SPE 146630

Experimental Investigation of Three-Phase Gas-Oil-Water Slug Flow Evolution

in Hilly-Terrain Pipelines
G. Ersoy*, SPE, C. Sarica, SPE, The University of Tulsa, E.M. Al-Safran, SPE, Kuwait University and H.-Q. Zhang,
SPE, The University of Tulsa
* Currently with Technip USA
Copyright 2011, Society of Petroleum Engineers
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Denver, Colorado, USA, 30 October2 November 2011.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed
by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or
members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is
restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract
A hilly-terrain pipeline consists of horizontal, upward inclined and downward inclined sections. The lack of understanding of how
three-phase slug flow characteristics change in hilly-terrain pipelines may lead to inaccurate modeling of the phenomenon and thus
poor pipeline and downstream facility designs. Although several slug tracking models are available, their performance has not
been thoroughly tested against gas-oil-water data in hilly-terrain pipelines due to the scarcity of such data.
Three-phase gas-oil-water slug flow evolution in hilly-terrain pipelines was studied experimentally. The constructed
experimental facility was a 69-m long, 50.8-mm ID outdoor facility with 5 inclination angle for a valley configuration. Threephase slug flow developments in the hilly-terrain section were observed and analyzed with the measured pressure drop, average
liquid holdup, phase distributions and slug characteristics. This study improves the current understanding of gas-oil-water flow
behavior in hilly-terrain pipelines and the effect of water cut on slug flow characteristics.
This understanding will improve the existing slug tracking models or can be used to develop new models when, necessary, for
the proper design and safe operation of three-phase pipeline systems. Seven three-phase slug flow patterns were identified based
on oil-water mixture in the upstream horizontal section of the hilly-terrain unit. These flow patterns were analyzed and compared
with slug dissipation in the downhill section of the hilly-terrain unit. When these flow patterns were compared with two-phase
slug dissipation behavior, no water cut effect was observed. For moderate and high flow rates, slugs with different oil-water
mixing status had differences in slug frequencies and lengths. However, the evolution of liquid slug length distributions for 20%
and 80% water cuts in the upstream horizontal section and upward inclined section did not show any significant dependence on
water cut.
Introduction
In the petroleum industry, slug flow is the most complex and dominant flow pattern in horizontal and near-horizontal pipes.
Although slug flow in horizontal and inclined pipes has been studied extensively, slug flow in hilly-terrain pipelines which
consists of horizontal, upward inclined, and downward inclined sections, is still not completely understood. Some of the most
common operational problems hilly-terrain pipeline may cause are terrain slugging, flooding of downstream facilities, pipeline
erosion/corrosion and structural instability of the pipeline, as well as production loss and poor reservoir management due to
unpredictable wellhead pressures. These challenges become even more difficult as field condition changes with time and three
phase gas-oil-water flow dominates. For example, flow assurance problems such as hydrates, emulsions and paraffin deposition.
Erosion and corrosion also depend on the characteristics of three-phase flow in pipelines. However, very limited amount of work
on three-phase flow has been conducted due to the difficulties of oil-water and gas-liquid flow characterizations.
Since slug flow pattern is such a frequently encountered in three-phase flow, a study of slug flow characteristics for threephase flow in hilly-terrain pipelines becomes crucial for production and pipeline transportation. However, the complexity of threephase slug flow makes the experimental measurements and analysis of such data very challenging. This is the reason why threephase slug flow data is scarce in the literature. Therefore, this study is considered a pioneering research in three-phase slug flow in
hilly-terrain pipelines.

