Experimental Study of (Water–Oil) Flow Patterns and Pressure Drop in Vertical and Horizontal Pipes

Abstract

This paper provides the results of experimental stream flow patterns (water–oil) investigated in vertical and horizontal pipes with an elbow. The pipes are made from Perspex; the inner diameter is 0.024[Formula: see text]m, and the lengths of the vertical and horizontal pipes are 6 and 3[Formula: see text]m, respectively. The values of pressure at the four locations where [Formula: see text], 138, 248, and 304 are measured in various cases. The superficial velocities of the water range from 0.1 to 0.4[Formula: see text]m/s and of the oil from 0.1 to 0.9[Formula: see text]m/s. The pressure decreases with an increase in the height and the speed. Droplet/elongated/churn and annular streams are observed in a vertical pipe. The flow patterns are the stratified wavy stream with droplets at the interface, scattering (dispersion) of oil in water with a water layer, and annular flow in the horizontal pipe. These results of flow patterns are determined by a digital camera.