EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THREE-PHASE OIL-WATER-AIR FLOW THROUGH A PIPELINE

Abstract

A three-phase flow of oil, water, and gas through a pipeline often occurs in industry. It is important to study such flows in order to be able to design a three-phase flow pipeline. To that purpose, experiments with oil, water, and air in a 28- and a 40-mm i.d. glass pipe were carried out to derive a new data set for a three-phase flow in a horizontal pipeline. First, we investigated the pressure drop, showing the influence of air injection on the two-phase flow reference flow pattern. We found a strong link between the qualitative behavior of the three-phase pressure drop reduction factor and the two-phase flow reference flow pattern. Finally, we studied the dynamic characteristics of the elongated air bubbles, analyzing both the bubble frequency and velocity.