The University of Tulsa | McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering | Contact TUALP
Current TUALP Research
|
|
|
Oil/Water Flow and Emulsion Formation in Electrical Submersible Pumps
PI: Daniel Croce, Research Assistant, MSc Student
Objectives:
• Measure ESP stage performance at different water cuts
• Characterize emulsion from an ESP stage
• CFD simulation of oil and water flow in ESP and comparison with measured performance
Abstract:
When oil and water are produced, ESP pumps are well known for creating very tight emulsions, which cannot be easily broken on the surface. Emulsion may also have a significant effect on the pump performance due to the dramatic increase of the effective viscosity near the inversion point. The emulsion creation is related to the selections of the pump type and stage number, and the estimation of electric power consumption. On the other hand, emulsion can give a low effective viscosity if high viscosity oil is dispersed in water. The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of W/O and O/W emulsions on the ESP stage and overall performances (flow, head and power). At the same time, the emulsions generated in an ESP stage are characterized. CFD simulations will be carried out and the results will be compared with experimental measurements. The closure laws will be evaluated. Different oil viscosities and interfacial tensions will be used in the experiments and simulations.
Last updated October 07, 2013