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Investigation of the Behavior of Hydrate Slurry Flow in the Bend Based on the CFD-PBM Approach

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Abstract

The hydrate is a severe threat to the flow assurance of oil and gas transportation pipelines. For this reason, the behavior of hydrate slurry flow in the bend is investigated based on the Computational Fluid Dynamics-Population Balance Model (CFD-PBM) considering the aggregation and breakage of hydrate. Meanwhile, the effects of the bend angle, the velocity, the hydrate volume fraction, and the initial hydrate particle size on the hydrate concentration and the particle size are discussed in detail. The results show that hydrate is prone to aggregate on the outside of the elbow in the L-pipe. As the bend angle decreases, the hydrate concentration increases slightly, while the high-concentration region, the large particle size region, and the particle size decrease in the elbow. The high velocity can reduce hydrate aggregation in the elbow. However, the high hydrate concentration and the large particle size are not conducive to safe transportation. When the particle size is greater than 84 μm, there exists a blockage risk in the elbow.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Major Program no.: U19B200052), Science and Technology Innovation Seedling Project of Sichuan Province, China (no.: 2021079), National Natural Science Foundation Young Scientists Fund of China (no.: 51904259), Sichuan Outstanding Youth Fund Program, China (no.: 19JCQN0081) and School-Level Key Program of Chengdu Technological University, China (nos.: 2021ZR006 and 2022ZR019).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China

    C. Yu, C. J. Han & L. Wang

  2. School of Intelligent Manufacturing, Chengdu Technological University, Chengdu, China

    C. Yu

  3. School of Oil & Natural Gas Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China

    J. Q. Jing

  4. Shandong Key Laboratory of Oil-Gas Storage and Transportation Safety, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China

    Y. X. Li, W. C. Wang & X. C. Song

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  1. C. Yu
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  2. C. J. Han
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  3. L. Wang
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  4. J. Q. Jing
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  5. Y. X. Li
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  6. W. C. Wang
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  7. X. C. Song
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Correspondence to C. Yu, C. J. Han or L. Wang.

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Yu, C., Han, C.J., Wang, L. et al. Investigation of the Behavior of Hydrate Slurry Flow in the Bend Based on the CFD-PBM Approach. Fluid Dyn 58, 684–700 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0015462822601255

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0015462822601255

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