SPE 146630

In the experimental phase of this study, Keskin et al. (2007) observations and classifications have been used for the threephase flow pattern identification. Keskin et al. observed and identified twelve new gas-oil-water flow patterns based on threephase experiments conducted in horizontal pipes. The flow patterns are based on gas-liquid flow patterns and the continuous
phase of the liquid-liquid mixture. They compared the experimental results for different water cuts with two-phase flow pattern
model predictions. Their comparison showed that the use of two-phase flow models is not suitable for three-phase flow.
Zheng (1991) conducted two-phase slug flow experiments in a 76.2-mm diameter, 420-m long hilly-terrain pipeline. He
observed slug flow behavior in a hilly-terrain pipeline, including generation of pseudo slugs at the horizontal/uphill elbow,
variation of slug length along the pipeline, and existence of slug flow in the downhill section. In previous studies by Zhang et al.
(2003) and Al-Safran (2003) for two-phase hilly-terrain pipelines, the flow behavior in the elbow of the hilly-terrain section was
coupled and analyzed with the flow conditions in the upstream downhill and downstream uphill sections of the hilly-terrain unit.
Al-Safran et al. (2005) also identified five different categories for slug dissipation in downhill section and slug initiation and
growth in the uphill section of a hilly-terrain pipeline: (1) complete dissipation in the downhill section with slug initiation at the
dip, (2) no hilly-terrain effect, (3) partial dissipation in the downhill section with initiation and growth at the dip, (4) no dissipation
in the downhill section with initiation and growth at the dip, and (5) no dissipation in the downhill section with growth only at the
dip. Since this study is a three-phase and hilly-terrain, the approaches of Keskin et al. (2007) and Al-Safran et al. (2005) have
been combined to analyze the data.
Experimental System
Test Facility
The facility consists of a closed loop with storage tanks, progressive cavity pumps, heat exchangers, metering sections, filters, test
section and separator. Two progressive cavity pumps and a compressor are used to maintain the oil, water and air flow rates,
respectively. Three separate metering sections are equipped with Micro Motion Corriolis flow meters to measure mass flow
rates and densities of each fluid, and with temperature transducers for monitoring the temperatures of the fluids. At the inlet of the
test section gas, oil and water flow through the mixing tee to form the gas-oil-water three-phase co-current flow. After the threephase mixture flows through the test section, it is separated by a three-phase separator where pressure is set at 20 psig. The test
section is made of a transparent acrlic pipe and consists of a 21.1-m long horizontal branch and a 46.7-m long branch connected
with a 1.2-m long U-shaped PVC bend as shown in Fig. 1. Both of the branches have 50.8-mm inner diameter.
The downstream branch of the test section consists of a 13.8-m long flow developing section (L/D=272.0) followed by a 6-m long
horizontal section with two short pressure drop sections of 4.2-m and 2.13-m long. In addition, a 21-m long hilly-terrain section
(L/D=413.4) followed by a 6-m long horizontal section. The hilly-terrain section simulates a hilly-terrain unit of 9.5-m downhill
followed by a 1.9-m horizontal and 9.5-m uphill sections. The inclination angles range is 1, 2 and 5 for the valley
configurations. The horizontal section immediately downstream of the hilly-terrain section was designed and constructed similar
to the horizontal section immediately upstream of the hilly-terrain section. Schematic diagram of the test section is given in Fig. 2.
Instrumentation and Data Acquisition
Capacitance sensors, laser sensors, quick closing valves, temperature transducers, and absolute and differential pressure
transducers are installed along the facility to measure the spatial distribution of the phases, total liquid holdup, operating
temperature, pressure, and differential pressure, respectively. Cameras throughout the facility record videos to identify the flow
patterns and determine the oil-water mixing status, in addition to capturing the details of slug characteristics. A high speed data
acquisition system is used for absolute and differential pressure transducers and laser and capacitance sensors. With the
instruments connected to the high speed data acquisition system, slug flow characteristics are captured and compared more
efficiently. For most of the test matrix, a sampling rate of 100 samples/s is found to be acceptable. A sampling rate of 1 sample/s
is selected to collect data for this data acquisition system. The data logging for each test is ten minutes.

SPE 146630

Figure 1: Gas-Oil-Water Facility Schematic

SPE 146630

Figure 2: Schematic of Downstream Branch of Test Section

SPE 146630

Test Fluids
For the experiments of three-phase flow in a hilly-terrain pipeline, fresh water, air and refined mineral oil were chosen as the
testing fluids. The refined oil, Tulco Tech 80, was chosen due to its low retention time for effective separation. The physical
properties of Tulco Tech 80 are given below:
API gravity: 33.2 @ 15.6C

