10Transienttwo-phaseflowObjectivesQuantitative.docVIP

10 Transient two-phase flowObjectives: Quantitative insights into transient mechanisms and phenomenaUntil now we have assumed the same mass flow in and out and constant mass flow along the pipe. For given gas and liquid flow out, can we find the gas and liquid flow, speed, density and pressure gradient along the pipe, and so estimate the pressure drop and flow capacity.But if the inflow is changed, it takes time before the mass flow again becomes stationary. During this period, the outflow is quite different from before, and also quite different from the outflow after the transient period is over. In the transient period the liquid in the pipe may flow and fill the inlet separators at the process facility. In a gas lift system, transient fluctuations affect the inflow so that the changes may be sustained and reinforced so that the system becomes dynamically unstable, Asheim/1988 /. Thus, we can not ignore transient effects.To calculate transient two-phase flow, we must include continuity equations for gas and liquid. In the flow equation, we must include the acceleration during time. This is done in numerical simulators widely used in the oil industry, Bendiksen oa/1991 /. But since numeric simulators are large and their source code often confidential, we will here focus on analytical methods. This enables simple estimates and provide insight into transient mechanisms that also may enable more efficient use of numerical simulators. 10.1 Pressure waves 10.1.1 Wave velocityThe relationship between pressure, velocity and density can be expressed by the Bernoulli equation: . If mass flow is constant: and density depends on the pressure we get the acceleration term: so that the pressure gradient is (10-1)We see that if the denominator in (10-1) is zero, the pressure gradient approaches infinity. This implies a critical speed related to the density and pressure (10-2)???????This velocity is the largest that can occur in a pipes of constant cross s