Oil-water slug flow in export pipelines

Continuing from a previous TMF (Transient and Complex Multiphase Flows and Flow Assurance) consortium) study at small scale, this research will investigate larger diameter pipes, the influence of oil viscosity and the transition from stratified and wavy stratified oil-water flows to slug flow, through both experimental and numerical studies. The test facilities selected to support this work include 1 inch and 3 inch loops at Cranfield’s Process Systems Engineering Laboratory. 1-D and 3-D numerical models will be developed to predict oil-water multiphase flows. Simulation results will be compared and validated with the experimental data.