Influence of a restriction on flow patterns, void fraction, and pressure drop in gas–liquid pipe flow

• Published in: Experimental thermal and fluid science 2024-06, Vol.155, p.111180, Article 111180
• Main Authors: Alegría, Luis F.A., Enrique Ortiz-Vidal, L., Álvarez-Pacheco, C.E., Bolivar, Johann E.C., Rodriguez, Oscar M.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Flow patterns; Pressure gradient; Restricted pipe; Two-phase flow; Void fraction
• ISSN: 0894-1777
• DOI: 10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2024.111180

•A restriction affects the pressure of a two-phase flow, representing large differences compared to an unrestricted pipe.•Downstream of the restriction there is an increase in the void fraction due to the breaking of bubbles and loss of pressure.•Upstream of the restriction there is an increase in the length and velocity of the liquid slugs due to bubble coalescence.•14 models from the literature, between pressure gradient, void fraction, and frequency of passage of liquid slugs are used to compare with experimental data. Subsurface safety valves play an important role in the hydrocarbon production process. The Brazilian industry is suffering significant losses due to the reduction of the useful life of this device, not to mention the risks associated with the operation and the environment. One possible reason for the failure of the subsurface safety valve’s reliability prediction may be the occurrence of two-phase flow in the well. For this reason, a set of twenty horizontal two-phase flow experiments was carefully designed to evaluate the influence of a simplified internal reduction in a steel pipe. Superficial velocities were considered in the range of 0.1 m/s and 2.0 m/s for water and, 0.33 m/s and 7.47 m/s for compressed air. The experiments were carried out in 2″-i.d. and 2-m-long steel pipes, being a tube with restriction and another without restriction. Both tubes have an upstream development length of 126 pipe diameters. Gamma-ray densitometry and a differential pressure transducer were used to measure void fraction and pressure drop, and a visualization window was used to observe the flow patterns. Among the main findings are the effects of void fraction and mixture velocity on pressure gradient, with different impacts on the restricted pipe (RP) compared to the unrestricted pipe (UP). The presence of the restriction generated significant changes in the upstream flow: the lengths of the liquid slugs were increased, appeased by the increase in local pressure necessary to overcome the resistance produced by the restriction. Downstream, the change was reflected in the rise of void fraction and decrease of slip ratio between the phases.