Vertical Pipe Research Articles

Pipe Diameter Optimization and Two-Phase Flow Pressure Drop in Seabed Pipelines: A Genetic Algorithm Approach

Industries such as oil, gas, and petrochemicals encounter a multifaceted challenge when it comes to the transportation of diverse substances through pipelines. The process relies heavily on two-phase flow, particularly in the case of seabed pipelines responsible for conveying oil and natural gas. In our study, the intricate dynamics of pressure fluctuations in horizontal seabed pipelines were comprehensively investigated through the use of simulation software. Nevertheless, the software employed had its limitations as it failed to account for economic considerations. To address this limitation, the integration of a genetic algorithm was undertaken, which encompassed constraints related to the initial investment, thereby contributing to the enhancement of cost-effectiveness in pressure drop calculations. Additionally, a novel parameter was introduced into the Baker model, leading to improvements in both technical efficiency and economic viability. It was observed that augmenting the weight of the initial investment constraint resulted in a reduction in the optimal pipeline diameter, following a third-degree curve. Furthermore, the research findings indicated that a 4% increase in water shear led to a 14.76% decrease in frictional pressure drop within vertical pipes and a 3.5% reduction in horizontal pipes. Conversely, as the gas-to-oil ratio was increased, frictional pressure drop surged by 116.87% in vertical pipes and 81.69% in horizontal pipes. This valuable information can be harnessed to optimize pipeline design and operations in the demanding underwater environments commonly encountered in these industries.

The Development of Empirical Correlations to Understand the Frictional Behavior of Aqueous Biomass Slurry Flows in Vertical Pipes

Highlights The frictional pressure drop correlation of agricultural residue-water slurry flows in vertical pipes is developed. Multiple linear regression with the backward elimination method was used in RStudio to obtain the optimal model. Some regression coefficients differ for different types of biomass feedstocks. The predicted pressure drops agree well with the experimental data within a 95% CI. Empirical models for the onset velocity of drag reduction of different particle sizes of biomass are proposed. Abstract. Large-scale biofuel production at levels equivalent to conventional oil refineries using long-distance pipeline hydro-transport of biomass can be a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels when it comes to economics and traffic congestion associated with the overland transportation of biomass. The transport of aqueous slurries of several saturated mass concentrations (5%-40%) and four particle sizes (from <3.2-19.2 mm) of two types of agricultural residue biomass (ARB) feedstock (corn stover and wheat straw) was studied through a vertical test section of a 29 m long, 50 mm diameter closed circuit pipeline facility, and frictional pressure drops were recorded at different flow rates (0.5-4.3 m s-1). A framework was developed in RStudio (4.0.5) to analyze the experimentally obtained frictional pressure drops of biomass slurries through a multiple linear regression approach using a backward elimination method and Akaike information criterion. An empirical model was proposed to predict slurry frictional pressure drop in terms of slurry velocity, slurry solid mass concentration, particle aspect ratio, and feedstock type. The model satisfactorily predicted the frictional pressure drops of both feedstocks of biomass-water slurry flows through pipes within a 95% confidence interval. The correlations introduced for onset velocities of drag reduction in terms of slurry solid mass concentrations seemed helpful to interpret the transition points of the corresponding slurries in vertical upward flows through pipes. The empirical correlation developed in this research could help select biomass slurry pumps and pipe dimensions when designing a typical long distance pipeline network for biofuel production at the commercial level. Keywords: Agricultural biomass wastes, Frictional loss prediction, Numerical model, Onset velocity correlation, Regression coefficients, Upward pipe flow.

