Topic 2 - ADVANCED FLUID MECHANICS AND MODELLING

MULTIPHASE FLOW

TUTORIAL QUESTIONS
TOPIC 2. Advanced Fluid Mechanics and Modelling – Multiphase Flow 2

1 A horizontal 6 inch diameter pipeline is used to transport 3 kg/s air and 15 kg/s water. Given
that the density of water is 1000 kg/m 3, and that of the air is 20.5 kg/m 3 at the pipeline
condition. Determine the following:
a) The quality value
b) The superficial velocity for each phase
c) The void fraction
d) The slip velocity
e) The mixture density
f) Average velocity of the mixture

2 A subsea tie back (a pipeline linking a subsea well head to a production platform), records
the pressure at the well head as 25 bar, 200°C. A multiphase flow meter reports the
volumetric flowrate of oil at 20 m 3/hr, and the flowrate of gas as 10 m 3/hr. Pipeline has a
diameter of 4 inches. Assume the gas behaves as an ideal gas and has an average molar mass
of 20 kg/kmol. Take the density of the oil at the well head is 800 kg/m3, viscosity as 2cP. Gas
viscosity can be taken as 0.005cP. Calculate the following:
a) The density of the gas at the well head
b) The superficial velocity of each phase.
c) The quality and void fraction
d) The pressure loss (per m length of pipe) along this pipe, assuming that mixture
properties can be used as opposed to conventional two phase equations. Compare the
value against the pressure loss if there was only oil or gas in the pipeline and hence
comment if a calculation using mixture properties gives a more appropriate result.

3 A 5 inch diameter pipeline carries 120 m 3/hr saturated water at a pressure of 20 bar. At some
point the pressure drops to 10 bar and a two phase mixture is created. Assuming the process
is adiabatic, determine the following:
a) The temperature of the mixture after the pressure reduction point.
b) The void fraction and quality of the mixture
c) Superficial velocities of both phases.

Hint – you need to read through your 2nd year material to answer parts of this
question!

©HERIOT-WATT
TOPIC 2. Advanced Fluid Mechanics and Modelling – Multiphase Flow 3

4 A horizontal pipeline from a production well head sends fluid to a receiving tank, some 20m
distant. The pipeline is 3 inches in diameter and carries 10 kg/s gas and 4 kg/s liquid.
Physical properties of the gas and liquid are given below. Calculate the frictional pressure
drop through this pipeline for each of the pure phases and hence the overall frictional
pressure drop for the mixture:
Density (kg/m3) Viscosity (cP)
Gas 70 0.4
Liquid 980 4.6
Use the Chisholm set of coefficients

5 Determine the flow regime for vertical upward flow of 0.8 kg/s of a mixture, properties
given below, in a vertical 0.1 m diameter tube 25% quality.
Density (kg/m3)
Gas 6.785
Liquid 1358

©HERIOT-WATT
TOPIC 2. Advanced Fluid Mechanics and Modelling – Multiphase Flow 4

6 An offshore fixed production platform sits in some 50m water and is used to process fluid
from a gas condensate field. Measured production rates of gas and oil are on average 0.8
mmscfd, and 1000 barrels/day. Delivery pressure at the surface platform separator is 10 bara.
Properties of each phase are given below. Assuming there is no phase change in the vertical
section, determine the following:
a) The expected flow pattern in the vertical section.
b) The pressure loss due to friction in the line.
c) The pressure at the bottom of the pipeline.
Density (kg/m3) Viscosity (cP)
Gas 70 0.04
Liquid 890 2.0

Take the gas density at standard conditions to be 24 kg/m3. Use the Lockhart Martinelli method.
Riser diameter is 3 inches.

Hint
mmscfd means million standard cubic feet per day of gas. You will have to convert to
separator.

7 API 14E gives the maximum velocity that can be used in a pipeline to avoid internal
erosion/corrosion. A pipeline is 3 inches in diameter and carries a gas at a pressure 350 psig,
temperature 20°C. Determine the maximum velocity allows in this pipeline to avoid erosion
and hence your recommendation for the maximum flowrate this pipeline can carry. Take the
average molar mass of gas as 20 kg/kmol and the compressibility factor to be 0.89

8 A gas export pipeline is to carry 120 mmscfd of gas, from an offshore gas production
platform to a receiving terminal 20 km away. The majority of the pipeline runs along the sea
bed, cooling the gas to a temperature of 5°C. A preliminary design suggests the pipeline
diameter is to be 14 inches and the inlet pressure should be 20 barg. Assuming the gas does
not change phase, answer the following:
a) Calculate the density of the gas at the pipe inlet conditions and hence the
average gas velocity at the inlet pipe conditions
b) Calculate the frictional pressure drop along the line, using the standard
methods for incompressible fluids.
c) Using the answer from part b), calculate the pressure at the pipe exit hence the gas
velocity at the pipe exit.