Viscosity: 0.013 Pa.s @ 40C

Surface tension: 29.14 dynes/cm @ 25.1C

Interfacial tension with water: 16.38 dynes/cm @ 25.1C

Pour point temperature: -12.2C

Flash point temperature: 185C

Experimental Range
In this study, 108 tests were conducted for three-phase air-oil-water flow in hilly-terrain pipelines with an inclination angle of 5
for valley configuration. The 5 inclination angle is selected to be able to observe the most significant changes in three-phase
slug flow. The testing range of superficial gas velocity (vSg) is from 0.1 m/s to 5.0 m/s. Superficial oil (vSO) and water (vSW)
velocities range from 0.04 m/s to 1 m/s and from 0.02 to 1 m/s, respectively. Water cuts of 20 and 40% are tested to observe oil
continuous flow and water cuts of 60 and 80% are tested for water continuous flow. The lower limits of superficial velocities were
decided based on the accuracies of the Micro Motion flow meters. The higher limits were set by the pressure gradient and
facility limits. The test matrix was arranged in order to include both the flow regime transition from stratified to slug flow and the
phase distributions from low water cut to high water cut. For each water cut value, twenty seven data points were taken.
Experimental Results
Experimental results consists of visual observations, pressure gradient, average holdup, slug frequency, slug length and
translational velocity along the test section with respect to different water cut values. The experimental results are also available in
its entirety in Ersoy Gokcal (2010).
Three-Phase Flow Patterns
Three-phase flow patterns were observed using the video system in the facility. The three-phase flow patterns are classified
according to Keskin et al. (2007). The first part of the flow pattern names indicates the gas-liquid status and the second part
indicates the oil-water mixing status of the flow.
In the gas-oil-water hilly-terrain experimental facility, the downstream horizontal pipe section is used for the flow to reach
steady-state conditions before it enters the hilly-terrain section. This steady-state three-phase flow is taken as a reference flow
condition prior to the flow characteristics change in the hilly-terrain section. For all of the tests, the gas-liquid status of the threephase flow patterns are identified as intermittent flow IN for the horizontal section.
It was observed that for low flow rates, the oil and water phases are completely segregated and air moves as elongated bubbles.
As the flow rates are increased, few droplets of both oil and water at the oil-water interface can be observed. This flow pattern
with segregated oil and water phases is defined as Intermittent-Stratified (IN-ST). Intermittent-Stratified flow was observed
regardless of the water cut. As the flow rates are increased, more mixing of the oil and water phases occurs and water-in-oil or oilin-water dispersions begin to form. At moderate flow rates, a layer of segregated water phase with dispersion on top can be seen
in both oil continuous and water continuous flow. This flow pattern is defined as Intermittent-Water-in-Oil and Water (INW/O&W) for oil continuous systems and Intermittent-Oil-in-Water and Water (IN-O/W&W) for water continuous systems.
When the slug frequency is low, dispersions of W/O and O/W can segregate. The segregation can especially be observed in the
film region of the slug unit cell. This flow pattern is named as Intermittent Water-in-Oil with Stratification at Film (IN-W/O &
ST@FILM) and Intermittent Oil-in-Water with Stratification at Film (IN-O/W & ST@FILM) for oil continuous and water
continuous systems, respectively. At higher flow rates, oil and water phases mix homogeneously and the segregated liquid layer
disappears. These dispersions of oil and water are referred as Intermittent-Water-in-Oil (IN-W/O) and Intermittent-Oil-inWater (IN-O/W) for oil continuous and water continuous phase, respectively.
Figure 3 shows the flow patterns in the horizontal section upstream of the hilly-terrain section for 20% water cut. Within the
test ranges, intermittent-stratified (IN-ST) flow is dominant from low to moderate flow rates. Intermittent flow is observed
between the oil and air, while water flows at the bottom of the pipe. From moderate to high flow rates, water-in-oil dispersions are
observed. In this flow pattern (IN-W/O), no segregated water layer can be seen at the bottom of the pipe. The IN-W/O &

SPE 146630

ST@FILM flow pattern can be defined as a transient pattern from intermittent-stratified (IN-ST) to intermittent water-in-oil (INW/O). In the slug body, water-in-oil dispersions form due to the turbulence and mixing in slug front. However, in the film region,
the dispersion begins to segregate into oil and water layers due to the low velocities. This segregation depends on the stability of
the dispersion formed in slug body and the slug frequency in the intermittent flow.
10
IN-ST
IN-W/O
IN-W/O & ST@FILM

vSL(m/s)

0.1

0.01
0.01

0.1

10

vSg (m/s)

Figure 3: Horizontal Gas-Oil-Water Flow Patterns for 20% Water Cut

10
IN-ST
IN-W/O
IN-W/O&W
IN-W/O & ST@FILM

vSL(m/s)

0.1

0.01
0.01

0.1

10

vSg (m/s)

Figure 4: Horizontal Gas-Oil-Water Flow Patterns for 40% Water Cut

The three-phase flow patterns for the upstream horizontal section for 40% water cut is shown in Fig. 4. With 40% water cut
tests, intermittent-stratified (IN-ST) flow continues to dominate for 0.2 < vSL < 1 m/s and 0.1 < vSg < 1 m/s. The lower boundaries
of IN-W/O & ST@FILM and IN-W/O flow patterns are shifted to higher superficial gas and liquid velocities. The expansion of
the intermittent-stratified flow region might be due to the increase in mixing at the oil-water interface. Dispersions of the oil and
water system used in this study have been tested and an inversion point of 42% water cut was found during preliminary tests.
Thus, the three-phase flow is still oil continuous with 40% water cut. However, being close to the inversion point, the effective
mixture viscosity is relatively high and the intensity of turbulence is low. This reduces the tendency of water droplets to be well
mixed with the oil phase and increases the segregation of oil and water phases as the buoyancy causes expansion of the IN-ST

SPE 146630

region. Therefore, higher flow rates are required to increase the turbulence and have water dispersed in oil. Unlike 20% water cut,
40% water cut tests include the IN-W/O&W flow pattern where a segregated water layer flows under a water-in-oil dispersion.
With 60% water cut, the water-in-oil dispersion is inverted and water continuous flow is observed, as shown in Fig. 5. With
increasing water flow rate, the viscosity of the liquid mixture decreases, the intermittent-stratified flow region becomes smaller,
and the dispersed flow region expands. Figure 6 presents the flow patterns for 80% water cut tests. The intermittent-stratified
flow region can be observed only for superficial gas velocity of 0.1 m/s. For 60% and 80% water cut tests, IN-O/W&W pattern
can be observed for 0.1 < vSL < 1 m/s and 0.3 < vSg < 1 m/s. The expansion of this flow region for 60% and 80% water cut tests is
a result of the decrease in viscosity when the liquid-liquid system inverted from oil continuous to water continuous. When water
cut is increased beyond the inversion point, the amount of water phase in the system increases. However, the amount of oil that is
dispersed in the water decreases. At moderate flow rates, the turbulence in the liquid-liquid part of the three-phase system is not
enough to disperse oil homogeneously in the water phase. In addition to the inefficient mixing, oil can be segregated easily since
the viscosity of the water phase is lower and there is no stable emulsion present.
10
IN-ST
IN-O/W
IN-O/W&W
IN-O/W & ST@FILM

vSL(m/s)

