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Upscaling of 1D two‐phase flows in heterogeneous porous media is important in interpretation of laboratory coreflood data, streamline quasi 3D modeling, and numerical reservoir simulation. In 1D heterogeneous media with properties varying along the flow direction, phase permeabilities are coordinate‐dependent. This yields the Buckley‐Leverett equation with coordinate‐dependent fractional flow f = f(s, x), which reflects the heterogeneity. So, an x‐dependency is considered to reflect microscale heterogeneity and averaging over x—upscaling. This work aims to average or upscale the heterogeneous system to obtain the homogenized media with such fractional flow function F(S) that provides the same water‐cut history at the reservoir outlet, x = 1. Thus, F(S) is an equivalent property of the medium. So far, the exact upscaling for 1D micro heterogeneous systems has not been derived. With the x‐dependency of fractional flow, the Riemann invariant is flux f, which yields exact integration of 1D flow problems. The novel exact solutions are derived for flows with continuous saturation profile, transition of shock into continuous wave, transition of continuous wave into shock, and transport in heterogeneous piecewise‐uniform rocks. The exact procedure of upscaling from f = f(s, x) to F(S) is as follows: the inverse function to the upscaled F(S) is equal to the averaged saturation over x of the inverse microscale function s = f −1(f, x). It was found that the Welge's method as applied to heterogeneous cores provides the upscaled F(S). For characteristic finite‐difference scheme, the fluxes for microscale and upscaled‐numerical‐cell systems, coincide in all grid nodes. Plain Language Summary Natural or industrial two‐phase flow of CO2, water and other fluids occurs in highly heterogeneous porous media. The flow dynamics is modeled by transport equations with highly oscillating coefficients, which require extensive computational resources. This study aims to develop an upscaling technique for the coordinate‐dependent flux resulting from the heterogeneity of the porous medium. The upscaling technique relies on the flux history (water‐cut) and saturation profiles across the porous medium. It is determined that, for a given sequence or configuration of numerical cells or laboratory core samples, the upscaling of the coordinate‐dependent flux is achievable by saturation averaging. It is observed that results from water‐cut based upscaling depend on length L while those of saturation profile‐based upscaling depend on the time interval T. Key Points Exact solutions for 1D two phase flow in heterogeneous porous media Implicit formula for upscaling of x‐dependent fractional flow function Flux‐history and saturation‐profile based upscaling yield the same equation for the upper‐scale fractional flow

An effective way to improve the formation of gas hydrate is to increase the gas-liquid contact area, which can also improve the gas-liquid heat and mass transfer efficiency. Designed a natural gas hydrate formation flow experimental device, and a set of folding pipes are the gas hydrate formation units. The folding pipe hydrate formation units are composed of many U-type pipes, which are the main carrier of hydrate formation. The gas-liquid flow law in the U-type pipe has the great significance on gas hydrate formation. The gas-liquid two phase flow in a single U-type pipe has been simulated by Fluent, gas distribution rule and flow characteristics in the U-type pipe has been investigated. The range of the entrance gas volume fraction is 0.1～0.6. Calculation results show that there is a certain degree of mixture between gas and liquid in the former straight section. The gas and liquid began to layer in the front of bend, the gas and liquid stratified obviously in the process of bend. The gas and liquid began to mix in the later straight section, but the degree of mixture is lower than the former. The liquid and gas flow phenomenon is different with disparate gas volume fraction. The gas and liquid stratified more obviously in the bend with the higher gas volume fraction. The law that the gas and liquid have a better mixture when gas volume fraction change range is 0.2～0.4 has been found, which is beneficial to hydrate formation.

We present an experimental and numerical study of immiscible two-phase flow of Newtonian fluids in three-dimensional (3D) porous media to find the relationship between the volumetric flow rate ( Q ) and the total pressure difference ( Δ P ) in the steady state. We show that in the regime where capillary forces compete with the viscous forces, the distribution of capillary barriers at the interfaces effectively creates a yield threshold ( P t ), making the fluids reminiscent of a Bingham viscoplastic fluid in the porous medium. In this regime, Q depends quadratically on an excess pressure drop ( Δ P - P t ). While increasing the flow rate, there is a transition, beyond which the overall flow is Newtonian and the relationship is linear. In our experiments, we build a model porous medium using a column of glass beads transporting two fluids, deionized water and air. For the numerical study, reconstructed 3D pore networks from real core samples are considered and the transport of wetting and non-wetting fluids through the network is modeled by tracking the fluid interfaces with time. We find agreement between our numerical and experimental results. Our results match with the mean-field results reported earlier.

