Numerical modeling and parametric sensitivity analysis of heat transfer and two-phase oil and water flow characteristics in horizontal and inclined flowlines using OpenFOAM

作     者：Nsidibe Sunday Abdelhakim Settar Khaled Chetehouna Nicolas Gascoin 

作者机构：INSA Centre Val de LoireUniversitéOrléansPRISME EA 4229F-18020BourgesFrance 

出 版 物：《Petroleum Science》 (石油科学（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2023年第20卷第2期

页      面：1183-1199页

核心收录：

学科分类：0820[工学-石油与天然气工程] 08[工学] 082002[工学-油气田开发工程] 0812[工学-计算机科学与技术（可授工学、理学学位）] 

基　　金：Petroleum Technology Development Fund  PTDF 

主　　题：Flow assurance Flow pattern Heat transfer Flowlines Two-phase flow Global sensitivity analysis 

摘      要：Estimating the oil-water temperatures in flowlines is challenging especially in deepwater and ultra-deepwater offshore applications where issues of flow assurance and dramatic heat transfer are likely to occur due to the temperature difference between the fluids and the surroundings. Heat transfer analysis is very important for the prediction and prevention of deposits in oil and water flowlines, which could impede the flow and give rise to huge financial losses. Therefore, a 3D mathematical model of oil-water Newtonian flow under non-isothermal conditions is established to explore the complex mechanisms of the two-phase oil-water transportation and heat transfer in different flowline inclinations. In this work, a non-isothermal two-phase flow model is first modified and then implemented in the InterFoam solver by introducing the energy equation using OpenFOAM® code. The Low Reynolds Number (LRN) k-ε turbulence model is utilized to resolve the turbulence phenomena within the oil and water mixtures. The flow patterns and the local heat transfer coefficients (HTC) for two-phase oil-water flow at different flowlines inclinations (0°, +4°, +7°) are validated by the experimental literature results and the relative errors are also compared. Global sensitivity analysis is then conducted to determine the effect of the different parameters on the performance of the produced two-phase hydrocarbon systems for effective subsea fluid transportation. Thereafter, HTC and flow patterns for oil-water flows at downward inclinations of 4°, and 7° can be predicted by the models. The velocity distribution, pressure gradient, liquid holdup, and temperature variation at the flowline cross-sections are simulated and analyzed in detail. Consequently, the numerical model can be generally applied to compute the global properties of the fluid and other operating parameters that are beneficial in the management of two-phase oil-water transportation.