0.1

0.01
0.01

0.1

10

vSg (m/s)

Figure 5: Horizontal Gas-Oil-Water Flow Patterns for 60% Water Cut

10
IN-ST
IN-O/W
IN-O/W&W
IN-O/W & ST@FILM

vSL(m/s)

0.1

Transition
0.01
0.01

0.1

10

vSg (m/s)

Figure 6: Horizontal Gas-Oil-Water Flow Patterns for 80% Water Cut

Three-phase slug dissipation in the downhill section of the hilly-terrain unit was analyzed in this study. The observed flow
behavior was categorized into three flow categories. The first category, Complete Slug Dissipation, is the most common case,

SPE 146630

and was observed mainly at low and moderate flow rates. In this category, slug flow completely dissipates along the downhill
section of the hilly-terrain unit. Most of this category shows Intermittent-Stratified (IN-ST) three-phase flow in the horizontal
section upstream of the hilly-terrain section. In the Partial Slug Dissipation category, slug flow survives in the downhill section,
but the slug frequency decreases along the pipe section. At high superficial gas and liquid velocities, slug flow is not affected
significantly by the downward inclination. This region corresponds to the No Hilly-Terrain Effect category. For the second and
third categories mentioned above, liquid phases mix and result in oil and water continuous cases based on the water cut.
Figures 7 - 10 show the three categories of slug dissipation behavior in the downhill section of the hilly-terrain test section as a
function of superficial gas and liquid velocities and water cut. They also show the boundaries between segregated oil-water and
dispersed oil-water flows based on the oil-water mixing in the upstream horizontal section. For the operational conditions and
pipeline geometry, it was observed that none of the Intermittent-Stratified cases in the horizontal section upstream of the hillyterrain section could maintain slug flow in the downward inclined section. This happens since the energy in the flow is not enough
to mix the liquid phases or to sustain slugs in the downhill section. For the dispersed oil and water cases, no distinction between
slug dissipation cases can be made. Figures 7 - 10 illustrate that the boundary of complete slug dissipation does not depend on
water cut.
10
Complete Slug Dissipation
Partial Slug Dissipation
No Hilly-Terrain Effect

ST

W/O

v SL(m/s)

0.1

0.01
0.01

0.1

10

v Sg (m/s)

Figure 7: Slug Dissipation at the Downward Inclined Section for 20% Water Cut

SPE 146630

10
Complete Slug Dissipation
Partial Slug Dissipation
No Hilly-Terrain Effect

ST

W/O

v SL(m/s)

0.1

0.01
0.01

0.1

v Sg (m/s)

10

Figure 8: Slug Dissipation at the Downward Inclined Section for 40% Water Cut
10
Complete Slug Dissipation
Partial Slug Dissipation
No Hilly-Terrain Effect

ST

O/W

v SL(m/s)

0.1

0.01
0.01

0.1

10

v Sg (m/s)

Figure 9: Slug Dissipation at the Downward Inclined Section for 60% Water Cut

10

SPE 146630

10
Complete Slug Dissipation
Partial Slug Dissipation
No Hilly-Terrain Effect

ST

O/W

v SL(m/s)

0.1

0.01
0.01

0.1

10

v Sg (m/s)

Figure 10: Slug Dissipation at the Downward Inclined Section for 80% Water Cut

For all of the tests, the three-phase flow observed in the downstream horizontal section of the hilly-terrain unit is more mixed
than the oil-water flow pattern in the horizontal section upstream of the hilly-terrain section. The mixing is due to the liquid
fallback and slug initiation in the uphill section of the hilly-terrain pipeline. Segregation of the phases in the horizontal section
downstream of the hilly-terrain section is related to dispersion stability and slug frequency.
Pressure Gradient
The pressure gradients from the horizontal sections downstream and upstream hilly-terrain unit, downward and upward inclined
sections of the hilly-terrain unit are shown for low, moderate and high flow rates in Figs. 11-13. Figure 11 shows the pressure
drop along the test facility for vSL = 0.2 m/s and vSg = 0.1 m/s. Intermittent-stratified (IN-ST) flow is observed for all of the water
cuts at the upstream horizontal section. At the downward inclined section of the hilly-terrain unit, all of the slugs dissipated
immediately. Due to gravity, pressure increases at the lower part of the downhill inclined section and positive pressure gradient is
observed. At the upward inclined section, slugs are initiated and liquid fallback is observed. As it can be seen in Fig. 11, no
discernible effect of water cut can be observed for low flow rates.
The pressure drop along the test section for vSL = 1 m/s and vSg = 0.5 m/s is shown in Fig. 12. There is significant difference in
pressure drop between 20% water cut and higher water cuts in both of the horizontal sections. The reason for the difference in
pressure drops may be due to the flow patterns. At vSL = 1 m/s and vSg = 0.5 m/s, IN-W/O is observed for 20% water cut and INST for 40% water cut. For 60% and 80% water cuts, IN-O/W&W was observed. The increase in pressure drop for 20% water cut
is reasonable since the system is oil continuous and has higher viscosity than the IN-ST or water continuous cases. In downward
and upward sections of the hilly-terrain unit, there is pressure difference between oil continuous and water continuous tests. These
pressure differences with respect to water cuts can not be clearly observed due to the scale of the Fig. 12. Partial slug dissipation
was observed for 20% water cut in the downward inclined section. Complete slug dissipation was observed for the rest of the
water cuts. However, slug dissipation does not have a significant effect on pressure drop.

