Scaling Laws for Multiphase Flow in Pipelines and Wellbores

加拿大的石油和天然气储备对加拿大的未来具有关键的经济和战略重要性。非常规海上和北极地区油气储量丰富，而全球其他许多传统油气储量已枯竭。从战略的角度来看，加拿大有能力进行低能源密集型的开采、运输和使用有限的资源是很重要的。目前的多相管道/井筒设计在满足未来供应的目标运输需求的能力方面受到限制。更好地理解管道/井筒中多相流体动力学的性能和缩放将有助于优化设计条件。建议的缩放研究将作为一个有价值的工具，在多相管道/井筒设计，并在未来一代管道运输过程的发展。本研究计划的目标是更好地了解三相气液固流动的力学，并制定用于管道/井筒中三相流流型、压力梯度和体积分数估计的标度律。这将通过详细的实验研究和使用CFX/FLUENT的计算流体动力学（CFD）模拟来实现。要解决的主要研究挑战是多相流体流动模式和流体性质-如粘度，表面张力，湍流，气泡，液滴，固体颗粒和传热-如何影响多相标度律。两组实验室流动回路和现场数据将用于更好地理解比例关系。开发的缩放律也将与新提出的多相压降和体积分数的相关性进行测试。这项研究的成果将提供一种综合手段，用于改善海上或海底石油和天然气工业中管道/井筒中多相流的设计条件，并减轻恶劣环境中的流动保证挑战。提高多相管道运输过程的效率将减少海底石油和天然气生产和加工设施中流动保证问题的影响。在该计划中开发的知识库将在改善石油和天然气运输方面具有重要意义，并且对广泛的其他应用也具有价值。

Canadian oil and gas reserves are of critical, economic and strategic importance to Canada’s future. The hydrocarbon reserves of unconventional offshore and Arctic regions are abundant, while many other global traditional hydrocarbon reserves have been depleted. From a strategic standpoint, it is important that Canada is capable of low-energy intensive extraction, transportation and use of a limited resource. Current multiphase pipeline/wellbore designs are limited in their ability to meet the targeted transport demand for future supplies. Better understanding of the performance and scaling of multiphase fluid dynamics in a pipe/wellbore will help optimize the design conditions. The proposed scaling study will serve as a valuable tool in multiphase pipeline/wellbore design and in the development of future generation pipeline transport processes. The objective of this research program is to develop a better understanding of the mechanics of three-phase gas-liquid-solid flows and to develop scaling laws for flow pattern, pressure gradient and volume fraction estimation for three-phase flows in a pipe/wellbore. This will be achieved by detailed experimental investigations and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations using CFX/FLUENT. The primary research challenge to be addressed is how multiphase fluid flow patterns and fluid properties – such as viscosity, surface tension, turbulence, bubbles, droplets, solid particles and heat transfer – affect multiphase scaling laws. Two sets of laboratory flow loops and field data will be used to better understand the scaling relationships. The developed scaling law will also be tested with the newly proposed multiphase pressure drop and volume fraction correlation. The outcome of this research will provide a comprehensive means of improving the design conditions of multiphase flows through a pipeline/wellbore in the offshore or subsea oil and gas industry and mitigating flow assurance challenges in harsh environments. Improving the efficiency of the multiphase pipeline transport process will reduce the impact of flow assurance problems in subsea oil and gas production and processing facilities. The knowledge base developed in this program will be significant in making improvements to oil and gas transport and it will also be of value to a wide range of other applications.