Flow Characteristics of Oil-Carrying by Water in Downward-Inclined and Horizontal Mobile Pipeline

Gang Fang, Guang Li, Zhi Kou, Huishu Liu, Jimiao Duan () and Yan Chen ()
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Gang Fang: Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants Department, Army Logistics Academy, Chongqing 401331, China
Guang Li: Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants Department, Army Logistics Academy, Chongqing 401331, China
Zhi Kou: Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants Department, Army Logistics Academy, Chongqing 401331, China
Huishu Liu: Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants Department, Army Logistics Academy, Chongqing 401331, China
Jimiao Duan: Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants Department, Army Logistics Academy, Chongqing 401331, China
Yan Chen: Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants Department, Army Logistics Academy, Chongqing 401331, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: After transporting oil with a mobile pipeline, it is necessary to empty the oil within the pipeline. A common method is to inject water into the inlet to push the oil out. However, due to the effects of buoyancy and surface tension, the oil within the pipeline tends to accumulate at the elevated section, forming a stagnant oil layer, which will limit the evacuation efficiency. Based on the multiphase flow theory, a hydrodynamic model of oil–water flow was utilized to describe the pressure distribution and the thickness of the stagnant oil layer within the pipeline. A numerical model for oil-carrying water flow in a downward-inclined mobile pipeline was established, and the model was solved under given initial and boundary conditions to obtain the characteristics of the oil-carrying water flow within the pipeline. The calculation results indicate that the initial water phase velocity has a promoting effect on the oil-carrying capacity of water flow. The pipe diameter is negatively correlated with the capacity. The initial thickness of the oil is not directly related to the capacity but can increase the oil phase front velocity, which can enable the oil phase to be emptied more quickly. When the initial water phase velocity is lower than the critical water phase velocity, an increase in the inclination angle will weaken the capacity of water flow to carry oil. Conversely, when the velocity of the initial water phase is higher than the critical water phase velocity, an increase in the inclination angle will enhance the capacity.

Keywords: oil–water two-phase flow; mobile pipeline; flow characteristics (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: 2024
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