Simulation and experimental investigation on gas-liquid two-phase flow separation behaviors in multitube T-Junction separator

A specially designed separator for gas-liquid two-phase flow separation and measurement is proposed. The flow characteristics and working scope are studied under different gas/liquid superficial velocities and different flow patterns through FLUENT numerical simulation and experimental research. The working scope of the separator is related to both the gas and liquid superficial velocity. The separator work well under the when the gas superficial velocity ranges from 0.65 to 21 m/s, and the liquid superficial velocity ranges from 0.01 to 0.31 m/s. When the actual working condition is beyond this range, the performance is not so outstanding in case of partial slug flow and annular. Under the working range of the separator, the measurement error of gas and liquid mass flow rates is less than ±2.5%. The special structure provides a buffer space for liquid slug, which shows good shock resistance capacity under high liquid superficial velocity. The investigation offers a valuable guidance for multiphase flow rates measurement.     

Signal processing for slug flow analysis via a voltage or instantaneous liquid holdup time-series

Slug flow is one of the most observed gas-liquid flow patterns in pipes. Owing to its high occurrence, the estimation of slug characteristics is essential for many engineering processes. The slug flow characterization is usually carried out by models and correlations previously calibrated with experimental data generated by the interpretation of voltage or instantaneous liquid holdup time-series. Historically, this interpretation required algorithms that depended on subjective parameters, which created high dispersion on the data. This paper proposes a new signal processing analysis, which does not require any subjective parameter. A statistical algorithm is used to calculate the film and slug cut threshold values, the disregard cut value to group slug pulses, and the disregard cut value to remove slug pulses, which are required to determine the slug characteristics. An experimental data set was used to validate the proposed methodology. The consistency check process followed two independent ways, both with good results. Based on the performance against the experimental data, the proposed algorithm is recommended for slug flow characterization.     

一种新型离心式气液分离器分离性能的数值模拟与试验研究

为了研究该分离器的分离性能,通过搭建气液两级分离实验台架进行实验测量,同时应用计算流体力学(CFD)方法对分离器内的气液两相流动进行数值模拟.重点研究了流量、气液比、介质粘度、密度、气泡直径及转鼓转速等六个变量对离心式气液分离器分离效率的影响.通过比较数值计算与实验测定结果,验证了数值模拟方法的可行性.分析结果表明,预测的分离效率变化趋势与实测结果在总体上是一致的, CFD可作为离心式气液分离器设计的有效工具.     

荔湾气田中心处理平台段塞流捕集器控制方案研究

混输管道处于段塞流状态时,其终端需要设置一个气、液初级分离设备,即段塞流捕集器。本文阐述了段塞流捕集器对于海洋石油平台的重要性,分析了段塞流捕集器的动力特性和控制原理,并通过对容器压力和液位控制方式的分析,研究了荔湾气田中心处理平台段塞流捕集器的控制方案,优化了设计,为其他项目提供了有益的参考。     

Measurement of film fluctuations and aerated characteristics during gas-liquid slug-churn flow transition by wire-mesh sensor

Vertical upward gas-liquid slug flows are frequently encountered in chemical processes and petroleum industries. The measurement of the film fluctuations and the aerated characteristics is of great significance for uncovering the mechanism of slug-churn flow pattern transitions. In this study, a conductance wire-mesh sensor (WMS) measurement system is designed based on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to visualize the structures of vertical gas-liquid flows. Liquid film flooding is a significant factor prompting the transition from slug to churn flow. Based on the WMS data, the 3D film structures are derived to indicate film instability during the flow pattern transition. Three types of film fluctuations in stable slug flow, unstable slug flow, and churn flow are presented. Liquid slug aeration is another important factor contributing to the slug-churn flow transition. The spatial distribution and the diameters of the gas bubbles in the liquid slug are detected by the WMS. The coalescence behavior of the bubbles is uncovered. Finally, mechanistic models based on the film flooding and slug aeration are constructed to predict the boundary of the flow pattern transition. The performance of the film flooding model and slug aeration model in predicting the onset of churn flow is evaluated.     