SPE 146630

11

1000
20% WC

40% WC

60% WC

80% WC

800
600

dP/dL (Pa/m)

400

Downward
Inclined
Section

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

200

Upward
Inclined
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

0
-200
-400
-600
-800
-1000
DP4

DP6

DP8

DP9

Pipe Section

Figure 11: Pressure Drop along Test Section for vSL = 0.2 m/s and vSg = 0.1 m/s

Figure 13 shows the pressure drop along the test section for vSL = 0.3 m/s and vSg = 2 m/s. The flow pattern in the upstream
horizontal section is IN-W/O for 20% water cut, IN-W/O & ST@FILM for 40% and IN-O/W & ST@FILM for 60% and 80%
water cuts. Since the flow pattern is always dispersed flow, the difference in pressure drops can be a result of differences in slug
frequencies. The slug frequency of 20% and 40% water cuts is higher than for 60% and 80% water cut cases. The difference in
slug characteristics might be a result of the difference in viscosity values for an oil continuous system with higher effective liquid
viscosity compared to a water continuous system.
1000
20% WC

40 % WC

60% WC

80% WC

800
600

dP/dL (Pa/m)

400
200

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Downward
Inclined
Section

Upward
Inclined
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

0
-200
-400
-600
-800
-1000
DP4

DP6

DP8

DP9

Pipe Section

Figure 12: Pressure Drop along Test Section for vSL = 1 m/s and vSg = 0.5 m/s

12

SPE 146630

1000
20% WC

40% WC

60% WC

80% WC

800
600

dP/dL (Pa/m)

400
200

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Downward
Inclined
Section

Upward
Inclined
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

0
-200
-400
-600
-800
-1000
DP4

DP6

DP8

DP9

Pipe Section

Figure 13: Pressure Drop along Test Section for vSL = 0.3 m/s and vSg = 2 m/s

Liquid Holdup
The changes in average water and total liquid holdup and in-situ water cut versus distance from pipe inlet for low superficial liquid
and gas velocities are shown in Fig. 14. Oil and water phases are segregated and slugs dissipate completely in the downhill section
of the hilly-terrain unit. The total liquid holdup decreases significantly in the downhill section. Since the density of water is
greater than the density of oil, gravitational force accelerates the water phase. Because of this acceleration, water flows faster than
oil. However, water accumulates towards the end of downhill section and in the elbow section. This accumulation results in
increase of in-situ water cut which is shown in Fig. 14. At the elbow, the water and total liquid holdup start to increase due to
liquid accumulation that is caused by liquid flowing from the downhill and liquid falling back from uphill sections of the hillyterrain section. Due to the initiated slugs, holdup values increase in the uphill section. Water holdup decreases back to 20% in the
inclined section. For the upstream horizontal section, the in-situ water cut is observed to be lower than 20%. However, in the
upward inclined section and downstream horizontal section, the in-situ values are quite close to the input values. This indicates
better mixing and almost no slippage. This behavior might be caused by the liquid fallback and slug initiation in the upward
inclined section.
Figure 14 is also an important example of terrain slugging. For low flow rates conditions, most of the slugs initiated at the
beginning of the upward inclined section can not survive into the horizontal section downstream of the hilly-terrain unit.
Therefore, liquid fallback is observed. At the elbow, liquid coming from the downhill section of the hilly-terrain unit combines
with the liquid falling back and blocks gas flow at the elbow. This blockage continues until the gas pressure reaches a certain level
at the end of the downhill section so that it can push all of the accumulated liquid into the uphill section. This kind of slug flow
can result in very long slugs which are also seen in riser bases, a phenomenon called severe slugging. The upward inclined section
in Fig. 14 shows this type of behavior where all of the upward section is filled with liquid.
Figure 15 shows the changes in average water holdup for different inlet water cuts. It can be observed that the trends in water
holdups are similar for the same gas and liquid superficial velocities.

SPE 146630

13

1.0
20% WC Water Holdup

Fraction (-)

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

20% WC Total Liquid Holdup

0.8

In situ Water Cut

0.6

Downward
Inclined
Section

Upward
Inclined
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

Elbow

0.4

0.2

0.0
727

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1200

x/D

Figure 14: Liquid Fractions for vSL = 0.5 m/s and vSg = 0.1 m/s at 20% Water Cut
1.0
20% WC

40% WC

60% WC

Upward
Inclined
Section

80% WC

0.9
0.8

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Elbow

0.7

Water Holdup (-)

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

Downward
Inclined
Section

0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
727

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1200

x/D

Figure 15: Water Holdup for vSL = 0.5 m/s and vSg = 0.1 m/s

When the superficial velocities are increased to vSL = 1 m/s and vSg = 2 m/s, slug flow still exists in the downward inclined
section. Therefore, the changes in water holdup and water cut along the test section are less dramatic, as shown in Fig. 16. Figure
17 shows the holdup trends with varying water cuts. The change in water holdup in the downward inclined section is less severe
due to the surviving slugs.
For moderate flow rates, water is completely dispersed in oil for the 20% water cut. In the downward section, no slug
dissipation is observed. Therefore, there were no discernable changes in water cut and water holdup values, as shown in Fig. 18.
Figure 19 also shows similar trends for higher water cuts.

