Discover a Career

Modeling Multiphase Flow in Pipes

James P. Brill, University of Tulsa

With this issue, TWA inaugurates the Discover a Career section, in which an experienced industry
professional gives a broad picture of an area of his or her expertise, its relevance to the current and
future work of the industry, its challenges, the professional opportunities it offers, and the expectations
one might have from a career in this area. In this article, James P. Brill, professor emeritus and research
professor of petroleum engineering, University of Tulsa, discusses modeling multiphase flow in pipes.

M
ultiphase flow occurs in
almost all producing oil and
gas wells and surface pipes
that transport produced
fluids. The significantly different
densities and viscosities of these fluids
make multiphase flow much more
complicated than the single-phase
flow covered in an undergraduate
fluid-mechanics course. Predicting
multiphase-flow behavior in an oil
and gas production system is further
complicated by complex heat transfer
that occurs as fluids flow through the
piping system and the mass transfer that
takes place among hydrocarbon fluids
as pressure and temperature change.
These phenomena are governed by
conservation of mass, momentum, and
energy, coupled with fundamental
thermodynamics and heat transfer.
Multiphase flow is not unique to
the petroleum industry, and is very
important in the use of geothermal and
nuclear energy for electrical power
generation; transportation of coal,
grain, and other solids as slurries;
development of petrochemicals; and
in many other industries. What makes
multiphase flow unique in the petroleum
industry are the complexity of fluids
encountered, the larger diameters
and longer lengths of the pipes, and
often the hostile environments.
Production of oil and gas became
much more complicated with
discoveries offshore, initially in shallow
water depths and now in ultradeep
water and in harsh arctic climates.
Capital costs in these regions are very
high, and production systems must
be designed with greater accuracy
than is possible with early empirical
correlations. Production systems today
are not only more complicated, but
often involve comingling of dissimilar
fluids from several wells, zones, and
fields. The higher pressures and lower
temperatures encountered can result
in serious flow-assurance issues such
as pipe erosion and corrosion, and
total or partial plugging of piping
systems from paraffin deposition on
pipe walls and the formation of hydrate
plugs. Many chemicals have been
invented to prevent or reduce the
occurrence of flow-assurance problems.
The effectiveness of injecting these
chemicals into the flow stream often
depends on the flow pattern in the pipe.
Petroleum engineering
undergraduates are taught the
elementary aspects of multiphase
flow in pipes. This includes empirical
correlations for predicting flow
patterns, liquid holdup, and pressure
drop. With this knowledge, they can
use commercially available nodal-
analysis software to design simple
production systems. Professionals
from other engineering disciplines
can readily learn this technology by
attending industry short courses on
physical properties and mass transfer
for hydrocarbon fluids, multiphase flow
in pipes, and nodal-analysis concepts.
Intense Modeling Efforts
The past 3 decades have seen intense
modeling efforts to improve our ability
to predict multiphase-flow behavior
with greater accuracy. So, what is so
magical about modeling and how does
this differ from empirical correlations?
The empirical approach typically
involves flowing fluids at carefully
measured flow rates through a
pipe, observing the flow pattern,
and measuring liquid holdup and
pressure drop. Different diameters,
pipe inclinations, and fluids can be
used, but all tests are at steady-state
conditions (constant gas- and liquid-
flow rates). Using the measured data,
empirical correlations are developed for
predicting flow patterns, liquid holdup,
and friction factor, and a pressure-
gradient equation is developed that
uses these empirical correlations.
A computer program can then be
written that numerically integrates the
pressure-gradient equation along a
pipe to predict the pressure drop.
The modeling approach is much
more sophisticated. In addition to the
measurements made in the empirical
approach, one must measure variables
such as liquid-film thickness and
entrainment fraction for annular flow,
film thickness around a Taylor bubble
in slug flow, and film thickness and

16
curvature in stratified flow. Empirical
correlations must then be developed
to predict these phenomena (often
called closure relationships). These
relationships are then used in more
complicated pressure-gradient
equations that capture the flow behavior
much better than in the empirical
approach. A vital key to the modeling
approach is a mechanistic model for
predicting flow pattern. Past attempts in
the modeling approach used different
conservation equations for predicting
flow pattern and pressure gradient. The
latest attempts to develop multiphase-
flow models have recognized that
the same conservation equations
must be used for predicting both
flow pattern and pressure gradient.
Although some of the better
empirical correlations have survived
the test of time, they all suffer from
significant errors in some ranges
of input variables and cannot be
improved because of their simplistic
nature. The mechanistic models are
more accurate, more sophisticated,
and more difficult to understand.
An example of the power of
mechanistic models has emerged
with current research on multiphase
flow involving heavy (viscous) oils.
Early empirical correlations fail to
predict pressure drop for heavy oils
accurately. Flow patterns for heavy oils
have different transition boundaries
than conventional oils. Some of the
closure relationships for lighter oils
fail to predict these relationships
with acceptable accuracy for heavy
oils. However, current heavy-oil
multiphase-flow research will soon
result in an accurate mechanistic
model. Identifying limitations like this
in existing models and then being
involved in successful research to
improve predictions is exhilarating,
knowing that your efforts will be used
by others as they design and operate
complex production systems.
Successful operation of production
systems also requires the ability to
predict flow behavior when flow rates
change in pipes. This occurs frequently
when adding production from new
wells and fields into a pipeline, or
reducing production because of flow-
assurance problems, maintenance Engineers working on multiphase-
issues, hurricanes, or other factors. f low-design and -f low-assurance
Simulating these time-dependent problems often find themselves
behaviors requires a sophisticated assigned to an elite group with
commercial multiphase-flow simulator broad technical backgrounds and
like OLGA that is based on conservation experience. Problems being worked
equations that retain time-dependent on are usually of critical importance
terms. OLGA also involves flow-pattern to the successful development of
predictions and requires closure assets. Opportunities exist to interface
relationships similar to steady-state flow. with similar groups from partner
companies. Engineers frequently
Becoming an Expert find themselves representing
Becoming a multiphase-flow expert their companies in collaborative
normally starts with an engineer ventures such as research consortia
pursuing a graduate degree at a and joint industrial projects. This
university with a well-established combination of working on challenging
multiphase-flow research program. production problems, interfacing
A strong academic program that with industry experts, and constantly
complements excellent experimental expanding technical expertise
opportunities is vital. Visually observing makes becoming a multiphase-f low
multiphase flow is incredibly exciting, expert an exhilarating experience.
especially when experimental The petroleum industry constantly
opportunities exist to use modern faces challenging f low-assurance
instrumentation and data-acquisition problems as it pursues assets in more
techniques, and apply current difficult producing environments. This
modeling methodology to show how alone guarantees an exciting future
complex physical phenomena follow for all engineers with an interest
fundamental conservation principles. in multiphase f low in pipes. TWA
James P. Brill is professor emeritus and research professor
of petroleum engineering, University of Tulsa, and has
been a member of the school’s petroleum engineering
faculty since 1966. He created the fluid-flow projects and
paraffin-deposition projects research consortia that have
resulted in more than 100 publications on multiphase flow,
and he is coauthor of the SPE monograph Multiphase Flow
in Wells. Brill has received the SPE Production Engineering,
Distinguished Achievement for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, and John Franklin
Carll awards, as well as the DeGolyer Service Medal. He has been named a JPT
Legend of Production and Operations and an SPE Honorary Member. In addition,
Brill is a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering.
Vol. 6 // No. 2 // 2010 17