Study on oil–water two-phase flow in horizontal pipelines

The simultaneous flow of oil and water in pipelines is a common occurrence in the petroleum industry. Water fractions in the output stream increase materially during the producing life of a well and many wells exist from which economic production can still persist with water volume fractions in the liquid phase in excess of 90%. The presence of water must be properly accounted for when designing and predicting the flow behavior in both wells and pipelines. This paper is aimed at giving a brief review on the research of oil–water pipe flows in the past decade. The contents are divided into three sections: (1) flow pattern identification and its transition; (2) phase inversion mode ling; (3) pressure drop prediction. It is obvious that oil–water flow patterns, phase inversion prediction and pressure drop have played a great role in the design and running of oil–water flow systems. This paper critically reviews research achievement and presents the current trend in order to offer a guide in future research of the oil–water pipe flows.