist at a Stokes number, O(10−5), relying on the Brownian motion of the mist. At Re>2400, a sharp mist waveform was maintained by a turbulent flow with active radial mixing. New data were obtained within the range of 1000<Re<2400, which cannot be explained by interpolation between the above-mentioned two states. The mist concentration displays multiple temporal peaks at Re<2000 owing to perturbations of localized turbulence as well as radial anisotropy as being conveyed more than 2000-diameters in distance. This behavior is caused by intermittent disturbances induced by the pipe wall roughness, which sharply distorts the wall-aligned laminar mist layer left by parabolic axial stretching of local laminar flow.