Abstract
A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the flow pattern transitions and water holdup during oil–water–gas three-phase flow considering both a horizontal section and a vertical section of a transportation pipe simultaneously. The flowing media were white mineral oil, distilled water, and air. Dimensionless numbers controlling the multiphase flow were deduced to understand the scaling law of the flow process. The oil–water–gas three-phase flow was simplified as the two-phase flow of a gas and liquid mixture. Based on the experimental data, flow pattern maps were constructed in terms of the Reynolds number and the ratio of the superficial velocity of the gas to that of the liquid mixture for different Froude numbers. The original contributions of this work are that the relationship between the transient water holdup and the changes of the flow patterns in a transportation pipe with horizontal and vertical sections is established, providing a basis for judging the flow patterns in pipes in engineering practice. A dimensionless power-law correlation for the water holdup in the vertical section is presented based on the experimental data. The correlation can provide theoretical support for the design of oil and gas transport pipelines in industrial applications.
Highlights
The pipe transportation of oil–water–gas three-phase systems is a crucial process in oil and natural gas production and provides vital information for interpreting the production stages
A deep understanding of the flow characteristics, such as the flow patterns and water holdup, of the three-phase flow is beneficial to the proper design and operation of pipelines [1]
Jones and Zuber [4] demonstrated that the probability density function (PDF) of the fluctuations in the volume fraction could be used as a statistical analysis tool for flow pattern identification
Summary
The pipe transportation of oil–water–gas three-phase systems is a crucial process in oil and natural gas production and provides vital information for interpreting the production stages. The objective of this work was to investigate the flow patterns and water holdup for a simplified gas–liquid flow in horizontal and vertical sections through a comparative study of the flow behaviors in a pipe loop considering different superficial input velocities. A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the flow pattern transition and the water holdup, considering both the horizontal and vertical sections of a transportation pipe. The relationship between the transient water holdup and the change of the flow pattern in a transportation pipe with horizontal and vertical sections was established, which provides a basis for judging the flow pattern in a pipe in engineering practice.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