Experimental investigation of film reversal evolution characteristics in gas–liquid annular flow

In natural gas wells, liquid loading is a severe problem threatening production safety. Published studies have verified that liquid loading is closely related to film reversal in gas–liquid annular flow, but the evolution of the film reversal is still unclear. This article reports on experiments conducted to reveal the film reversal evolution characteristics. Experiments were conducted in a 50-mm-diameter vertical pipe with superficial gas velocities ranging from 5.66 to 22.64 m/s and superficial liquid velocities ranging from 0.014 to 0.170 m/s. A camera and electrical resistance tomography were used to obtain qualitative and quantitative results, and an error analysis verified the experiments’ repeatability and reliability. The evolution process is divided objectively into three stages to clarify the film reversal: no film reversal (No-FR), the onset of film reversal (Onset-FR), and complete film reversal (Complete-FR). The three stages occur successively with decreasing gas velocity. The characteristics of the individual stages are elaborated, including the interfacial structures, morphological features, and motion trajectories. The void fractions are analyzed in both the time and frequency domains, where the statistical parameters of the probability density function, average value, and standard deviation are presented. The results show that the Onset-FR stage exhibits characteristics similar to both the No-FR and Complete-FR stages, indicating that it plays an intermediate role in the gradual evolutionary process. The current experimental results also achieve excellent agreement with published datasets and correlations.

Carbon dioxide-water bubbly flow in a vertical pipe with or without chemical absorption

CO2 bubbly pipe flows with or without chemical absorption were measured to obtain spatial evolution of dissolving bubbly flows. The experiments were carried out using pure water and aqueous NaOH solution of pH = 13 at two gas volume fluxes. The spatial evolutions of flow patterns, mean void fractions and bubble diameter distributions were obtained using an image processing method. The enhancement factor correlation proposed in our previous study was implemented into a three-dimensional one-way bubble tracking method to examine its applicability to CO2-water bubbly flow with chemical absorption. The numerical prediction agreed well with the measured spatial evolutions with or without chemical absorption, which confirmed the applicability of the enhancement factor correlation to bubbly pipe flows.

Numerical Analysis on Flow Characteristics of Gas-liquid Two-phase Flow in a Vertical Pipe with Downward Stream

Through this paper, a 3D simulation together with experimental observation was conducted to study two-phase flow in a vertical tube. OpenFOAM software was employed to analyze air and water. Main flow stream was downward which was considered to be within a vertical pipe of 10 mm in diameter. Study included two inputs for flows: upper input for water and side input for air. Several states with various mass fluxes for both water and air were studied. Based on physics of the issue, numerical simulation was considered to be time-dependent. Obtained results showed that when air velocity occupied lower values, air momentum cannot overcome water momentum leading in small slugs. When airflow velocity was more than water flow rate, it dominated water flow and consequently could affect mainstream direction. Also, velocity graphs on centerline represented that going forward in time, velocity magnitude experiences a significant value of fluctuations and large oscillations occur next to outlet. Comparing experimental and numerical results, approximately 9% differences can be found which showed suitable agreement. Results showed that at initial steps, void fraction faces a significant jump in values. Intensity of this change in void fraction values was higher in lower water velocity. Indeed, by increment of water velocity, inertial forces associated with liquid phase find a dominant role in overall hydrodynamics of the gas-liquid flow. Also, it is obvious that flowing manner in cases 1, 2, and 3 are similar but after case 4, flow pattern varies. These changes are more considerable in cases 5 and 6.

Specialist system in flow pattern identification using artificial neural Networks

In this work, an application of artificial intelligence in the oils & gas industry is developed to identify flow patterns in horizontal and vertical pipes of two-phase flow of oil and water, normalizing the word information and converting it to numerical values through the development of an artificial neural network, whose input layer is composed of the surface velocities of each fluid, the velocity of the mixture, the volumetric fraction of the substances, diameter and the inclination of pipelines and the oil viscosity. The Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) has two hidden layers composed of 45 neurons. The database with which the model was trained, validated, and tested has 6993 rows of information corresponding to the inputs of the intelligent system and particular-ized for annular flow in horizontal pipes and DO/W in vertical pipelines. Notice that the information was obtained after re-engineering the information presented by 12 and 18 authors for horizontal and vertical piping, respectively. Finally, the mean square error obtained by the model was around 1.38%, with a maximum coefficient of determination of 0.79.

Probable Evidence of Aerosol Transmission of SARS-COV-2 in a COVID-19 Outbreak of a High-Rise Building.

