CFD modelling of severe slugging in pipeline-riser system.pdf

CFD modelling of severe slugging in pipeline-riser system L Xing, H Yeung Department of Offshore, Process Energy Engineering Cranfield University, UK ABSTRACT This work presents a numerical study on severe slugging and slug mitigation in a pipeline-riser system. Experiment and CFD modelling were performed on the 4” pipeline-riser system with a 55 m long pipeline followed by a 10.5 m high catenary riser at Cranfield University. The CFD model was developed and solved in Fluent. The model predictions of flow regime transition and slug frequency were compared with experimental data and those of OLGA model. The slug movement was described based on the predicted liquid holdup traces at different locations of the system. Slug mitigation methods such as increasing back pressure and choking riser outlet valve were simulated with the CFD model. Satisfactory agreement with the experimental data shows the validity of the proposed model. 1 INTRODUCTION Riser-induced severe slugging imposes great instability on the offshore oil and gas production system including well, pipeline-riser and downstream processing facilities. To avoid or minimise the adverse impact of such instability, operating conditions should be selected properly and appropriate slug mitigation techniques should be adopted. An efficient model for predicting multiphase flow behaviour in pipeline-riser system is highly desirable to provide essential information for the design and operation of production system. Various severe slugging related models have been proposed by many researchers since the phenomenon was identified by Yocum (1). In terms of the application of these models they can be classified into three categories: (a) predicting the conditions under which severe slugging occurs (or the stability boundary between severe slugging and non severe slugging region in the flow regime map) (2-4); (b) predicting the key characteristic parameters of seve