Experimental Study of High-Viscosity Oil/Water/Gas Three-Phase Flow in Horizontal and Upward Vertical Pipes

摘要

The objective of this project is to measure and observe high-viscosity oil/water/gas three-phase flows in horizontal andrnupward vertical pipes, and compare the experimental results with existing models to identify the gaps. In this study, oil withrnviscosities between 0.15 and 0.57 Pa·s (150 and 570 cP) corresponding to temperatures from 37.8 to 15.6 ℃ (100 to 60 °F),rnfiltered tap water and natural gas at 2.59 MPa (375 psig) pressure are used as the three phases. Superficial oil and waterrnvelocities range from 0.1 to 1.0 m/s and superficial gas velocity varies from 1.0 to 5.0 m/s. The internal diameter of the pipernis 5.25-cm (2.067 in). The experimental measurements include pressure gradient and liquid holdup. The flow pattern and slugrncharacteristics are observed and the images are recorded with a high speed video camera system through a high pressurernsapphire window. The experimental results are compared with the predictions of Zhang and Sarica (2006) unified model, andrnthe discrepancies are identified.