Numerical Modeling Of Water-Air Multiphase Flow Within A Pipeline In The Presence Of Double Leaks

As the majority of petroleum businesses produce and transport gas and oil at the same time, multiphase flows are essential to the oil and gas sector. Aging, metal deterioration, and corrosion are common reasons for pipeline leaks. The energy industry not only suffers financial losses following an event, but it also raises safety and environmental issues. Thus, it becomes essential to create an effective strategy for concurrently identifying pipeline leaks. In the current work, two simultaneous leaks—one measuring 3 mm and the other 1.8 mm—in a pipeline are investigated using a 3D numerical model created with Ansys-Fluent. The experimental data obtained from a laboratory flow loop system is used to validate the numerical results. Additionally, the pipeline's flow behavior and the vicinity of the leaks are assessed. For instance, it is seen that the gas phase's escape velocity through the leaks first drops dramatically before progressively increasing to a constant value in the water tank.