Viscous liquid-gas flow in horizontal pipelines: Experiments and multiphase flow simulator assessment

Viscous liquid-gas two-phase flow experiments with liquid viscosity ranging from 1000 - 5000 cP (1.0 - 5.0 Pa.s) and air as the gas phase were compared with the point model simulations obtained from OLGA, a multiphase flow simulator. Flow patterns, pressure gradient, mean liquid holdup and slug frequency were obtained through experimental observations and measurements using high speed video camcorders, differential pressure transducers and Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT). Results show that OLGA gave a good prediction of the measured pressure gradient however with decreasing capabilities as liquid viscosity increased. OLGA point model over predicted the slug flow pattern and under predicted the liquid holdup in this study.