Effect of Fluid Properties on Slug Dissipation in Enlarged Impacting Tee

Abstract

An experimental and theoretical investigation is conducted on the effect of inlet slug length and fluid properties on slug dissipation in an enlarged impacting tee-junction (EIT). The EIT is the building block of a multiphase manifold. Prediction of the slug dissipation length in the EIT provides a guideline for the optimum diameter and length of a manifold. A multiphase flow loop is utilized to investigate slug dissipation in an EIT. The EIT inlet pipe is inclined slightly upward at 5 degrees, in which stationary slugs of different lengths are formed. The generated slugs are pushed into the EIT branches by a pre-determined gas flow rate. Over 80 experimental runs are conducted with superficial gas velocities between 3 to 9 m/s and inlet slug lengths between 40d to 90d, for both air-water and air-oil flows. The experimental data confirm that increasing the superficial gas velocity, as well as the slug body length in the inlet pipe lead to increasing the slug dissipation length in the EIT branches. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that higher slug dissipation length is obtained with water as compared to oil. A mechanistic model is developed for the prediction of slug dissipation in an EIT. A comparison between the developed mechanistic model predictions and the experimental data show a discrepancy less than 20%.