14

SPE 146630

1.0
20% WC Water Holdup
20% WC Total Liquid Holdup
In situ Water Cut

Elbow

Upward
Inclined
Section

0.8

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

Fraction (-)

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

0.6
Downward
Inclined
Section

0.4

0.2

0.0
727

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1200

Pipe Section

Figure 16: Liquid Fractions for vSL = 1 m/s and vSg = 1 m/s at 20% Water Cut
1.0
0.9

20% WC

40% WC

0.8

Water Holdup (-)

0.7

60% WC

80% WC

Upward
Inclined
Section

Elbow

Downward
Inclined
Section

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
727

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

x/D

Figure 17: Water Holdups for vSL = 1 m/s and vSg =1 m/s

1200

SPE 146630

15

1.0
20% WC Water Holdup
20% WC Total Liquid Holdup
In situ Water Cut

Elbow

Upward
Inclined
Section

0.8
Downward
Inclined
Section

Fraction (-)

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0
727

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1200

Pipe Section

Figure 18: Liquid Fractions for vSL = 1 m/s and vSg = 2 m/s at 20% Water Cut
1.0
0.9

20% WC

40% WC

0.8

Water Holdup (-)

0.7

60% WC

80% WC

Upward
Inclined
Section

Elbow

Downward
Inclined
Section

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
727

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1200

x/D

Figure 19: Water Holdups for vSL = 1 m/s and vSg = 2m/s

Slug Frequency
Experimental results for slug frequency were obtained from laser sensors and videos taken during tests. Figures 20-22 show the
results of processed laser sensor data along the test facility for various superficial gas and liquid velocities for 20% and 80% water
cuts. Figure 20 shows frequency changes for a superficial gas velocity of 0.1 m/s. For all of the tests in this figure, intermittentstratified three-phase flow was observed in the horizontal section upstream the hilly-terrain section. In the downward inclined
section, complete slug dissipation was observed for all tests. At the inlet of the upward inclined section, slugs were initiated due to
liquid accumulation in the elbow section. However, most of the initiated slugs can not survive beyond the end of the upward
inclined section and liquid fallback is observed. Therefore, in the upward inclined section, first, an increase, and then a decrease in
slug frequency was observed. The decline in frequency was observed to be toward the exit of the upward inclined section at
higher liquid velocity. For the low superficial liquid velocities, the water cut effect on slug frequencies is not significant.

16

SPE 146630

Downward
Inclined
Section

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Upward
Inclined
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

Slug Frequency

1.5
VSL=0.2 m/s 20% WC
VSL=0.5 m/s 20% WC
VSL=0.2 m/s 80% WC

VSL=0.5 m/s 80% WC

0.5

0
711

743

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1190

1211

x/D

Figure 20: Slug Frequency for vSg = 0.1 m/s for 20 and 80% Water Cuts

Figure 21 shows the slug frequencies along the test section for vSg = 1 m/s. For these tests, water-in-oil and oil-in-water
dispersions are observed for 20% and 80% water cuts, respectively. For superficial liquid velocities of 0.2 and 0.5 m/s, complete
slug dissipation was observed. The slug frequency was observed to decrease in the downward inclined section for vSL=1 m/s for
both water cuts. In the upward inclined section, segregation of liquids was observed due to low slug frequency. This results in
differences in slug frequency between 20% and 80% water cuts. However, no significant difference in slug frequencies can be
observed with respect to water cut for the rest of the flow conditions.

2
Upstream
Horizontal
Section

VSL=0.2 m/s 20% WC

VSL=0.5m/s 20% WC
VSL=1 m/s 20% WC
VSL=0.2 m/s 80% WC
VSL=0.5m/s 80% WC
VSL=1 m/s 80% WC

Slug Frequency

1.5

Upward
Inclined
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

Downward
Inclined
Section

0.5

0
711

743

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1190

1211

x/D

Figure 21: Slug Frequency for vSg = 1 m/s for 20 and 80% Water Cuts

When superficial gas velocity further increases, water cut effects become less significant on slug frequency. In Fig. 22, with
the exception of the high superficial liquid velocity test for 20% water cut, partial slug dissipation was observed in the downward
inclined section. In the upward section close to the elbow, slug frequency increases due to slug initiation. Slug frequency stays
constant along the upward section due to the high turbulence in the slugs at vSg=3 m/s. When the slug frequencies before and after
the hilly-terrain sections are compared, it was observed that the change is less significant than that for the tests with lower
superficial gas velocities. For the test with vSL = 1 m/s and 20% water cut, three-phase slug flow maintains approximately a

