Downward Annular Flow of Air–Oil–Water Mixture in a Vertical Pipe

Agata Brandt, Krystian Czernek, Małgorzata Płaczek and Stanisław Witczak
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Agata Brandt: Selt Sp. z o.o., 23a Wschodnia Str., 45-449 Opole, Poland
Krystian Czernek: Department of Process and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Opole University of Technology, 5 Mikolajczyka Str, 45-271 Opole, Poland
Małgorzata Płaczek: Department of Process and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Opole University of Technology, 5 Mikolajczyka Str, 45-271 Opole, Poland
Stanisław Witczak: Department of Process and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Opole University of Technology, 5 Mikolajczyka Str, 45-271 Opole, Poland

Energies, 2020, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: The paper presents the results of a study concerned with the hydrodynamics of an annular downward multiphase flow of gas and two mutually non-mixing liquids through a vertical pipe with a diameter of 12.5 mm. The air, oil and water were used as working media in this study with changes in superficial velocities in the ranges of j g = 0.34–52.5 m/s for air, j o = 0.000165–0.75 m/s for oil, and j w = 0.02–2.5 m/s for water, respectively. The oil density and viscosity were varied within the ranges of ρ o = 859–881 kg/m 3 and η o = 29–2190 mPas, respectively. The research involved the identification of multiphase flow patterns and determination of the void fraction of the individual phases. New flow patterns have been identified and described for the gravitational flow conditions of a two-phase water–oil liquid and a three-phase air–water–oil flow. New flow regime maps and equations for the calculation of air, oil and water void fractions have been developed. A good conformity between the calculated and measured values of void fraction were obtained. The map for the oil–water–air three-phase flow is valid for the following conditions: j 3P = 0.35–53.4 m/s (velocity of three-phase mixture) and oil in liquid concentration β o * = 0.48–94% (oil in liquid concentration). In the case of a downward annular oil–water two-phase flow, this map is valid for liquid mixture velocity j l = 0.052–2.14 m/s and β o * = 0.48–94%.

Keywords: air–water–oil downward flow; conductometric method; flow pattern; flow pattern map; void fraction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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