Although it is well established that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be transmitted through aerosols, the mode of long-range aerosol transmission in high-rise buildings remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that occurred in a high-rise building in China. Our objective was to investigate the plausibility of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by testing relevant environmental variables and measuring the dispersion of a tracer gas in the drainage system of the building. The outbreak involved 7 infected families, of which 6 were from vertically aligned flats on different floors. Environmenìtal data revealed that 3 families' bathrooms were contaminated by SARS-CoV-2. In our tracer experiment, we injected tracer gas (CO2) into the dry floor drains and into water-filled toilets in the index case' s bathroom. Our findings showed that the gas could travel through vertical pipes by the dry floor drains, but not through the water of the toilets. This indicates that dry floor drains might facilitate the transmission of viral aerosols through the sewage system. On the basis of circumstantial evidence, long-range aerosol transmission may have contributed to the community outbreak of COVID-19 in this high-rise building. The vertical transmission of diseases through aerosols in high-rise buildings demands urgent attention.

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF DOWNWARD BUBBLY FLOW NEAR THE VANISHING GAS FLOW REGIME

An experimental study of downward bubbly flow in a vertical pipe with 14 mm inner diameter was performed. Experiments were made for low liquid velocities close to the vanishing gas flow regime. Electrodiffusional technique was used to measure local wall shear stress. A significant increase of wall shear stress in bubbly flow compared to single-phase flow was shown. The values of void fraction were obtained from the force balance using measured pressure drop and wall shear stress in bubbly flow.

HYBRID MACHINE LEARNING MODEL APPLIED TO PHASE INVERSION PREDICTION IN LIQUID-LIQUID PIPE FLOW

One of the current challenges in two-phase flow is the characterization of phase inversion in the oil and gas industry. Empirical and semi-empirical models have been developed by several researchers, allowing limited predictions through correlations. Recently, models obtained with application of artificial intelligence techniques, such as artificial neural networks, have become a promising alternative to identify flow patterns and their transition boundaries. This work's aim is to develop a hybrid model that identifies the phase inversion transition from oil-in-water to water-in-oil flow in vertical pipes. It is based on recent models found in the literature and logistic regression models based on artificial neural networks, for which information was obtained from the literature. The proposed hybrid model achieved an RMSE ≈ 0.0834, thus being an efficient contribution to the identification of phase inversion in oil-water two-phase flow.

Measurement of Liquid–Liquid Flows Using Turbine Flowmeter and Conductance Sensor With Multiheight Electrodes in Vertical Pipes

Liquid–liquid two-phase flows are common industrial processes in chemical, petroleum, and other related fields. It is a great challenge for the flow measurement using the turbine flowmeter (TFM) in low-velocity liquid–liquid flows due to the serious slippage effect between the oil and water phases. The complex physical discrepancies between the two phases make the response of TFM vastly different from that in single-phase flow. This study proposes a system combining TFM and conductance sensors with multiheight electrodes (CSMHEs) to determine liquid–liquid two-phase flows. This study investigates the effects of phase distribution and slippage on the wheel hub drag torque. The model of wheel hub drag torque in different flow patterns is established, and a new variable meter factor model of TFM in liquid–liquid flows is constructed. Experiments in 20-mm simulated well reveal that the TFM can make accurate predictions of total flow rate and enable online measurements of individual phase superficial velocities. The absolute average percentage deviations (AAPDs) of superficial water and oil velocities are 2.01% and 7.24%, respectively.

Measurement of Cross-Sectional Velocity Distribution of Pneumatically Conveyed Particles in a Square-Shaped Pipe Through Gaussian Process Regression-Assisted Nonrestrictive Electrostatic Sensing

Online continuous measurement of the cross-sectional velocity distribution of pneumatically conveyed solids in a square-shaped pipe is desirable in monitoring and optimizing circulating fluidized beds, coal-fired power plants, and exhaust pipes. Due to the limitation of nonrestrictive electrostatic sensors in spatial sensitivity, it is difficult to accurately measure the velocity of particles in large-diameter pipes. In this article, a novel approach is presented for the measurement of cross-sectional particle velocity distribution in a square-shaped pipe using sensors and Gaussian process regression (GPR). The electrostatic sensor includes 12 pairs of strip-shaped electrodes. Experimental tests were conducted on a laboratory test rig to measure the cross-sectional particle velocities in a vertical square-shaped pipe under various experimental conditions. The GPR model is developed to infer the relationship between the input variables of velocities and the cross-sectional velocity distribution of particles in nine areas of the pipe cross section, and the performance of the built models was compared with other machine learning models. The relative error of velocities predicted under all the experimental conditions is within ±3%. When the training dataset is not comprehensive enough, the performance of the model is negatively affected, and the relative error range is −9% to +15%. With fewer measurement electrodes (input variables), the relative error of the predicted velocities in each area increases slightly but remains within ±5%. Results obtained suggest that the electrostatic sensor in conjunction with the GPR model is a feasible approach to obtain the cross-sectional velocity distribution of pneumatically conveyed particles in a square-shaped pipe.

