PHASE INVERSION AND VISCOSITY IN PIPE FLOW
Laura Edwards1, Dhurjati Prasad Chakrabarti2*
1,2Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of The West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
1Email: laur_edwards@hotmail.com
2Email: dhurjati.chakrabarti@sta.uwi.edu*(Corresponding author)
Abstract:
This project is primarily aimed at determining the phase inversion of oil water dispersion from a three-phase mixture comprising of an oil-water emulsion at different oil percentages and air at varying liquid and gas flowrates through a horizontal pipe. Parameters affecting phase inversion were investigated such as liquid-side pressure drop, viscosity and flow regimes. The liquid-side pressure drop was estimated and predicted from existing as well as developed correlations. The results obtained were tabulated and represented graphically. Viscosity measurements were taken at the different oil percentage values. At inversion, the mixture’s continuous phase switched from water to oil as indicated by a vast increase in viscosity. A significant increase in pressure drop was noted for all correlations used beyond the point of phase inversion. It was also found that the occurrence of phase inversion affected the flow regimes of the mixture causing a shift from a plug dominant flow to a more slug-type flow pattern.
Key words: three phase flow, emulsion, horizontal pipe, phase inversion, oil-water.
https://doi.org/10.47412/RORH7651
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