Study on hydrodynamic characteristics of oil-water annular flow in 90° elbow

The transportation of heavy oil surrounded by water annular can significantly reduce the resistance and reduce energy consumption. In the process of conveying high viscosity oil, it will inevitably pass through elbow components. In the present study, the stability in the development of core annular flow (CAF) by the influence of the elbow was investigated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The simulated data matched well with the previous experimental data and empirical correlation, which indicates the reliability and practicability of the model. The effects of inlet water fraction, the oil-water property (density ratio, viscosity ratio), and the geometric parameters (diameter ratio, curvature ratio) on hydrodynamic performance, eccentricity and oil transportation efficiency were analyzed, and the results could provide a reference for the design of 90 degrees elbow structures and the optimization of flow parameters. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.