SPE 146630

17

constant frequency along the pipe, and is not affected by the hilly-terrain geometry. This observation is due to high turbulence in
slug body and complete water dispersion in oil resulting in on possible separation.
VSL=0.2 m/s 20% WC
VSL=0.5m/s 20% WC
VSL=1 m/s 20% WC
VSL=0.2 m/s 80% WC
VSL=0.5m/s 80% WC
VSL=1 m/s 80% WC

Slug Frequency

1.5

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Upward
Inclined
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

Downward
Inclined
Section

0.5

0
711

743

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1190

1211

x/D

Figure 22: Slug Frequency for vSg = 3 m/s for 20 and 80% Water Cuts

Translational Velocity
In two-phase flow mechanistic modeling, translational velocity is obtained from a closure relationship which is the sum of the
bubble velocity in a stagnant liquid, i.e. the drift velocity, vd, and the maximum velocity in the slug body. Nicklin et al. (1962)
proposed an equation for translational velocity as,

vt = C O v s + v d .

(1)

The flow coefficient, CO is approximately the ratio of the maximum to the mean velocity of a fully developed velocity profile. The
translational velocities were obtained by cross-correlating the output signals of the laser sensors.
Figures 23-26 illustrate the linear relationship between the measured translational velocity and the mixture velocity at different
water cuts along the test section. As expected, translational velocity increases with increasing mixture velocity. The slope of the
linear relationship is approximately 1.2 for all cases since the experiments were in the turbulent flow regime in this study.
However, the case of 20% water cut shows a higher slop value than 1.2. To investigate this observation, experimental translational
velocities were compared with translational velocities calculated with Nicklins correlation for the pure oil and oil-water mixtures
as shown in Fig. 27. Figure 27 shows that the difference in CO value of translational velocities with 20% water cut tests are not
due to the oil-water mixing status.

18

SPE 146630

9
20% WC

40% WC
60% WC

80% WC

Vt (m/s)

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

VM (m/s)

Figure 23: Translational Velocity vs. Mixture Velocity at Upstream Horizontal Section

9
20% WC

40% WC
60% WC

80% WC

Vt (m/s)

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

VM (m/s)

Figure 24: Translational Velocity vs. Mixture Velocity at Downward Section

SPE 146630

19

9
20% WC

40% WC
60% WC

80% WC

Vt (m/s)

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

3 V (m/s) 4
M

Figure 25: Translational Velocity vs. Mixture Velocity at Upward Section

9
20% WC

40% WC
60% WC

80% WC

Vt (m/s)

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

3 VM (m/s) 4

Figure 26: Translational Velocity vs. Mixture Velocity at Downstream Horizontal Section

20

SPE 146630

20% WC Upstream Horizontal

20% WC Downstream Horizontal
Vt Correlation (GOW) Laminar
Vt Correlation (GO) Laminar
Vt Correlation (GOW)
Vt Correlation (GO)

8
7

Vt (m/s)

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

VM (m/s)

Figure 27: Comparison of Experimental and Calculated Translational Velocities at Upstream and Downstream Horizontal Sections for 20%
Water Cut

Slug Length
Figure 28 shows mean elongated bubble lengths for vSg = 0.1 m/s at different superficial liquid velocities for 20% and 80% water
cuts. The three-phase flow patterns for vSL = 0.2 and vSL = 0.5 m/s were IN-ST for 20% and 80% water cuts. Long elongated
bubbles at the upstream horizontal section were observed. Intermittent-Stratified flow is observed in downward section. With
liquid accumulation at the elbow, slugs were initiated and traveled along the uphill section. Slugs with W/O and O/W&W oilwater mixing status were generated due to slug initiation and liquid fallback in the upward inclined section for 20% and 80% water
cuts, respectively. At the entrance of the upward section, relatively shorter slug lengths were observed. The effect of superficial
liquid velocity was not observed during initiation. The effect of water cut on slug lengths could not be observed since both of the
flow patterns were dispersed which results in similar fluid properties. Most of the initiated slugs decayed before reaching the exit
of the upward inclined section. The fallback liquid feeds the preceding slug and increases the slug length. However, slug growth
and liquid fallback is a cyclic process which results in fluctuations in mean slug length. Long slugs were observed to survive from
the upward inclined section. Dispersed phases generated at uphill section segregate quickly. The slug lengths for vSg = 0.1 m/s did
not show significant water cut effect.
Figure 29 shows measurements of mean slug length at a superficial gas velocity of vSg = 1 m/s for superficial liquid velocities
ranging from 0.2 to 1 m/s for 20% and 80% water cuts. For the slug in the upstream horizontal section, W/O and O/W dispersions
were observed for 20% and 80% water cuts, respectively. However, no significant water cut effect on slug length could be
observed. In the downward inclined section, for a superficial liquid velocity of 1 m/s, partial slug dissipation was observed. In the
upward inclined section, mean slug lengths did not show any dependence on superficial liquid velocity and water cut. In the
downstream horizontal section, longer slugs were again observed.

