Energy analysis of oil-water flow with drag-reducing polymer in different pipe inclinations and diameters

In this study, the energy analysis of oil-water flow with polymer additives in terms of the reduction in head loss, which results in reducing the pumping power required to overcome the head loss and in turn increasing the throughput was carried out. Three acrylic pipes with internal diameters of 30.6, 55.7 and 74.7 mm were used in the study. The 30.6-mm ID pipe was positioned at horizontal (0°), upward (+5° and +10°) and downward (−5°) inclinations while the 55.7-mm and 74.7-mm ID pipes were only at horizontal position. The oil-water flow conditions of 0.4 – 1.6 m/s mixture velocities and 0.1 – 0.9 input oil volume fractions were used. Master solution of 2000 ppm concentration of water-soluble polymer – a high-molecular-weight anionic copolymer of polyacrylamide and 2-Acrylamido-2-Methylpropane Sulfonic acid – was prepared and injected at controlled flow rates to provide 40 ppm of the polymer in the water phase at the test section. It was found that the presence of the polymer positively influenced the three parameters investigated. Specifically, the head loss was reduced from 0.0885 to 0.0378 m, translating to a saving of 57.3% in pumping power requirement and 61% increase in the throughput at a flow condition in the 30.6-mm ID pipe where the performance of the polymer was highest.