The main objective of the study is to propose a technical solution integrated into the pipeline for the transition of the flow regime from slug to bubbly two-phase flow. The object of research is isothermal two-phase gas–Newtonian-liquid flow in a horizontal circular pipeline. There is local resistance in the pipe in the form of a streamlined transverse mesh partition. The mesh partition ensures the transition of the flow from the slug regime to the bubbly regime. The purpose of the study is to propose a technical solution integrated into the pipeline for changing the flow regime of a two-phase flow from slug to bubbly flow. The method of research is a simulation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation. The Navier–Stokes equations averaged by Reynolds describes the fluid motion. The k-ε models were used to close the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. The computing cluster «Polytechnic—RSK Tornado» was used to solve the tasks. The results of simulation show that pressure drop on the grid did not exceed 10% of the pressure drop along the length of the pipeline. The mesh partition transits the flow regime from slug to layered one, which will help to increase the service life and operational safety of a real pipeline at insignificant energy costs to overcome the additional resistance integrated into the pipeline.

In this study, the erosion characteristics of eutectic high entropy alloy under the liquid-solid two-phase flow is investigated by a coupled numerical-experimental method, in order to reveal the intrinsic relationship between microscopic erosion mechanism (experimental test) and the related particle-fluid-surface interaction (CFD modelling). Furthermore, instead of the common relation between average erosion rate and mainstream flow velocity, the relationship between local erosion distribution and local particulate flow characteristics is clarified. The erosion rate and erosion pattern match well between the experiment and simulation. The results demonstrate that NiCoCrFeNb 0.45 exhibits superior anti-erosion performance when compared to other widely used equipment metals. The erosion profile agrees well with the shape of surface velocity distribution, indicating a close relationship between surface erosion behaviour and flow characteristics. In particular, the erosion pattern at a normal angle appears as a symmetric ring due to the flow stagnation phenomenon, with slight erosion damage in the centre area and severe erosion in the surrounding, whereas the erosion profile at an oblique angle displays an elliptic shape, with severe erosion damage in centre. Notably, the primary erosion mechanism varies dramatically in different surface regions, induced by the various impact velocities and angles associated with the corresponding changes in the flow field. This study provides a deeper understanding of erosion behaviour in terms of the interrelationship among the material mechanical properties, particulate flow field and particle-surface impingement behaviour.

The Reynolds averaged N-S equation and dynamic equation for nanoparticles are numerically solved in the two-phase flow around cylinders, and the distributions of the concentration M0 and geometric mean diameter dg of particles are given. Some of the results are validated by comparing with previous results. The effects of particle coagulation and breakage and the initial particle concentration m00 and size d0 on the particle distribution are analyzed. The results show that for the flow around a single cylinder, M0 is reduced along the flow direction. Placing a cylinder in a uniform flow will promote particle breakage. For the flow around multiple cylinders, the values of M0 behind the cylinders oscillate along the spanwise direction, and the wake region in the flow direction is shorter than that for the flow around a single cylinder. For the initial monodisperse particles, the values of dg increase along the flow direction and the effect of particle coagulation is larger than that of particle breakage. The values of dg fluctuate along the spanwise direction; the closer to the cylinders, the more frequent the fluctuations of dg values. For the initial polydisperse particles with d0 = 98 nm and geometric standard deviation σ = 1.65, the variations of dg values along the flow and spanwise directions show the same trend as for the initial monodisperse particles, although the differences are that the values of dg are almost the same for the cases with and without considering particle breakage, while the distribution of dg along the spanwise direction is flatter in the case with initial polydisperse particles.

