Experimental study and numerical modelling of the phase inversion phenomenon within centrifugal pumps

• Grant number: 22/08305-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2022
• End date: June 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Transport Phenomena
• Agreement: Equinor (former Statoil)
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Souza de Castro
• Grantee: Luiz Eduardo Czelusniak
• Host Institution: Centro de Estudos de Energia e Petróleo (CEPETRO). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica (FEM)
• Associated research grant: 17/15736-3 - Engineering Research Centre in Reservoir and Production Management, AP.PCPE

Abstract

Liquid-liquid flows are common in oil production due to presence of aquifers and/or use of water as enhanced oil recovery techniques. The presence of water flowing with oil may cause emulsion formation. Such system is thermodynamically stable and hard to be separated. When there is a high fraction of water in the oil, the two-phase water-oil dispersion may present an effective viscosity higher than the viscosity of the separated liquids, a condition that generally leads to a reduction in the performance of centrifugal pumps used. In this regard, Bulgarelli et al. (2020) state that dispersions and emulsions pose a challenge for oil production, as they constitute a major issue for flow assurance, with the incidence of a phenomenon named phase inversion. In a point of fact, the occurrence of operational instabilities is quite frequent in ESP systems that handle emulsions, a fact that influences costs and profits in the petroleum companies. Although there are experimental studies on the performance of electrical submersible pumps (ESP), there are still difficulties to understand and predict the phase inversion within this equipment. In this context, this work arises from the need to improve the comprehension of the phase inversion phenomenon through experimental analysis and the numerical approach to create a tool capable of gathering this knowledge related to ESP and apply them to projects of companies operating oil fields. The proposed solution is a phenomenological model for phase inversion within ESP and implementation of it in numerical tool that gathers data from studies that will be performed in the laboratory, in order to assist in the decision-making process of oil field operators i.e. in the selection of the most appropriate operation strategy to oil production. The development project for this modelling and tool is very ambitious and its complete development may not be given during the execution of a single student. The tool will be designed in modules, in such a way that its development can be continued by other researchers/professionals involved, being covered, at this stage, the creation of the interface, the generation of ESP performance graphics and the implementation of some correction available at the time. (AU)