Pumping Heavy Oil with Water Lubrication

In Pumping Heavy Oil with Water Lubrication, you'll learn ...

• The concept of pumping heavy oil using core annular flow (CAF)
• Pressure drop and stability of the CAF
• A synopsis of CAF research such as numerical analysis and experimentation results on minimum oil flow velocity and Reynolds number
• How to apply CAF concepts to calculate volumetric flow rates for oil and lubrication water

Overview

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Credit: 3 PDH

Length: 53 pages

This course provides an overview of the concepts of pumping heavy oil with a focus on the use of water lubrication, and is presented by a program manager for a viscous (or heavy) oil pumping system (VOPS). Adequate amounts of water are injected into the heavy oil flow to create an annulus or ring that forms around the heavy oil. The annulus delivers a small amount of water at high pressure into the oil stream, which creates a water ring that contacts the pipe or hose wall, thereby reducing friction compared to pumping oil only. The reduction in friction causes less of a pressure drop or loss. This type of oil pumping application is called core annular flow (CAF) since the lubrication water forms an annulus or ring around the oil core.

This course will provide an overview of the governing equations of core annular flow’s behavior. Pressure drop and stability of the core annular flow will be addressed. Because of the complexity of two liquids (water and oil) flowing together, core annular flow systems are designed typically using both quantitative and experimental methods. Core annular flow systems represent an extraordinarily complex field dependent on advanced numerical methods, computer-aided design, and results from field experiments. A synopsis is provided of core annual flow research such as numerical analysis and experimentation results on minimum oil flow velocity and Reynolds number.

This is not an advanced fluid mechanics course. It is presented so that an engineer with a limited fluid mechanics background can understand it. There will be some quantitative explanations and a larger amount of qualitative description; however, there will be a more practical emphasis on the configuration and operation of a heavy oil pumping system. The primary focus will be on the United States Navy’s viscous oil pumping system (VOPS) as a real-world example or application. This includes a discussion of the configuration and performance of a viscous oil pumping system’s positive displacement screw pump.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

• The principles and concepts of pumping heavy oil with water lubrication
• How to calculate the Reynolds number for a composite flow of oil and water
• How to determine the friction factor by use of the Blasius equation
• How to estimate pump power
• How to calculate a performance improvement factor for a pump that applies core annular flow
• Knowledge of core annular flow concepts like American Petroleum Institute gravity, water injection, grade lines, pressure drop, oil fouling, slip, and water holdup fraction
• The configuration of a heavy oil pumping system, including a focus on the screw pump as well as pumping principles like back pressure, static suction lift, and positive versus nonpositive displacement
• Concepts like shear thinning to reduce viscosity
• How to apply preliminary methods with planning a CAF system based on past research and experimentation results
• How to apply CAF concepts to calculate volumetric flow rates for oil and lubrication water

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 20 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.