Wake flow visualization of a dandelion pappus with posture change

A typical plant that is distributed by wind is the dandelion, which possesses a complex hairy pappus that aids in flying. A pappus or group of bristly filaments found in plumed seeds is believed to have a role in drag enhancement. The pappus prolongs the descent of the seed. For wind-dispersed seeds, maintaining stability while reducing falling speed in turbulent winds may be useful for long-distance dispersal. However, it is unclear why plumed seeds chose a bristly pappus over a membrane that resembles wings and is known to increase lift during passive flight. In the current study, we analyze the dandelion pappus flight mechanism by identifying the crucial structural elements that enable its stable flight. In addition, we investigate the flow behavior around the pappus by performing float testing on several dandelion pappi in a vertical airflow pipe. The flow fields in the wake of the pappus were also measured by 2-component particle image velocimetry. The falling speed of the pappus is reliant on the posture during free-fall motion, and the aerodynamic features of the pappus are substantially affected by the posture in flight. The pappus’s posture was changed to promote vortex growth in the wake, and this vortex behavior is related to the fluid forces acting on the pappus.

Erratum to: LES Simulation of Mixed Convection for Downward Mercury Flow in a Nonuniformly Heated Vertical Pipe Using Conjugate Problem Statement

Erratum to: LES Simulation of Mixed Convection for Downward Mercury Flow in a Nonuniformly Heated Vertical Pipe Using Conjugate Problem Statement

Technology Focus: Digital Data Acquisition (January 2023)

With the rise of machine learning and other artificial intelligence methods, the ability to digest data for potential application in the petroleum industry has increased tremendously. Data is seen as the key to reducing uncertainty in decisions for this capital‑intensive industry where the costs of bad or delayed decisions are huge. Thus, the right data delivered at the right time can revolutionize the industry and save precious time and money. Gaining insights from digital data in the highly technical exploration and production industry requires experience, knowledge, and awareness about the acquisition of the data. The technologies presented here aim to facilitate the decision‑making process while requiring less time and lower costs without sacrificing the accuracy of the data and still decreasing the probability of human errors. They show how data collected from different vantage points can be integrated with conventional data‑acquisition methods to help visualize and reduce the uncertainty of the subsurface. Developments in other industries in automation and electronics have enabled modernization and miniaturization of oilfield instruments. Our industry seeks ideas and methods that are reliable, convenient, and practical to inform and guide operations, filling the gaps where and when conventional data is not available. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. OTC 31327 Density Measurement of Three-Phase Flows Inside Vertical Piping Using Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence by Amy Brooke McCleney, Southwest Research Institute, et al. OTC 31836 Subsea Multiphase Flowmeter Measurement Performance Assurance With an Applied Data Validation and Reconciliation Surveillance Methodology by Emmelyn Graham, BP, et al. SPE 208712 IADC Code Upgrade: Data Collection and Work Flow Required To Conduct Bit Forensics and Create Effective Changes in Practices or Design by William Watson, Shell, et al.