©HERIOT-WATT
TOPIC 2. Advanced Fluid Mechanics and Modelling – Multiphase Flow 5

d) Recommended gas velocity limits are usually 15 m/s. Compare the inlet and exit
velocities and comment if this limit has been exceeded. What would you
recommend to the pipeline design team?
Average molar mass of gas is 18 kg/kmol. Compressibility factor at all conditions is Z=1.

9 During initial production phase, fluid from a newly completed well is analysed and found to
contain solids. The size distribution of the sand is given as a cumulative wt% that is
retained on a sieve tray. From the given data, determine:
a) The mean size of the sand sample
b) Using this mean size, determine the settling velocity in water and in oil
c) A horizontal pipeline from the well head to the production platform is 5 inches in
diameter, 20 m long. It is expected that the pipeline contains both water and oil but
there is no other information than the density and viscosity of the phases. Determine
the minimum fluid velocity that must be used in order to prevent sand from blocking
the tubing, and hence the volumetric flowrate (m3/day)

Density (kg/m3) Viscosity (cP)

Oil 830 3.0
Water 1010 1.1
Sand 1522 -

Note: The standard method for determining the size of sand particles is to use a
sieving device or laser diffraction particle size system. A sand sample is loaded onto
the top of a stack of sieves. Each sieve has a mesh that decreases in size so that
when sand is poured into the tope sieve, smaller sand particles fall through the sieve
and stopping only if the sieve has smaller holes than the sand particle size. The
weight of sand that collects on a particular sieve is recorded and hence gives a
measure of number of particles. The average sand size will come from the particular
sieve that splits the mass 50:50.

©HERIOT-WATT
TOPIC 2. Advanced Fluid Mechanics and Modelling – Multiphase Flow 6

100.0

90.0

80.0

70.0

60.0
Cumulative

50.0

40.0

30.0

20.0

10.0

0.0
0 0.0050.010.0150.020.0250.030.0350.040.045
Size (Diameter) (mm)

10 A 8 inch diameter pipeline carries 20 m3/min oil and 10 m3/min water a distance of 10m.
Calculate the following:
a) The superficial velocities of both phases, and hence the Reynolds numbers
b) The frictional pressure drop according to the Lockhart-Martinelli method for two
liquid phases, using constants C1=60 and C2=1.28
c) Comment on the validity of the method for the pressure drop given the answer to part
a

Density (kg/m3) Viscosity (cP)

Oil 890 3.5
Water 1020 1.1
Interfacial tension. 5.6 N/m

©HERIOT-WATT
TOPIC 2. Advanced Fluid Mechanics and Modelling – Multiphase Flow 7

Answers to numerical questions

1. a) 0.231, b) 0.548 m/s, 8.02 m/s, c) 0.5, d) 14.634, e) 510 kg/m3, 1.4 m/s
2. 12.7 kg/m3, 0.685 m/s, 0.343 m/s, 0.0079, 0.5, 90 Pa/m (single phase pressure
drops are 45 Pa/m, 0.13 Pa/m)
3. 180°C, 0.072, 0.5, 2.3 m/s, 31.5 m/s
4. 33.31kPa, 0.49kPa. 82.5 kPa (mixture)
5. Churn flow (superficial velocity 0.056m/s, vapour 3.75 m/s
6. a) Annular flow, Reynolds 547600, 13680, b) 8.5 kPa, c) 266 kPa
7. 38 m/s, 0.173 m3/s (To be safe, best to used C=150 not C=200)
8. a) 16.3 kg/m3, 13.8 m/s, b) 7.8 bar, c) 22 m/s, d) Increase pipe diameter, use higher
inlet pressure
9. a) 7.5 microns, b) 7 microns/s, 14 microns/s, c) 2.5 m3/day
10. a) 5.1, 2.6m/s, 265600, 484200, b) 0.138 MPa, c) With the relatively high degree of
turbulence, its possible that this mixture is well dispersed so a mixture density may be
the better way to approach this. Depends on the dispersed droplet size and how these
would collect on the pipe wall.

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