Quantifying flow regimes in pipelines using rock-flow cell

Abstract

For multiphase system under flow, as in oil and gas production, flow regime in flow lines are of great importance to efficiently and safely transport fluids. In this research, the flow regime and mixing of the phases that occur in these flow lines are experimentally studied by using a novel device called rock-flow cell, which is a benchtop tool that simulates multiphase flow conditions by controlling temperate, pressure, liquid volume, and rocking conditions (rate and tilt angle). Through the manipulation of these conditions, every type of flow regime can be replicated and analyzed. This research aims to quantify and correlate the flow conditions in the rock-flow cell to those in flow lines by using video images with image analysis, coded in Python, to quantify the flow elements, which will later be used to match with other experiments and simulations of actual flow lines.