| Abstract: | Drag reduction in two-phase cocurrent horizontal natural gas-hexane pipe flow was studied experimentally. The effects of pipe diameter, gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, and additive concentration were investigated using the Dowell APE drag reducer. In the annular-mist flow regime studied, it was found that drag reduction increased with decreasing gas rate for a given liquid rate, drag reduction decreased with increasing friction velocity and it decreased with decreasing gas-liquid ratio for a given friction velocity. Although the drag reduction decreased rapidly as the liquid-gas ratio approached zero, drag reductions as high as 34 percent were obtained. Attempts to predict two-phase drag reduction were unsuccessful as it was found to depend upon friction velocity, liquid and gas rates, liquid-gas rate ratio, pipe diameter and additive concentration. |
