Experimental Investigation of Pressure Drop of Gas/Non-Newtonian Flow in Horizontal Pipes

Abstract

Two-phase flow of gas/non-Newtonian fluid through pipes is commonly occurred in chemical industry and oil and gas refinery. Many correlations have been developed to evaluate pressure drop for non-Newtonian fluids. Based on that, these systems are not governed by Newtonian law of viscosity. However, only little experimental work has been devoted to study non-Newtonian flow behavior. In this present work, experimental setup has been conducted to investigate non-Newtonian two-phase (gas/ liquid) flow through pipes. Several concentrations of Xanthan Gum have been used as non-Newtonian liquid in the experiments and compressed air has been used as a gas. The flow rate and pressure of liquid and gas are changed by using a pump placed ahead of the mixing point. Pressure and temperature values are recorded by pressure sensors and thermocouples fixed at specific points along the pipe loop. Results of theses experiments are leaded to come up with experimental model for pressure drop of gas/non-Newtonian flow in pipes. Moreover, the flow regimes of two-phase gas/non-Newtonian flow at different conditions have been visualized through transparent tubes using a high-speed camera.