Flow Regimes
Uploaded by
Sri Varshini PrathaFlow Regimes
Uploaded by
Sri Varshini Pratha151
Sec. 7-4 Multiphase Flow in Wells
7-4.2 TWO-Phase Flow Regimes
significantly affects
The manner in which the two phases are distributed in the pipe
the pressure gradient.
other aspects of two-phase flow, such as slippage between phases andthe
The "Aow regime" or flow pattern is a qualitative descriptionnowof phase distribution.
generally agreed upon
In gas-liquid, vertical, upward flow, four flow regimes are These occur as
annular flow.
in the two-phase flow literature: bubble, slug, churn, and
a progression with increasing gas rate for a given liquid
rate. Figure 7-9 (Govier and
Aziz, 1977) shows these flow patterns and the approximate regions in which they occur
description of these flow
as functions of superficial velocities for air-water flow. A brief
regimes is as follows.
1. Bubble flow: Dispersed bubbles of gas in a continuous liquid phase.
bubbles,called
2. Slug flow: Athigher gas rates, the bubbles coalesce into larger
Taylor bubbles, that eventually fillthe entire pipe cross'section. Between theinlarge
entrained the
gas bubbles are slugsof liquid that contain smaller bubbles of gas
liquid.
bubbles become
3. Churn flow: With a further increase in gas rate, the larger gas
pattern with
unstable and collapse, resulting in churn flow, a highly turbulent flowup-and-down
both phases dispersed. Churn flow is characterized by oscillatory,
motions of the liquid.
continuous phase, with liquid
4. Annular flow: Athigher gas rates, gas becomes the droplets
flowing in an annulus coating the surface of the pipe and with liquid
entrained in the gas phase.
flow regime map,
The fiow regime in gas-liquid vertical lowcan be predicted with a
properties, and pipe size. One
a plot relating flow regime to flow rates of each phase, fluid pressure drop correlations is
such map that is used for flow regime discrimination in some
Ros map corelates flow
that of Duns and Ros (1963), shown in Fig. 7-10. The Duns and numbers, N and Nygs
regime with two dimensionless numbers, the liquid and gas velocity
defined as
(7-82)
g¡
and
(7-83)
the interfacial tension of
where p,is liquid density, g is the acceleration of gravity,and¡ is
fiuid properties; note,
the liquid-gas system. Thisflow pattern map does account for some imensionless groups
however, that for a given gas-liquid system, the only variables in the
are the superficial velocities of the phases. included a'transition
Duns and Ros defined three distinct regions on their map, but also
Region
region where the flow changes from a liquid continuous to a gas continuous system,
Icontains bubble and low-velocity slug flow, Region IIis high-velocity s<ug and churn flow,
and Region III contains the annular flow pattern.
-
Flow Direction
IOHo
Annular
t/sec. mist
VsL, jispe
Velocity,
Water
Superficial
roth
(Adii
rs p e r s e d )
Bubble d i s p e r s e d )
Air
disperse Slug
I00
Superficial Gas Velocity, VsG ft/sec.
Figure 7-9
Flow regimes in gas-liguid flow. (From Govier and Aziz, 1977)
52
153
See 74 atfggse Fiovn ele
Fgrr7-10
aeralgi
(2 butbie
en icdtebutbies
áspesedbbie
Ebibie, c o e is ourp be
Sec. 7-4 Multiphase Flow In Wells 153
102
101
N AEGION 1 AEGION 2 REGION
3
NEADNG
10-1 10 102 103
Nyg
Figure 7-10
Duns and Ros flow regime map. (From Duns and Ros, 1963.)
Aflow regime map that is based on a theoretical analysis of the flow regime transitions
is that of Taitel and Dukler (Taitel et al., 1976). This map must be generated for particular
gas and liquid properties and for a particular pipe size; a Taitel-Dukler map for air-water
flow in a 2-in,-I.D. pipe is shown in Fig. 7-11. This map identifies five possible flow
regimes: bubble, dispersed bubble (a bubble regime in which the bubbles are small enough
that no slippage occurs), slug, churn, and annular. The slug/chum transition is significantly
different than that of other flow regime maps in that churn flow is thought to be an entry
phenomenon leading to slug flow in the Taitel-Dukler theory. The Dlines show how many
pipe diameters frOm the pipe entrance churn flow is expected to occur before slug flow
develops. For example, if the fiowconditions fell on the D line labeled LE/D = 100, for
a distanceof 100 pipe diameters from the pipe entrance, chum flow is predicted to occur;
beyond this distance slug flow is the predicted flow regime.
EXAMPLE 7-7
Predicting two-phase flow regime
200 bbl/d of water and 10,000 f/day of air are flowing in a 2-in. vertical pipe. The water
density is 62.4 lb / and the surface tension is 74 dynes/cm. Predict the flow regime that will
occur using the Duns-Ros and the Taitel-Dukler flow regime maps.
Solution First, the superficial velocities are calculated as
T(200 bBl/d)(5.615 ft7bbl)(1 d/86, 4003)=0.6Vs = 0.18 m/s (7-84)
0.02182 f
Wellbore Flow Pertormance Chap. 7
154
FINELY DISPERSED
BUBBLE (2)
1.0
BUBBLE D
(su) S (1 ANNULAR
\SLUG ORCHURN (5)
0.1 (4)
^LUG
(3)
100 500
0.01 Leld, 50 I 200
Figure 7-11 0.1 1.0 10 100
Taitel-Dukler flow regime map. Usg (mis)
(From Taitel et al., 1976.)
(10, 000 f (1 d/86, 400 s)
0.02182 f? - 1.62 m/s
For the Duns and Ros map, the liquid and gas velocity numbers must be calculated. For
(7-85)
units of f/s for superficial velocity, Ib,/ for density, and dynes/cm for surface tension, these
are
- 1.938u, . (7-86)
Nug (7-87)
Using the physical properties and flow rates given, we find N=lll and Nog =9.8.
Referring to Fig. 7-10, the flow conditions fal in region 2; the predicted Aow regime is high
velocity slug or chum fow. Using the Taitel-Dukler map (Fig, 7-11),the low regime is also
predicted to be slug or churm, with Lg/D of about 150. Thus, the Taitel-Dukler map predicts that
churn flow will occur for the first 150 pipe diameters from the entrance; beyond this position,
slug flow is predicted.
7-4.3 Two-Phase Pressure Gradlent Models
In this section we willconsider correlations used to calculate the pressure drop in gas
liquid two-phase flow in wells. As in single-phase fiow, the starting point is the mechanical
energy balancegiven by Eq, (7-16). Since the fow properties may change significantly
along the pipe (mainly the gas density and velocity) in gas-liquid flow, we must calculate
