NUMERICAL STUDY OF OIL-WATER TWO PHASE FLOW IN HORIZONTAL & INCLINED TUBES

Abstract

Oil-water two-phase flows in 0.056 m horizontal and inclined straight tubes have been simulated using control volume finite difference method (CVFDM). Volume of Fluid (VOF) model for multiphase flow and RNG k-ε turbulence model is adopted for simulated oil-water stratified flow. The volume of fraction (VOF) approach has been used to track the interface between oil and water phases. The angle of inclination has been varied from ±50, 00, ±100 from the horizontal. The simulations were carried out at different Reynolds numbers, i.e. 28324 and 58800, which resulted into turbulent regime. Due to very high Reynolds number considered in the present work, the Reynolds renormalize group (RNG) k– turbulent model has been used. The effect of inclination on velocity profiles, pressure drop, slip ratio and local phase fraction, and turbulent characteristics (i.e. turbulent kinetic energy and energy dissipation) are predicted. The estimated model is validated against numerical and experimental data reported in the literature for single phase flow in pipes. The main finding is the large difference between the results for the inclinations of tubes. It is postulated that the presence of gravity and magnitude of velocity responsible for the variation in velocity of individual phases, generation of turbulence, and volume phase fraction