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF A SWIRLING TWO-PHASE AIR-WATER UPWARD FLOW IN STRAIGHT AND CONVERGENT VERTICAL PIPE

In this study, a numerical study is presented to analyze the flow parameters such as longitudinal and transverse velocities, hydrodynamic pressure, and volume fraction inside a vertical pipe. A vertical ascending swirl flow is established with the specified boundary conditions and compared between straight and convergent geometry pipes. Normalized film thickness is found to vary between 0.4 and 0.6, where the numerical output data from the present study resemble wire-mesh sensor data from literature. Convergent pipe flow includes the variation of hydrodynamic pressure thereby affecting the slug and bubble flow region. Longitudinal and transverse velocities are plotted against time and compared at the three inspection planes near the inlet, mid-portion, and outlet, respectively. In order to understand the effectiveness of rotational effect of gas and liquid phases, the vorticity components are studied. Parameters such as Q-criterion and vortex stretching term indicate the straining and shearing flow near the peripheral and core regions. The temporal volume fraction variation at the output section indicates the increase in the output liquid yield of convergent pipe outlet by 17%.

CFD Study of Cuttings Transport in Vertical Rotation Drill Pipe for Multi Muds

The ability of drilling fluids to clean the borehole is considered an important factor in choosing drilling mud. Which is affected by many parameters such as mud type, cutting size, cutting concentration in the mud, drill pipe rotation speed, and mud inlet velocity. The present research investigated the influence of drilling fluid that flow into the rotary pipe and coming out of the annulus with the influence of the above mentioned parameters on the cutting transport ratio (CTR). A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software ANSYS FLUENT 18.2 has been utilized to simulate a model of 3-D two phase (solid-liquid) turbulent flow, steady-state, with stander k-ϵ in a vertical wellbore. The momentum and continuity equations, which are the governing equations, are numerically resolved using CFD with fluent soft package. The results are presented as follows: streamline , contours. The results show that with a decrease in each of the cutting diameter, cutting concentration in the mud, and cutting density, the CTR by mud will increase. Moreover, as the drill pipe rotation speed increases and the mud inlet speed increases, the cutting transport ratio will increase.

Investigation in Gas-Oil Two-Phase Flow using a Differential Pressure Transducer and Wire Mesh Sensor in Vertical Pipes

The current study is performed to identify the flow regimes of oil-gas two-phase flow experimentally in a vertical pipe has an internal diameter of 6.7 cm. It also aims to provide more details about the possibility of using Differential Pressure Transducers (DPT) for indicating flow patterns. A flow development of oil and gas has been investigated in a vertical pipe of 6 m in length and operated at atmospheric pressure. A series of experiments have been run to cover a range of inlet oil superficial velocities from 0.262 to 0.419 m/s, and inlet gas superficial velocities from 0.05 to 4.7 m/s. Wire Mesh Sensors (WMS) have been used to collect the obtained void fraction values of the flow. The Differential Pressure Transducer (DPT) is utilized to measure the pressure drop values of a one-meter along the pipe. The flow patterns are classified according to the analysis of void fractions, pressure gradients regarding time series, tomographic images, probability density functions of the void fractions, and pressure gradients. A bubbly flow is observed at low superficial velocities of gas and liquid, slug flow is observed at the lower flow rate of liquid and moderate flow rates of gas, while the churn flow pattern is recognized at the higher rates of liquid and gas. Also, the result has revealed the possibility of using Differential Pressure Transducers (DPT) to classify the gas-oil flow patterns in vertical pipes.

