Studying the Effect of Turbulence Models on Flow Pattern and Pressure Drop for a Two-Phase Hydrocarbon Flow in Horizontal Pipelines using Openfoam
Résumé
As hydrocarbon search approaches next frontiers in a hostile subsea surrounding. Hydrocarbon multiphase transportation is now mainstream with a robust system being designed integrating very reliable flow assurance techniques. Two-phase flow in pipes finds application in many industrial activities especially, in the energy sector. Therefore, the need to model systems that correctly predict flow patterns and pressure drop is very important during the design and planning of a fluid transport system. This study aims to examine a two-phase oil and gas flow in a horizontal pipeline to probe the impact of different turbulence models on the flow behavior and pressure drop. A transient 3D CFD simulation was carried out on a half-pipe using OpenFOAM source code based on the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method. InterFoam, a two-phase solver that resolves Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations was first modified to implement three turbulence models (standard k-epsilon, low Re k-epsilon, and SST k-omega) and is employed to identify flow patterns. Generated numerical results of pressure drop were compared for different superficial gas and oil velocities with the results of the mechanistic model developed by Petalas and Aziz. Results are further discussed in the context of the accuracy of the required turbulence models on flow patterns prediction.
Domaines
Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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