DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTIPHASE FLOW MIXER DEVICE FOR PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTIPHASE FLOW MIXER DEVICE FOR PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

Lima, M. P.; Martins, M. F.

Artigo Completo :

The use of secondary recovery methods for oil wells has become a common practice in the petroleum industry in order to increase production and ensure oil flow to the surface. However, the technological challenges faced, especially offshore, hamper oil rising and open up a range of opportunities for the development of new technologies and enhancement of existing ones. One of the main methods used in artificial lift is the Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP), which has presented problems in gassy well due to electric current fluctuations and gas lock occurrence in the system. The present work proposes the development of a device capable of reducing the negative impact of the large amount of gas mixed with oil in ESP systems by homogenizing the phases upstream the pump. Additionally, the equipment also seems promising in multiphase flow measurement thanks to its ability of reducing the influence of flow regimes along the measurement. CFD multiphase flow simulation was accomplished in commercial software to evaluate its performance in mixtures with high concentration of gas. The simulations results suggest a significant reduction of the gas fraction downstream the equipment to less than 20% for more than 70% of gas at the entry.

The use of secondary recovery methods for oil wells has become a common practice in the petroleum industry in order to increase production and ensure oil flow to the surface. However, the technological challenges faced, especially offshore, hamper oil rising and open up a range of opportunities for the development of new technologies and enhancement of existing ones. One of the main methods used in artificial lift is the Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP), which has presented problems in gassy well due to electric current fluctuations and gas lock occurrence in the system. The present work proposes the development of a device capable of reducing the negative impact of the large amount of gas mixed with oil in ESP systems by homogenizing the phases upstream the pump. Additionally, the equipment also seems promising in multiphase flow measurement thanks to its ability of reducing the influence of flow regimes along the measurement. CFD multiphase flow simulation was accomplished in commercial software to evaluate its performance in mixtures with high concentration of gas. The simulations results suggest a significant reduction of the gas fraction downstream the equipment to less than 20% for more than 70% of gas at the entry.

Palavras-chave:

DOI: 10.5151/phypro-ecfa-035

Referências bibliográficas

• [1] POWERS, W.J.; DUNBAR, C.; CHILINGARIAN, G. V. Electric Submergible Pumps. In: Surface Operations in Petroleum Production. New York: Elsevier Science Publishers., 1987. cap. 16, p. 737-799.
• [2] [2 ]http://www.slb.com/services/production/artificial_lift/submersible/esp_components/esp_gas_handling/poseidon_gas_handling.aspx
• [3] PALADINO, E. E. Estudo do escoamento multifásico em medidores de vazão do tipo pressão diferencial. 2005. 263 f. Tese (Doutorado em Engenharia Mecânica), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, 2005.
• [4] FLUENT, ANSYS FLUENT Theory Guide, ANSYS Inc., 2009.
• [5] PARVAREH, A.; RAHIMI, M.; ALIZADEHDAKHEL, A.; ALSAIRAFI, A., Heat and Mass Transfer, v. 37, p. 304 -311, 2010.

Como citar:

Lima, M. P.; Martins, M. F.; "DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTIPHASE FLOW MIXER DEVICE FOR PETROLEUM INDUSTRY", p-75-76. In: Anais do V Encontro Científico de Física Aplicada [= Blucher Physics Proceedings, n.1, v.1]. São Paulo: Blucher, 2014.
ISSN 23582359, DOI 10.5151/phypro-ecfa-035