Wire-mesh sensors are used to determine the phase fraction of gas–liquid two-phase flow in many industrial applications. In this paper, we report the use of the sensor to study the flow behavior inside an offshore oil and gas industry device for subsea phase separation. The study focused on the behavior of gas–liquid slug flow inside a flow distribution device with four outlets, which is part of the subsea phase separator system. The void fraction profile and the flow symmetry across the outlets were investigated using tomographic wire-mesh sensors and a camera. Results showed an ascendant liquid film in the cyclonic chamber with the gas phase at the center of the pipe generating a symmetrical flow. Dispersed bubbles coalesced into a gas vortex due to the centrifugal force inside the cyclonic chamber. The behavior favored the separation of smaller bubbles from the liquid bulk, which was an important parameter for gas-liquid separator sizing. The void fraction analysis of the outlets showed an even flow distribution with less than 10% difference, which was a satisfactorily result that may contribute to a reduction on the subsea gas–liquid separators size. From the outcomes of this study, detailed information regarding this type of flow distribution system was extracted. Thereby, wire-mesh sensors were successfully applied to investigate a new type of equipment for the offshore oil and gas industry.

This work presents the characterization of the flow in a centrifugal separator. The study is focused on the behavior of the liquid phase in this kind of equipment, so that only single-phase liquid flow at the inlet of the separator is considered. The parameters investigated are the film thickness, the flow velocity components, the flow streamlines angles and the liquid level height above the inlet. These quantities were assessed for different flow rates using numerical simulations and experimental measurements. Results show that an increase on the inlet flow rate causes an increase on the liquid film thickness and the liquid level height. Also, the centrifugal movement is intensified when the flow rate increases. The numerical results proved to describe the overall flow behavior satisfactorily when compared to the experiments. From the outcomes of this study, information can be extracted to understand the separation process in this type of separator.

In this paper, we propose the use of an ultrasound sensor to measure the void fraction in a water-air intermittent swirling flow. The method converts the liquid film thickness measurement to a void fraction value considering a symmetrical flow type. We propose the use of the first echo peak instead of the maximum echo peak to estimate the liquid film thickness. The results are validated with a wire-mesh sensor in a 1-inch inner-diameter vertical flow loop. A mean difference of 2% was observed between the sensors. The studied cases show that the proposed method enables the use of ultrasound to estimate void fraction in a swirling flow.

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