CFD Simulation of Two Phase Flow and Hydrate Prediction in a Pipeline

• Main Author: Kum , Chee Yan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Teknologi Petronas 2009
• Subjects: TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/748/1/KUM_CHEE_YAN.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/748/
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Petronas

Pipeline-risers systems are frequently encountered in the petroleum industry especially in the offshore platforms. It is also a common feature that in oil and gas production and transportation to have an existing multiphase flow. However due to the presence of more than one phase in the system, an analysis of the physical properties of such a fluid flow is difficult. In the case of two-phase flows in pipelines, flooding of the separation facilities could be expected due to the generation of severe slugs at the bottom of the riser. The size and frequency of the slugs are functions of the accumulation and displacement of liquid at the base of the riser. They can be controlled with an adequate model. Due to this phenomenon, significant advances have been made towards using computational fluid dynamics methods (CFD) to model the pressure gradient of two-phase flows in pipelines. The aim of this research project is to apply CFD methods to determine the pressure gradient in two phase flow pipelines and to simulate severe slugging phenomenon in pipeline- riser system using various empirical correlations methods. The results are compared with previous mathematical models where the possibility of hydrates formation is determined. Due to unavailability of experiment data, further validation of results cannot be achieved. The model can be used to design new pipeline riser-system or to adjust the operation of existing systems to prevent the occurrence of severe slug flow.