Slope effect on core-annular flow

Abstract

To facilitate the flow of heavy viscous oils in a pipe, a water-lubricated transport is generally used. The water migrates into the regions of high shear at the pipe wall where it lubricates the flow. The pumping pressures are balanced by wall shear stresses in the water, the process therefore requires pressures comparable to pumping water alone, with no dependence on the viscosity of the oil. This means that significant savings in pumping power can be derived from this process, provided that it is well monitored. Indeed, the flow of a water/oil mixture in a pipe has two main characteristics. First, the fluids can adopt different spatial arrangements called flow regimes, and second, the presence of a water layer at the channel wall significantly reduces the global pressure drop. In this paper, an experimental investigation was performed on the effect of pipe slope and fluids flow rates on flow regimes, pressure drop and interfacial instability.