Forces on bends and T-joints due to multiphase flow
conference paper
To be able to assess the mechanical integrity of piping structures for loading to multiphase flow conditions, air-water experiments were carried out in a horizontal 1" pipe system. Forces and accelerations were measured on a number of bends and T-joint configurations for a wide range of operating conditions. Five different configurations were measured: a baseline case consisting of a straight pipe only, a sharp edged bend, a large radius bend, a symmetric T-joint and a T-joint with one of the arms closed off. The gas flow was varied from a superficial velocity of 0.1 to 30 m/s and the liquid flow was varied from 0.05 to 2 m/s. This operating range ensures that the experiment encompasses all possible flow regimes. The magnitude of the measured forces was found to vary over a wide range depending on the flow regime. For slug flow conditions very high force levels were measured, up to 4 orders of magnitude higher than in single phase flow for comparable velocities. The annular flow regime resulted in the (relative) lowest forces, although the absolute amplitude is of the same order as in the case of slug flow. In case of slug flow, the measured results can be described assuming a simple slug unit model. For both the frequency and amplitude the available models can be used in assessments. In annular and stratified flow a different model is required, since no slug unit is present. Instead, the amplitude of the excitation force can be estimated using mixture properties. To predict the main frequency for the annular flow and stratified flow additional experiments are required. Copyright © 2010 by ASME.
Topics
Absolute amplitudeAir-waterAnnular flowsExcitation forceFlow regimesForce levelLiquid flowMain frequencyMeasured resultsMechanical integrityMixture propertiesOperating conditionOperating rangesOrders of magnitudePipe systemRadius bendsSingle-phase flowSlug flowStraight pipeStratified flowsSuperficial velocityT jointsAcoustic noiseAerodynamicsExperimentsFluid structure interactionHydrodynamicsMultiphase flowThermal stratificationVibrations (mechanical)Pipe joints
TNO Identifier
443027
ISSN
08888116
ISBN
9780791854518
Source title
Proceedings of the ASME 2010 3rd Joint US-European Fluids Engineering Summer Meeting and 8th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels, FEDSM-ICNMM2010, August 1-5, 2010, Montreal, Canada. Conference code: 87047
Collation
7 p.
Pages
613-619
Files
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