Measurements of translational slug velocity and slug length using an image processing technique

Slug flow is a common flow regime that occurs in various industries, such as oil, gas, and power generation industries. In this study, the mean slug translational velocity and slug liquid length were measured using Phantom 9.2 software and an image processing analysis technique. The adopted image processing technique involved the analysis of video frames recorded from a high-speed camera (Phantom 9.2) in a horizontal transparent pipe using a combination of the approximate median method and blob analysis, along with an additional morphological process for detecting and segregating individual slugs. The experimental data were obtained from a designed two-phase flow test section, in which sets of superficial water and air velocities were selected to generate numerous slug flows. A good agreement with a maximum deviation of 6.7% between the estimated slug parameters from the adopted technique and the Phantom cine view controller software was achieved. Additionally, the developed technique provided precise results with a high processing speed of 10 frames per second.     

Image processing techniques for high-speed videometry in horizontal two-phase slug flows

Two-phase flow measurements are very common in industrial applications especially in oil and gas areas. Although some works in image segmentation have analyzed gas–liquid slug flow along vertical pipes, few approaches have focused on horizontal experiments. In such conditions, the detection of the Taylor bubble is challenging due the great amount of small bubbles in the slug area and, thus, requires a special treatment in order to separate gas from liquid phases. This article describes a new technique that automatically estimates bubble parameters (e.g. frequency, dimension and velocity) through video analysis of high-speed camera measurements in horizontal pipes. Experimental data were obtained from a flow test section where slug flows were generated under controlled conditions. Image processing techniques such as watershed segmentation, top-hat filtering and H-minima transform were applied to detect and estimate bubble contour and velocities from the observed images. Finally, the estimated parameters were compared to theoretical predictions, showing good agreement and indicating that the proposed technique is a powerful tool in the investigation of two-phase flow.     

科氏流量计应用于气液两相流测量的实验研究

以空气-水为介质,对科氏流量计应用于气液两相流双参数测量进行了实验研究.实验过程中保持液相流量一定,通过加入不同体积分数的空气来分析含气率对科氏流量计测量精度的影响,采用Weisman垂直上升管气液两相流流型图与实验数据进行了比较.结合实验结果,初步归纳出含气量、流型和科氏流量计测量精度之间的关系,总结出液相中含气影响科氏流量计测量精度的主要因素及其影响规律,为进一步研究科氏流量计气液两相流测量误差修正提供了一种技术方法.     

一种永置式石油生产地面多井组单井轮巡 三相流监测装置及应用研究

为了解决传统石油开发集中计量方式难以获取单口油井油气水三相流相关参数的难题,采用流体体积和有限元分析等方法在建立该测量装置的数值仿真模型基础上对其结构参数、气液分离效果等进行了深入研究与优化,从而确定了该监测装置的最优结构参数,并研制了可以在现有集中计量环境中长期、稳定与可靠使用的一种永置式石油生产多井组单井轮巡三相流监测装置。另外,还在搭建的永置式石油生产地面多井组单井轮巡三相流多参数监测平台上开展了实验研究,实验结果表明,所研制的装置在气、液相流量5～70 m³/d,液相持水率50%～90%等混合流体下持水率、气量测量误差均小于10%,流量测量误差小于4%。仿真和实验均证明了永置式监测装置具有良好的多分相测量性能。     

Velocity distribution of liquid phase at gas-liquid two-phase stratified flow based on particle image velocimetry

Horizontal gas-liquid flows are commonly encountered in the production section of the oil and gas industry. To further understand all parameters of the pipe cross-section, this paper use particle image velocimetry to study the circular pipe cross-section liquid velocity distribution rule. Firstly the focus is on the software and hardware combination of image correction system, to solve the influence of different refractive indexes of medium and pipeline curvature caused by image distortion. Secondly, the velocity distribution law of the corrected stratified flow (the range of liquid flow of 0.09-0.18 m³/h, and gas flow range of 0.3-0.7 m³/h) cross-section at different flow points of the pipeline cross-section at x=0 and in the Y direction at the maximum liquid velocity is studied. It is found that these distribution laws are caused by the influence of the interphase force of the gas-liquid interface and the resistance of the pipe wall. The current measurements also produce a valuable data set that can be used to further improve the stratified flow model for gas-liquid flow.     

