Fundamentals of Multiphase Flow

This chapter introduces the fundamentals of multiphase flow through flowlines focused on the transport of hydrocarbons. The flow field of multiphase flow, even for the simpler gas–liquid flows considered in this book, is extraordinarily complex phenomenon. The simplicity of single-phase flow driven by the balance of pressure, inertia, and viscous terms is not directly applicable to multiphase flow due to the intricate spatial phase distributions adopted in real pipeline flow. The phase spatial distribution is not only a local (i.e. pipe cross-section) challenge, but phase distributions evolve throughout the entire length of the flowline. Thus, phase distribution is a very dynamic phenomenon, even for…