(56b) Multiphase Flow – the Flowing Phases Know What They Are Doing, but Do We?

Multiphase Flow in Wells and Pipelines is a complicated science. The production systems are not complicated if the flow is only two phase, however, that is never the case. As the oil and gas industry keeps pushing for deeper and longer production subsea tie backs, multiphase flow gets more and more complicated and harder and harder to predict. At high pressures and low temperatures and various flow rates, many Flow Assurance issues will develop. These include hydrates, wax, asphaltenes, and slugging tendencies, just to name a few.

Steady State models are no longer enough to predict flow behavior. In this presentation we will look at the nature of multiphase flow and shed some light on why it is important to predict what actually happens in the pipelines at flowing conditions. We will look at why multiphase flow is sometimes difficult to predict and what is the industry doing and the tools they use to solve the flow problems that develop.