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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/S17796/01
Title: Joint Project on Transient Multiphase Flows (TMF3)
Principal Investigator: Quarini, Professor G
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Consortium of Oil Companies
Department: Mechanical Engineering
Organisation: University of Bristol
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 19 April 2004 Ends: 18 April 2007 Value (£): 43,148
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Multiphase Flow Oil & Gas Extraction
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy
Related Grants:
GR/S17765/01 GR/S17789/01 GR/S17758/01
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The work forms part of a Joint Project on Transient Multiphase Flow (TMF3) as described in the Case for Support. The work proposed for Bristol University is on Sub-Project IV (Thermal Management). In offshore hydrocarbon recovery systems, the produced fluids are initially at a high temperature. However, as they pass through the offshore pipeline, they cool as a result of heat transfer through the pipe wall to the surrounding cold seawater. This cooling process may lead to the precipitation of substances present or formed in the hydrocarbon stream (wax, asphaltenes, hydrates) and these solid phases may deposit and limit the flow through the pipeline/manifold system. Thus, thermal management aims to prevent or limit such solid formation and make take various forms, examples of which are using pipeline bundles, burying the pipelines, and insulation. The work at Bristol is aimed at providing software tools for rating and designing such systems. One-dimensional models will be set up with appropriate correlations being included based on CFD predictions, validated by parallel set of experiments to be carried out at Imperial College in work under this Sub-Project. As will be realised, a number of solutions may be proposed for any given situation. The aim will be to provide a design tool which is essentially an expert system which contains and predicts the available alternatives. The designer can then choose a solution based on various criteria (an analogous software package is the DEVISE programme produced by HTFS for heat exchangers).
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.bris.ac.uk