SPE 146630

21

Downward
Inclined
Section

Slug Length (L/D)

100

Upward
Inclined
Section

VSL=0.2 m/s 20% WC

VSL=0.5 m/s 20% WC
VSL=0.2 m/s 80% WC

50
VSL=0.5 m/s 80% WC

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

0
711

743

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1190

1211

x/D

Figure 28: Slug Length for vSg = 0.1 m/s for 20% and 80% Water Cuts

Slug Length (L/D)

100

Downward
Inclined
Section

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

Upward
Inclined
Section

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

VSL=0.2 m/s 20% WC

VSL=0.5m/s 20% WC
VSL=1 m/s 20% WC
VSL=0.2 m/s 80% WC
VSL=0.5m/s 80% WC
VSL=1 m/s 80% WC

50

0
711

743

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1190

x/D

Figure 29: Slug Length for vSg = 1 m/s for 20 and 80% Water Cuts

1211

22

SPE 146630

Downstream
Horizontal
Section

VSL=1 m/s 20% WC

Slug Length (L/D)

100

Upstream
Horizontal
Section

VSL=1 m/s 80% WC

Upward Inclined
Section

Downward
Inclined
Section

50

0
711

743

852

864

976

1059

1106

1120

1150

1190

1211

x/D

Figure 30: Slug Length for vSg = 3 m/s for 20 and 80% Water Cuts

Figure 30 illustrates mean slug lengths for vSg = 3 m/s and vSL = 1 m/s. At these superficial velocities, no dissipation and slug
growth was observed in the hilly-terrain section. W/O and O/W dispersions were observed for 20% and 80% water cuts,
respectively. The difference in slug lengths was due to the difference in W/O and O/W dispersion characteristics. In the upward
inclined section, the difference in slug lengths between 20% and 80% water cuts was observed to diminish. Slug lengths were
observed to increase for both water cuts. In the horizontal section downstream of the hilly-terrain unit, the slugs were relatively
longer than the slugs in the upstream horizontal section.
Conclusion
Seven three-phase slug flow patterns were identified, based on segregated and dispersed oil-water mixtures in the upstream
horizontal section. The observed three-phase slug dissipation flow behaviors in the downhill section of the hilly-terrain unit were
categorized into three flow categories: Complete Slug Dissipation, Partial Slug Dissipation and No Hilly-Terrain Effect. For cases
that were in the intermittent-stratified flow region in the upstream horizontal section, slug flow completely dissipated in the
downward inclined section. For the dispersed oil and water cases, no distinction between slug dissipation cases could be made.
The partial dissipation with initiation and growth category was observed for relatively higher superficial liquid velocities.
When the observed three-phase flow patterns were analyzed, no water cut effect was observed. No effect could be observed due to
segregated water or slippage. After the slug evolution in the hilly-terrain section, the three-phase flow patterns in the horizontal
section downstream of the hilly-terrain section were observed and compared with the flow patterns in the upstream horizontal
section. All of the cases showed intermittent flow. For all of the tests, the three-phase flow observed in the downstream horizontal
section of the hilly-terrain unit was more mixed compared to the oil-water flow pattern in the horizontal section upstream of the
hilly-terrain section due to the mixing process during the slug initation at the elbow.
Differences in pressure gradients for different water cuts were observed for moderate and high flow rates based on the observed
flow patterns. Due to gravity, pressures increased in the lower part of the downhill inclined section where positive pressure
gradients were observed. In the downhill section, slug dissipation was found to have no significant effect on pressure drop. For the
observed flow categories along the hilly-terrain unit, the trends in holdups and the in-situ water cuts along the test section were
found to be similar for different water cuts. For low operational conditions, no significant changes in slug length and frequency
could be observed. For moderate and high flow rate conditions, slugs with different oil-water mixing status were generated at the
elbow, thus differences in slug frequency and length were observed for 20 and 80% water cuts.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the TUFFP member companies for supporting this research project.

SPE 146630

References
Al-Safran. E.: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Slug Flow Characteristics in the Valley of a Hilly
Terrain Pipeline, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK (2003).
Al-Safran, E., Sarica, C., Zhang, H.-Q., and Brill J.: Investigation of Slug Flow Characteristics in the Valley of a
Hilly-Terrain Pipeline, Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 31, 337-357 (2005).
Ersoy Gokcal, G.: Slug Flow Evolution in Three-Phase Gas-Oil-Water Flow in Hilly-Terrain Pipelines, Ph.D.
Dissertation, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK (2010).
Keskin, C., Zhang, H.-Q., and Sarica, C.: Identification and Classification of New Three-Phase Gas/Oil/Water
Flow Patterns, SPE 110221, presented at SPE ATCE, Anaheim, California (2007).
Nicklin, D. J., Wilkes, J. O., and Davidson, J. F.: Two-Phase Flow in Vertical Tubes, Trans. Inst. Chem. Eng.,
Vol. 40, pp. 61-68 (1962).
Zhang, H.-Q., Al-Safran, E., Jayawardena, S., Redus, C., Sarica, C. and Brill, J.: Modeling of Slug Dissipation and
Generation in Gas-Liquid Hilly-Terrain Pipe Flow, ASME J. Energy Res. Tech., Vol. 125, pp. 161-168 (2003).
Zheng, G.: Two-Phase Slug Flow in Hilly-Terrain Pipelines, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa,
OK (1991).

23