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Multiphase flow model developed for simulating gas hydrate transport in horizontal pipe

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Abstract

The hydrate formation or dissociation in deep subsea flow lines is a challenging problem in oil and gas transport systems. The study of multiphase flows is complex while necessary due to the phase changes (i.e., liquid, solid, and gas) that occur with increasing the temperature and decreasing the pressure. A one-dimensional multiphase flow model coupled with a transient hydrate kinetic model is developed to study the characteristics of the multiphase flows for the hydrates formed by the phase changes in the pipes. The multiphase flow model is derived from a multi-fluid model, while has been widely used in modelling multiphase flows. The heat convection between the fluid and the ambient through the pipe wall is considered in the energy balance equation. The developed multiphase flow model is used to simulate the procedure of the hydrate transport. The results show that the formation of the hydrates can cause hold-up oscillations of water and gas.

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Abbreviations

A k :

pipe cross sectional area of phase k, m2

A p :

pipe cross sectional area, m2

A wall :

surface area of the pipe, m2

a ig :

interfacial area concentration, m−1

C dg :

drag coefficient

C p :

average heat capacity, J·kg−1·K−1

d :

pipe diameter, m

H k :

hold-up of phase k

i :

node index for the spacial discretization

F :

internal force

Q k :

volumetric flow rate of phase k, m3·s−1

q :

pipe wall heat flux, J·m−2·s−1·kg−1

Re g :

bubble Reynolds

t :

time, s

T :

fluid temperature, K

T 0 :

ambient temperature, K

S e :

energy generation per unit volume related to exothermic hydrate reaction, J·kg−1·s−1

U 0 :

overall heat transfer coefficient, J·m−2·s−1·kg−1

U k :

velocity of phase k, m·s−1

U m :

mixture velocity, m·s−1

U s :

slip velocity, m·s−1

U sk :

superficial velocity of phase k, m·s−1

v :

volume average velocity, m·s−1

x :

axial coordinate along the pipe length, m

ρ k :

density of each phase k, kg·m−3

ϕ hyd :

hydrate formation rate per unit volume, kg·m−3·s−1

ϕ w :

mass transfer rate of water per unit volume, kg·m−3·s−1

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200072, China

    Shuai Tang, Caixi Liu & Yuhong Dong

  2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200072, China

    Shuai Tang, Caixi Liu & Yuhong Dong

Authors
  1. Shuai Tang
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  2. Caixi Liu
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  3. Yuhong Dong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuhong Dong.

Additional information

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11272198 and 11572183)

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Tang, S., Liu, C. & Dong, Y. Multiphase flow model developed for simulating gas hydrate transport in horizontal pipe. Appl. Math. Mech.-Engl. Ed. 37, 1193–1202 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10483-016-2127-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10483-016-2127-6

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Chinese Library Classification

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification

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