A Short review of slugging

Two phase flows are often faced in offshore oil and gas production. When gas and
liquid flow together, they can take variety of different patterns based on operating
conditions and physical properties of phases. Slug flow pattern is characterized by
sequences of long bubbles almost filling the pipe cross section followed by liquid
slugs with small bubbles. This flow pattern is faced in practical situations especially
in production of hydrocarbons in wells and their transportation pipelines.

The slug flow is inherently unsteady even if the inlet conditions are kept constant. At
the outlet of the pipe with a slug flow, an observer sees liquid and gas flowing
alternatively as if it is impossible for both phases to flow at the same time.
Hydrodynamic slugging
Studies of slugs are divided into steady-state and transient slugging.
Hydrodynamic and terrain-induced slug flow belongs to steady-state, where an
orderly flow with relatively short slugs (100 D) and a constant average flow rate of
liquid and gas over the time period of slug cycle is present. More complicated slugs
are long and transient in nature happening during changes in operation condition,
pigging, or during start-up and shut-down operations.
Pigging is used in wet-gas pipelines to clear the liquid accumulation in lower part of
hilly-terrain pipes. During the pigging, at least 3 flow zones are present. Far
downstream of the pig, slug is undisturbed. As pig moves along the pipe, liquid is
collected in front of the pig and upstream of the pig, a zone would form with very
low liquid holdup zone.

Modeling the Slug

In order to model the slug zone, unit cell (UC) concept should be discussed. It is
assumed that there is a certain length of pipe along the flow, where the flow is
steady-state.