A Unified Two-Fluid Model for Multiphase Flow in Natural Gas Pipelines

Abstract

A unified two-fluid model for multiphase natural gas and condensate flow in pipelines is presented. The hydrodynamic model consists of steady-state one-dimensional mass and continuity balances for each phase and a combined energy equation to give a system of five first-order ordinary differential equations. The hydrodynamic model is coupled with a phase behavior model based on the Peng-Robinson equation of state to handle the vapor-/liquid equilibrium calculations and thermodynamic property predictions. The model handles single and two-phase flow conditions and is able to predict the transition between them. It also generates profiles for pressure, temperature, and the fluid velocities in both phases as well as their holdups. The expected flow patterns as well as their transitions are modeled with emphasis on the low liquid loading character of such systems. The expected flow regimes for this system are dispersed liquid, annular-mist, stratified smooth as well as stratified wavy.