Oil–water dispersed flow occurs commonly in the petroleum industry during the production and transportation of crudes. Phase inversion occurs when the dispersed phase grows into the continuous phase and the continuous phase becomes the dispersed phase caused by changes in the composition, interfacial properties, and other factors. Production equipment, such as pumps and chokes, generates shear in oil–water mixture flow, which has a strong effect on phase inversion phenomena. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of shear intensity and water cut (WC) on the phase inversion region and also the droplet size distribution. A state-of-the-art closed-loop two phase (oil–water) flow facility including a multipass gear pump and a differential dielectric sensor (DDS) is used to identify the phase inversion region. Also, the facility utilizes an in-line droplet size analyzer (a high speed camera), to record real-time videos of oil–water emulsion to determine the droplet size distribution. The experimental data for phase inversion confirm that as shear intensity increases, the phase inversion occurs at relatively higher dispersed phase fractions. Also the data show that oil-in-water emulsion requires larger dispersed phase volumetric fraction for phase inversion as compared with that of water-in-oil emulsion under the same shear intensity conditions. Experiments for droplet size distribution confirm that larger droplets are obtained for the water continuous phase, and increasing the dispersed phase volume fraction leads to the creation of larger droplets.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
March 2019
Research-Article
Effect of Shear and Water Cut on Phase Inversion and Droplet Size Distribution in Oil–Water Flow
Mo Zhang,
Mo Zhang
Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: mo-zhang@utulsa.edu
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: mo-zhang@utulsa.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Ramin Dabirian,
Ramin Dabirian
Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ramin-dabirian@utulsa.edu
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ramin-dabirian@utulsa.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Ram S. Mohan,
Ram S. Mohan
Professor
Fellow ASME
Mechanical Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ram-mohan@utulsa.edu
Fellow ASME
Mechanical Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ram-mohan@utulsa.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Ovadia Shoham
Ovadia Shoham
Professor
Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ovadia-shoham@utulsa.edu
Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ovadia-shoham@utulsa.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Mo Zhang
Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: mo-zhang@utulsa.edu
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: mo-zhang@utulsa.edu
Ramin Dabirian
Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ramin-dabirian@utulsa.edu
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ramin-dabirian@utulsa.edu
Ram S. Mohan
Professor
Fellow ASME
Mechanical Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ram-mohan@utulsa.edu
Fellow ASME
Mechanical Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ram-mohan@utulsa.edu
Ovadia Shoham
Professor
Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ovadia-shoham@utulsa.edu
Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Tulsa,
800 South Tucker Drive,
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
e-mail: ovadia-shoham@utulsa.edu
Contributed by the Petroleum Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESOURCES TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received December 18, 2017; final manuscript received September 29, 2018; published online October 24, 2018. Assoc. Editor: Ray (Zhenhua) Rui.
J. Energy Resour. Technol. Mar 2019, 141(3): 032905 (9 pages)
Published Online: October 24, 2018
Article history
Received:
December 18, 2017
Revised:
September 29, 2018
Citation
Zhang, M., Dabirian, R., Mohan, R. S., and Shoham, O. (October 24, 2018). "Effect of Shear and Water Cut on Phase Inversion and Droplet Size Distribution in Oil–Water Flow." ASME. J. Energy Resour. Technol. March 2019; 141(3): 032905. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4041661
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Pore permeability model based on fractal geometry theory and effective stress
J. Energy Resour. Technol
Water invasion into multi-layer and multi-pressure carbonate reservoir: A pore-scale simulation
J. Energy Resour. Technol
Related Articles
Direct Observations of Emulsion Flow in Elastohydrodynamically Lubricated Contacts
J. Tribol (July,2006)
CFD Investigation of Gear Pump Mixing Using Deforming/Agglomerating Mesh
J. Fluids Eng (April,2007)
Numerical Analysis of External Gear Pumps Including Cavitation
J. Fluids Eng (August,2012)
Flow Factors for Lubrication With Emulsions in Ironing
J. Tribol (April,2001)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Chitosan-Based Drug Delivery Systems
Chitosan and Its Derivatives as Promising Drug Delivery Carriers
Contamination and Impacts of Exploration and Production Waste Constituents
Guidebook for Waste and Soil Remediation: For Nonhazardous Petroleum and Salt Contaminated Sites
Axial Balance of External Gear Pumps and Motors: Modelling and Discussing the Influence of Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication in the Axial Gap
Advances in Multidisciplinary Engineering