Characterization of slug flows in horizontal piping by signal analysis from a capacitive probe

The slug flow is a common occurrence in gas–liquid piping flows. Usually it is an undesirable flow regime since the existence of long lumps of liquid slug moving at high speed is unfavorable to gas–liquid transportation, so that considerable effort has been devoted to study its hydrodynamic characteristics. In this work, a capacitive probe was used for dynamic measurements in the horizontal air–water slug flows, for several flow rates. The acquired signals were representative of the effective liquid layer thickness near every cross sectional area of the flow, instead of merely the holdup or void fraction in a finite volume of the flow. This was possible because probe had a thin sensing electrode that minimizes the axial length effect on the measurements. Tests were performed in a 34 mm i.d. acrylic pipe, 5 m long; in which slug flows as well as stratified-smooth and stratified-wavy flows were generated. Signal analysis techniques were applied for flow regime identification and toward characterization of these two-phase flows: Power Spectrum Density (PSD) from Fourier Transform and Probability Density Function (PDF) from Statistical Analysis. Therefore, PSD and PDF graphs were taken as signatures of each flow under test and a correlation was calculated for each PSD and PDF set of data, which showed to be a robust parameter for correct flow regime identification.     

Effect of IR Transceiver orientation on gas/liquid two-phase flow regimes

Multiphase flows play a vital role in many industrial and naturally occurring processes. Recent trend of miniaturization in mini/micro fluid reactors, compact heat exchangers and micro thrusters requires a thorough knowledge on multiphase flow phenomena in mini/micro channels. The present work is focused on the effect irradiation behavior of infrared rays (IR) during gas liquid two phase flow consisting of thin liquid films inside a mini channel. The influence of size and shape of the slug regime and liquid film thickness on IR rays is analyzed with COMSOL Multi physics package. Experiments are carried out in a 2.5 mm diameter borosilicate glass tube with wall thickness of 0.3 mm. The refraction and transmittance behavior of IR rays on slug and bubbly flow is studied by analyzing the Current-time output of an IR photodiode kept at different angles with the test section. The results are found to be in good agreement with experimental image processing technique and COMSOL results. The results obtained will be useful for designing of IR sensor arrays sensitive to multiphase flows. It can also be used for measurement of liquid film thickness with proper calibration.     

A reference conductivity fitting method for ERT system to achieve void fraction of gas/liquid flow

The void fraction is one of the key parameters in the measurement of gas/liquid two-phase flow. It can be derived from the absolute conductivity distribution based on Maxwell׳s theory. With Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) technology, the absolute conductivity distribution is obtained by multiplying the relative conductivity image with the reference conductivity which is conventionally the liquid conductivity of a gas/liquid flow. Unfortunately the liquid conductivity is not always available. Therefore, a conductivity fitting method is proposed in this paper, to find an optimal reference conductivity, which will be used in substituting the liquid conductivity to reconstruct the quasi-absolute conductivity image. The optimal reference conductivity fitting method is proposed and validated by simulation and experiments under certain flow regimes, e.g. slug flow, annular flow and bubbly flow. The simulation and experimental results show that, independent from prior-knowledge, the fitted quasi-homogenous conductivity is close to the average conductivity of the sensing field. It also leads to a much more accurate estimation of void fraction than the conventional method using liquid conductivity as the reference. With the proposed method, the ERT technique can play a more significant role in the measurement of multiphase flow (MPF).     

