Flowloop

Summary

The Multi-Phase Flowloop laboratory lets you carry out experiments to visualize flow patterns of multi-phase systems that develop in production tubing in possible real-life scenarios. Through variation of the water flowrate and the angle of the tubing itself, you can appreciate the forming of different flow patterns or “cuttings” depending on the chosen values.

 

Further details

Multi-phase systems are found in various industrial scenarios, not being an exception the oil and gas industry. The prediction and determination of the flow pattern in the production tubing is of great importance since this is directly involved with the optimization of the production itself.

Mixtures of hydrocarbons, water, sediments and gases found in reservoirs manifest different behaviors during their transportation to the ground’s surface. Predicting such behaviors enable a better understanding for adequate choice of pumping machinery and pipeline setups for a successful transport to their final processing facility. The Multi-Phase Flowloop test unit helps achieving a better predictiveness of how multi-phase systems behave in real life for further investigation. This enables the user a better comprehension and visualization of how multi-phase transportations react under variable production rates and mixture proportions.

 

 

• The test section is a transparent 0.04m internal diameter straight Plexiglas pipeline (1) with a length of 6m.
• This pipe is supported by a hydraulic screw-jack (2) and a carbon steel beam, the system can be inclined up to an angle of 90 degrees from its horizontal ground level.
• A stainless-steel centrifugal pump (3) connected to the main tank (4) provides water to the system. Equipped with an electromagnetic induction flow meter and by the rotational speed of the pump, the rate of the water flow can be adjusted to the desired values.
• In order to develop various phase-flow patterns, air can be injected into the water stream via an air-water mixer (5).
• A hopper (6) fitted to the top of the water tank serves to feed another phase, representing the solid sediment
• A high-speed camera (7) mounted at the Plexiglas pipeline records the flow.

The Multi-Phase Flowloop laboratory lets you carry out experiments to visualize flow patterns of multi-phase systems that develop in production tubing in possible real-life scenarios. Through variation of the water flowrate and the angle of the tubing itself, you can appreciate the forming of different flow-patterns or “cuttings” depending on the chosen values.