Abstract
Core annular flow (CAF) has been proved to be one of the solutions of the heavy oil transportation through pipeline. This study conducted a 3D computational fluid dynamics to simulate CAF of the Newtonian/non-Newtonian Carreau fluid in T- and Y-pipe junctions. The non-Newtonian Carreau fluid was heavy oil (viscosity of 170.811 Pa s at zero shear rate condition) surrounded by water as the Newtonian fluid. The effect of geometry on the flow performance was assessed using the method of 2 k factorial statistical experimental design. For the simulated geometries, the proper design was measured by the high value of oil holdup with small average values of pressure gradient and pressure standard deviation. This condition was predicted to be occurred when adjusting the geometry to the high value of junction angle and pipe diameter. The simulation result showed the stable CAF along the upstream region but then broke up when passing the intersection.
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Abbreviations
- \({\text{dP}}\) :
-
Pressure drop (N m−2)
- \(D\) :
-
Pipe diameter (m)
- \(F\) :
-
External body force per unit volume (kg m−2 s−2)
- \(g\) :
-
Gravitational acceleration (m s−2)
- \(L\) :
-
Length of pipe (m)
- \(\hat{n}\) :
-
Unit surface normal vector (m−1)
- \(n\) :
-
Surface normal vector (m−1)
- \(P\) :
-
Pressure (N m−2)
- \(t\) :
-
Time (s)
- \(\hat{t}_{w }\) :
-
Unit vector tangential to the pipe wall (m−1)
- \(u\) :
-
Average velocity (m s−1)
- \(u^{{\text{T}}}\) :
-
Average turbulence velocity (m s−1)
- \(X_{{\text{A}}}\) :
-
Coded variables that correspond to factor A (–)
- \(X_{{\text{B}}}\) :
-
Coded variables that correspond to factor B (–)
- \(X_{{\text{C}}}\) :
-
Coded variables that correspond to factor C (–)
- \(X_{{\text{A}}} X_{{\text{B}}}\) :
-
Coded variables that correspond to the AB interaction (–)
- \(X_{{\text{A}}} X_{{\text{C}}}\) :
-
Coded variables that correspond to the AC interaction (–)
- \(X_{{\text{B}}} X_{{\text{C}}}\) :
-
Coded variables that correspond to the BC interaction (–)
- \(\alpha\) :
-
Volume fraction (–)
- \(\gamma\) :
-
Shear rate (s−1)
- \(\lambda_{{\text{c}}}\) :
-
Characteristic relaxation time (s)
- \(\mu\) :
-
Molecular viscosity (Pa s)
- \(\mu_{{0,\dot{\gamma }}}\) :
-
Viscosity at zero shear rate (Pa s)
- \(\mu_{{\infty ,\dot{\gamma }}}\) :
-
Viscosity at infinite shear rate (Pa s)
- \(N\) :
-
Constant (–)
- \(\sigma\) :
-
Surface tension coefficient (N m−1)
- \(\sigma_{{\text{k}}}\) :
-
Turbulent Prandtl number for dissipation rate (–)
- \(\rho\) :
-
Density (kg m−3)
- \(\kappa\) :
-
Interface curvature (m−1)
- \(\eta\) :
-
Model coefficient (m)
- o:
-
Oil
- w:
-
Water
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge Scholarship Programme for ASEAN and Non-ASEAN Countries (Graduate Scholarship Programme) for supporting financial and research facilities through Ph.D. program at Chulalongkorn University. The authors also thank the National Research Council of Thailand and Chulalongkorn University for providing the Mid-Career Research Grant (NRCT5-RSA63001-24).
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National Research Council of Thailand and Chulalongkorn University.
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Dianita, C., Piemjaiswang, R. & Chalermsinsuwan, B. Effect of T- and Y-Pipes on Core Annular Flow of Newtonian/Non-Newtonian Carreau Fluid Using Computational Fluid Dynamics and Statistical Experimental Design Analysis. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Mech Eng 47, 941–958 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40997-022-00568-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40997-022-00568-z