基于两相流体网络的复杂制冷空调系统模型研究

以系统论和相似理论为基础，建立了基于两相流体网络的复杂制冷空调系统仿真模型，并将两相流体网络特性与制冷系统特性相结合，建立了复杂制冷空调系统仿真模型的求解方法。与试验结果比较表明，仿真算法可以用来求解制冷系统两相流体网络模型，且仿真误差很小，可以用来对复杂制冷系统进行性能分析，为研究复杂制冷系统与两相流体网络提供了一种有效的工具。     

Quantitative multiphase flow characterisation using an Earth's field NMR flow meter

We present a novel nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) multiphase flow metering system with the ability to interpret the flow regime and quantify both the liquid volumetric flowrate and holdup for gas-liquid flows. The flow measurement apparatus consists of a pre-polarising permanent magnet upstream of an Earth's field radio frequency NMR detection coil. In this work, the system is applied to measure the free induction decay (FID) NMR signal of gas-liquid flows at a range of flow rates in both the stratified and slug flow regimes. Tikhonov regularisation is applied to fit a model equation to the acquired FID signal in order to determine the relevant liquid velocity probability distribution. Signal interpretation applied to the individual NMR scans allows monitoring of both the liquid velocity and holdup with time. The NMR estimate of the liquid holdup is comparable to video analysis of the flowing stream through a transparent pipe section. The accuracy of the NMR metering system is successfully validated against an independent in-line rotameter measurement of the liquid volumetric flowrate during multiphase flow. Finally, analysis of the temporal variation in measured liquid flowrate is shown to clearly distinguish the stratified and slug flow regimes.     

High-resolution gas–oil two-phase flow visualization with a capacitance wire-mesh sensor

The application of a novel wire-mesh sensor based on electrical capacitance (permittivity) measurements for the investigation of gas–oil two-phase flow in a vertical pipe of 67 mm diameter under industrial operating conditions is reported in this article. The wire-mesh sensor employed can be operated at up to 5000 frames per second acquisition speed and at a spatial resolution of 2.8 mm. By varying the gas and liquid flow rates, different flow patterns, such as bubbly, slug and churn flow, were produced and investigated. From the images of gas void fraction distribution, quantitative flow structure information, such as time series of cross-sectional void fraction, radial void fraction profiles and bubble size distributions, was extracted by special image-processing algorithms.     

Optical method for flow patterns discrimination,slug and pig detection in horizontal gas liquid pipe

An optical method including infrared ray and laser was developed to discriminate flow pattern, and detect liquid slug and pig in horizontal gas–liquid pipe. Based on the principle that infrared ray attenuates differently during penetrating gas and liquid, the infrared ray method was developed to discriminate flow pattern and detect liquid slug. In experiment, infrared ray was emitted on one side of the transparent pipe, and detected on the other side. Simultaneously, a signal of output voltage that is proportional to the intensity of infrared ray detected was generated and recorded. A series of experiments in horizontal air/water loop were carried out to generate bubble, stratified smooth, wavy and intermittent flow, and the output voltages under the four flow patterns were analyzed. The flow patterns can be discriminated by characteristics of output voltage. Meanwhile, the velocity and frequency of liquid slug were measured by this method, and the results were consistent with that calculated by formulas. However, infrared ray is easily affected by interface between gas and liquid, a laser method was explored to detect pig. The laser method is similar to infrared ray, a laser beam was emitted and detected and then a signal of output voltage was recorded. The results from pigging experiments show that the laser method could correctly detect the passing of a pig. The combined use of infrared ray and laser method could rightly detect pig and pigging slug during pigging operation.     

