Numerical Analysis of Heavy Oil-Water-Air Flow in a Horizontal Pipe Using Core Annular Flow Adapting Large Eddy Simulations

This study focuses on the suitability of Core Annular Flow (CAF) technologies for transporting heavily viscous oil lubricated with water in a horizontal conduit. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) techniques with ANSYS Fluent software (Ansys 2022 R2), the research aims to analyze the flow behaviour of heavy oil-water mixtures in horizontal pipes. Specifically, the study examines turbulent CAF to gain insights into how gravity influences the three-phase flow of heavy oil, water, and air. The simulations consider standard horizontal pipes and explore the impact of temperature variations and the presence of air on the annular flow’s behaviour and pressure gradients. The study’s findings, supported by both simulated and experimental results from literature, demonstrate consistent outcomes and contribute to understanding the effectiveness of LES in modelling such complex flows. Overall, this work is novel because it uses an integrated approach to apply advanced numerical techniques, such as LES, to heavy oil, water, and air flows in a horizontal pipe. This approach advances both fundamental understanding and real-world applications in industrial contexts.