The ball valve is an essential piece of equipment in an oil and gas pipeline. The sand particles transported through the pipeline can cause erosion and wear to the ball valve, thus causing it to fail, leading to serious safety hazards. In this paper, the self-designed erosion experiment method was combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), while the Euler-Lagrange method was also introduced to optimize the Oka erosion model and Ford particle-wall rebound model. The erosion mechanism and characteristics of the ball valve sealing surface in gas-solid two-phase flow were simulated, while the erosion condition of the specimen was analyzed and compared when exposed to different factors, such as different particle velocities, impact angle, particle size, and specimen materials. The experimental data conformed well to the CFD erosion simulation data, verifying the accuracy of the CFD simulation analysis. The results indicated that the worn surface was caused by various wear mechanisms, while a “stagnation zone” was identified at the center of the specimen. The maximum erosion area, which was U-shaped, was also located at the center. The erosion rate increased in conjunction with an increase in the particle velocity and size, both of which failed to affect the erosion pattern. The erosion rate initially increased, after which it decreased with the impact angle, reaching the maximum value at an impact angle of 30°. This paper summarizes the erosion failure mechanism and characteristics in gas–solid two-phase flow and provides both technical support and a theoretical basis for the on-site maintenance of essential vulnerable parts in the pipeline, such as ball valves.

Stator coils of automobiles in operation generate heat and are cooled by coolant poured from above. The flow characteristic of the coolant depends on the coil structure, flow condition, solid–fluid interaction, and fluid property, which has not been clarified due to its complexities. Since straight coils are aligned and layered with an angle at the coolant-touchdown region, the coil structure is simplified to a horizontal square rod array referring to an actual coil size. To obtain the flow and wetting characteristics, two-phase fluid flow simulations are conducted by using the phase-field lattice Boltzmann method. First, the flow onto the single-layered rod array is discussed. The wetting area is affected both by the rod gap and the wettability, which is normalized by the gap and the averaged boundary layer thickness. Then, the flow onto the multi-layered rod arrays is investigated with different rod gaps. The top layer wetting becomes longitudinal due to the reduction of the flow advection by the second layer. The wetting area jumps up at the second layer and increases proportionally to the below layers. These become remarkable at the narrow rod gap case, and finally, the dimensionless wetting area is discussed at each layer.

Scale formation inside oil and gas pipelines is always one of the main threats to the efficiency of equipment and their depreciation. In this study, an artificial intelligence method method is presented to provide the flow regime and volume percentage of a two-phase flow while considering the presence of scale inside the test pipe. In this non-invasive method, a dual-energy source of barium-133 and cesium-137 isotopes is irradiated, and the photons are absorbed by a detector as they pass through the test pipe on the other side of the pipe. The Monte Carlo N Particle Code (MCNP) simulates the structure and frequency features, such as the amplitudes of the first, second, third, and fourth dominant frequencies, which are extracted from the data recorded by the detector. These features use radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) inputs, where two neural networks are also trained to accurately determine the volume percentage and correctly classify all flow patterns, independent of scale thickness in the pipe. The advantage of the proposed system in this study compared to the conventional systems is that it has a better measuring precision as well as a simpler structure (using one detector instead of two).

Global demand for fossil fuels has increased the importance of flow measurement in the oil sector. As a result, a new submarket in the flowmeter business has opened up. To improve the accuracy of gamma-based two-phase flowmeters, this study employs time-feature extraction methods, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) based feature selection system, and an artificial neural network. This article proposes a fraction detection system that uses a 137Cs gamma source, two NaI detectors for recording the photons, and a Pyrex-glass pipe between them. The Monte Carlo N Particle method was used to simulate the geometry mentioned above. Thirteen time-domain features were extracted from the raw data recorded by both detectors. Optimal characteristics were identified with the help of PSO. This procedure resulted in the identification of eight efficient features. The input-output relationship was approximated using a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network. The innovation of the present research is in the use of a feature extraction technique based on the PSO algorithm to determine volume percentages, with results such as: (1) introducing eight appropriate time characteristics in determining volume percentages; (2) achieving an accuracy of less than 0.37 in root mean square error (RMSE) and 0.14 in mean square error (MSE) while predicting the volume fraction of components in a gas-liquid two-phase flow; and (3) reducing the calculation load. Utilizing optimization-based feature selection techniques has allowed for the selection of meaningful inputs, which has decreased the volume of computations while boosting the precision of the presented system.