VERTICAL VIBRATING MOVEABLE DEVICE

Modern industry is characterized by a high level of automation of technological operations in the production of any product. Thus, in order to save production space, as well as to organize the transportation of objects under the ceiling of the workshop, suspended transportation robotic systems are used. With their help, workpieces are supplied to workplaces, and finished parts to assembly positions, as well as loading and transfer of materials and finished products. First of all, it concerns the electronic and radio-electronic industry. There are a number of transport devices where the cargo flow can move both horizontally, at an angle to the horizon, and vertically. Transportation in the vertical plane can be carried out thanks to a working element such as a belt, rope, chain, combined element, auger, pipe, or a medium (air, water) or a phenomenon (electromagnetic field, vibrations). On the basis of the analysis of their designs and the patent search, it is possible to conclude that the working process of moving goods in the vertical plane, in connection with its wide variety of choosing a design solution, is the subject of scientific research, and the orientation of designers to the modernization of these means of movement, primarily with the aim increasing the efficiency of use, the energy efficiency coefficient and reducing the material consumption of equipment always remains an urgent task of mechanical engineering. The choice of such means depends, first of all, on its type, technological purpose, technical and economic indicators of production. All this indicates the need to deal with this issue, because even a slight improvement of these indicators gives a significant economic effect as a whole. In this work, as a development of alternative means of movement in suspended transport robotic systems, vibrating mobile devices, which can contain a cargo platform with a product or, for example, a simple manipulator, have become. We suggest you familiarize yourself with the results of the device's research in the forward and reverse direction of movement in the vertical plane. For the convenience of the study, a round profile (pipe) is taken as a monorail, on which a mobile vibrating device is strung. The design of the device can be quite diverse: in the form of elastic elements, brake, friction, overtaking, eccentric and ratchet mechanisms, etc. In this case, an elastic conical collet is used, which contacts the surface of the column. An effective means of implementing the given function is the use of an electromagnetic pad brake. The structure is built according to a two-mass scheme, which contains a working body, an electromagnetic drive and a locking mechanism. The effect of vibratory movement of the device along a vertical (rough) pipe is realized according to the asymmetry scheme of the first type under the action of longitudinal harmonic oscillations. Cyclic programming provides automatic execution of specified operations, stopping at loading and unloading positions, changing the direction of movement.

Microbial diversity gradients in the geothermal mud volcano underlying the hypersaline Urania Basin.

Mud volcanoes transport deep fluidized sediment and their microbial communities and thus provide a window into the deep biosphere. However, mud volcanoes are commonly sampled at the surface and not probed at greater depths, with the consequence that their internal geochemistry and microbiology remain hidden from view. Urania Basin, a hypersaline seafloor basin in the Mediterranean, harbors a mud volcano that erupts fluidized mud into the brine. The vertical mud pipe was amenable to shipboard Niskin bottle and multicorer sampling and provided an opportunity to investigate the downward sequence of bacterial and archaeal communities of the Urania Basin brine, fluid mud layers and consolidated subsurface sediments using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. These microbial communities show characteristic, habitat-related trends as they change throughout the sample series, from extremely halophilic bacteria (KB1) and archaea (Halodesulfoarchaeum spp.) in the brine, toward moderately halophilic and thermophilic endospore-forming bacteria and uncultured archaeal lineages in the mud fluid, and finally ending in aromatics-oxidizing bacteria, uncultured spore formers, and heterotrophic subsurface archaea (Thermoplasmatales, Bathyarchaeota, and Lokiarcheota) in the deep subsurface sediment at the bottom of the mud volcano. Since these bacterial and archaeal lineages are mostly anaerobic heterotrophic fermenters, the microbial ecosystem in the brine and fluidized mud functions as a layered fermenter for the degradation of sedimentary biomass and hydrocarbons. By spreading spore-forming, thermophilic Firmicutes during eruptions, the Urania Basin mud volcano likely functions as a source of endospores that occur widely in cold seafloor sediments.

Euler-Euler Model of Bubbly Flow Using Particle-Center-Averaging Method

The Euler-Euler model is widely used in bubbly flow simulations up to industrial dimensions. The standard Euler-Euler model is based on the phase-averaging method. After averaging, the bubble forces in the field equations are functions of the local void fraction. In simulations, when the bubble diameter is larger than the computational cell spacing, the forces can transport the gas belonging to the same bubble in different directions. By contrast, a closure model for the bubble force is typically developed based on the assumption that the force is a resultant force that acts on the bubble’s center of mass. This inconsistency can lead to a nonphysical gas concentration in the center of a channel or near the channel wall if the bubble diameter is larger than the cell spacing. The purpose of the present contribution is to develop an Euler-Euler model where the bubble force consistency is recovered for two-phase flow simulations where the diameter of the disperse phase can be larger than the cell spacing. Such an Euler-Euler model is developed by combining an existing particle-center-averaged Euler-Euler framework with a Gaussian convolution method. To validate this Euler-Euler approach, a comparison is made with experimental data for the bubbly flows in two different vertical pipes. The results show that the proposed Euler-Euler model recovers the bubble force consistency and alleviates the overprediction of the void fraction peak near the wall, while its simulation results in the axial gas and liquid velocity and the liquid turbulence kinetic energy are similar to the results of the standard Euler-Euler model.