Experiment on the Effect of Superficial Gas-Liquid Velocities on Slug Flow-Induced Vibration in an Inclined Sagged Riser

Abstract

Subsea liquid-gas flows conveyed through a flexible riser or pipeline may develop into various flow patterns including slug flow. In this study, the slug flow-induced vibration (SIV) of an inclined sagged riser conveying upward air-water flows is experimentally investigated. A small-scale experiment is carried out in an air-water test loop with a section of a freehanging catenary tube made of silica gel. Attention is placed on the effect of superficial gas and liquid velocities on SIV responses. Both pipe motions and flow patterns are recorded using non-intrusive high-speed cameras. Pressure variations are also measured at the pipe inlet and outlet by two pressure transducers. The SIV system is tested by employing different ratios of the superficial gas-liquid velocities. Occurrence of unstable slug flows is captured at the relatively high gas-toliquid velocity ratios, leading to a large-amplitude SIV. Experimental results of the space-time varying riser responses and oscillation frequencies are reported together with the associated slug flow features. Depending on the gas-liquid superficial velocities, slug flow characteristics are observed to vary significantly. These entail an intermittent SIV with modulated amplitudes and frequencies along riser span, signalling a potential dynamic stress and fatigue-related concern. In all experimental cases, the riser responses are found to be multi-modal and dominated by the fundamental planar mode whereas an out-of-plane vibration is negligible. Experimental observations suggest the key interrelationships of the two-fluid flow conditions, the slug characteristics and the pipe dynamics. This finding is meaningful for a practical design of riser transporting internal multiphase flows.