Study on double differential pressure measurement method of gas-liquid two-phase flow in high gas content wells

The production of natural-gas wells contains natural gas and a small amount of liquid, which is a wet gas composed of oil, gas and water. For dynamically monitor the liquid and gas production from a single well, there is an urgent need for a low-cost, small-volume online metering device for wet gas flows through a single well. Aiming at the problem, this paper designs a wet gas flow measurement device for a long-throated Venturi tube based on the double differential pressure method. By combining experiments and numerical simulations, a matching flow calculation model was developed. Based on the experimental data of NEL's 6-inch standard Venturi tube wet gas over-reading, the numerical simulation method is used to carry out the research of high-pressure wet gas measurement under the pressure condition of 2, 4 and 6 MPa. The simulation results of two multiphase flow models, DPM and Euler, are compared with the experimental values of NEL. The results show that the maximum relative error is less than 10%, and the Euler model is more suitable for the numerical simulation of high-pressure wet gas. According to the actual production from the gas well, a long-throated Venturi tube with a throttling ratio of 0.5 and a diameter of DN50 was designed, and a numerical simulation study of wet gas under a pressure of 2, 3 and 4 MPa was carried out. Numerical simulation results show that the change laws of over-reading and liquid-gas mass ratios of high-pressure wet gas are consistent with those of low-pressure wet gas. The numerical simulation results are used to correct the flow calculation model of low-pressure wet gas, and a flow calculation model suitable for high-pressure wet gas in gas wells is obtained. The gas flow prediction accuracy of the flow calculation model was lower than ±3%, and the liquid flow prediction value was lower than ±10%. Compared with other measurement methods without separation of wet gas, the long-throated Venturi tube based on the double differential pressure method has a simple structure and low measurement cost. By further optimizing and expanding the measurement model, after improving the accuracy, it can be installed in the wellhead pipeline to monitor the oil and gas production from a single well in real time. This can provide support for gas reservoir exploitation decisions.     

基于多频带谱熵的水平气液两相流结构复杂性分析

针对传统功率谱熵只能刻画总体系统结构复杂性问题,提出既能从宏观角度又能从微观角度反映系统结构复杂性的多频带谱熵的分析方法。分析几种典型信号的多频带谱熵特征,验证多频带谱熵方法的可行性及抗干扰能力;利用环形电导传感器阵列获取动态实验测试数据,计算水平气液两相流波状流、塞状流和弹状流含水率波动的多频带谱熵值,分析3种流型结构复杂性随频带因子变化的演变规律。实验结果表明:波状流的多频带谱熵最低,弹状流多频带谱熵值最高;塞状流的多频带谱熵居于波状流与弹状流之间。3种流型在分析频率为0~8.3 Hz时,呈现近似线性变化的结构复杂性特征以及较强的流型区分度,可以作为流型识别的准则。     

Numerical investigation of two-phase flow characteristics in multiphase pump with split vane impellers

Multiphase pump is a cost-effective option for subsea oil and gas field development. The ability to handle different inlet gas volume fractions (GVFs) especially high inlet GVF is critical to the development of pump performance. In this study, the two-phase flow characteristics in normal impeller and split vane impeller at different inlet GVFs were investigated by steady numerical simulations. The gas distribution on blade-to-blade plane and meridional flow channel at different inlet GVFs were analyzed and compared. Gas accumulation area and movement characteristics of the gas-liquid flow in impeller flow passage were also pointed out by unsteady simulations. Experimental results of the pump differential pressure were compared with the numerical simulation results, to validate the accuracy of numerical simulation method. The flow characteristics in pump with modified impeller and its performance at different inlet GVFs were both compared with that of the normal impeller. The steady simulation results of normal impeller in different inlet GVFs show that gas concentrating area in the flow passage increases as inlet GVF grows. The unsteady simulation results indicate that gas pocket firstly occurs on the pressure side of impeller, then moves to the suction side in the middle area of blade and finally transfers to outlet of impeller and disappears. The errors between numerical simulation results and experiment data are below 10 %, which validated the feasibility of the numerical simulation method. Simulation results on the split vane impeller demonstrate that the gas accumulation area in flow passage of the modified impeller is dramatically decreased compared to that of the normal impeller. The performance of the modified impeller is generally better than the normal impeller especially in high inlet GVF conditions.