France: PhD Thesis Proposal, Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés, Université de Toulouse

October 20, 2008

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PhD thesis proposal

Title

Experimental study of local flow field in a continuous liquid-liquid gravity separator

and derivation of scaling laws

Location

Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés, UMR CNRS 5503, Université de Toulouse, France

Abstract

The problem addressed here emanates from the need to obtain a detailed understanding of liquid-liquid phase separation during production of crude oil containing water. The objective is to describe the local flow field in liquid-liquid flow in a model gravity settler. The disperse two-phase flow is quite complex in such equipment: Due to the action of buoyancy, it’s highly non-homogeneous in terms of phase fraction distribution (the dispersed phase volume fraction lies in a range between 0 and 90%), and there is a transport in the direction normal to the mean flow velocity. Due to the existence of a continuous flow and to the internal geometry, the flow is 3-dimensional. In addition, the steady state is controlled by the coalescence rate of a dense layer of polydisperse drops at the interface which is far from being known.

The objective targeted here is to determine and model the local flow field in a model continuous settler, including the phase velocity and phase fraction fields as a function of flow parameters (flowrates, drop diameters).

The design of a model experiment needs first to be addressed. The scaling of a continuous settler at the lab scale involves several velocity scales (mean flow velocity, drop settling velocity, inlet velocity fluctuation) which affect the drop trajectory and residence time, and consequently the interface axial profile in the settler. Then an adequate measurement technique has to be implemented in such equipment. In that aim, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) in a matched refractive index medium will be used (Augier et al. 2003a, 2003b, 2007). The discrimination between the liquid phases is made possible due to the hydrophilic behaviour of fluorescent seeding µparticles (Conan et al., 2007).

The objectives are on one hand to provide detailed data for the validation of numerical calculations and on the other hand, to improve scaling laws of the hydrodynamic behaviour of the settler.

References

F. Augier, J.Morchain, P.Guiraud & O.Masbernat, Volume fraction gradient induced flow patterns in a two-liquid phase mixing layer, Chem. Eng. Sci. 58, 3985-3993, 2003

F. Augier, O. Masbernat, P. Guiraud, “Slip velocity and drag law in a liquid-liquid homogeneous dispersion”, AIChE Journal, 49, 9, 2300-2316, 2003

F. Augier, P. Guiraud, O. Masbernat, Velocity Fluctuations in a homogeneous dispersed liquid-liquid flow at high phase fraction”, Phys. of Fluids, 19, 057105, 2007

C. Conan O. Masbernat, A. Liné, S. Decarre “Experimental study of local hydrodynamics in a dispersed-stratified liquid-liquide pipe flow AIChE Journal. 53, 11, 2754-2768, 2007

Background
Chemical or Mechanical engineer, two-phase flow fundamentals, flow measurement techniques, video processing.

Contacts
olivier.masbernat@ensiacet.fr
+33 (0)5 34 61 52 26
knbec@statoilhydro.com
+47 46 44 68 09

Application Deadline: November 30th 2008

Scholarship Tags: France, Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés, PhD, PROPOSAL, Thesis, Université de Toulouse