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In two-phase liquid-gas flow, the distribution of the respective liquid and gas phases in the pipeline is an important aspect of their description. Their description descriptions exhibit some commonly observed flow structures known as two-phase flow patterns or flow regime.…

The Bayer Process (the process of extracting alumina from bauxite) is an energy-intensive technology, consuming large amounts of fuel and energy. This Alumina or aluminium oxide (Al2O3) is then used to produce Aluminium at a ratio of 2:1. However, did…

Natural gas distribution or utility systems are used to deliver natural gas to customers across different sectors including residential, commercial and industrial. Natural gas distribution pipelines tend to operate at higher elevated pressures which enables the gas to travel long…

Pump Sizing: We’ve probably all come across the topic oversizing of centrifugal pumps in the past but why can it happen and what are the effects? This blog takes a look at the condition of oversizing centrifugal pumps.  Pumps can…

The mass flow of fluid discharged through a safety pressure relief valve is typically a liquid or vapor however, it can be a combination of both liquid and vapor or in other words, two-phase flow. When considering pressure relief applications,…

The design of two-phase liquid-gas pipe flow systems is a complex process. It can be common practice for engineers to use template design calculation sheets for two-phase systems. These calculation sheets often utilize rules-of-thumb as part of the template for…

Increasing the capacity or yield of existing chemical process sites through expansion or upgrades is often a cost-effective means of increasing capacity without incurring the higher costs associated with embarking on a new greenfield construction. In order to complete upgrades…

The calculation of frictional pressure loss for two-phase gas-liquid flow is a complex process. The coexistent flow of two phases complicates the theoretical and empirical approaches which are available. This means that a complete analytical solution is not possible. After…

Sanding of Slurry Pipelines: The obstruction of flow within a slurry pipeline is sometimes referred to as sanding. Sanding can occur when particles or solids accumulate in a pipeline which in turn reduces the pipe cross section area or flow…

Mining of valuable minerals or metals usually involves the removal of vast quantities of earth from the ground in order to obtain a relatively small amount of the desired material. The material left over after the refining process is referred…

Non-Newtonian fluids are encountered in a wide and varied range of industrial processes including food, mining and minerals, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper processing and other products in the form of pastes, slurries, concentrated solid suspensions or emulsions. Examples include coal…

Pipework: One of the most important tasks in plant design is the sizing of the process pipework. Sizing your pipework incorrectly will have a major impact on plant capital cost, operating costs and plant reliability.  Piping always represents a significant…

Slurry Piping Systems: The mining and mineral processing industry provides a diverse set of challenges in the design and operation of pipelines, from complex slurry pipelines through to mine dewatering systems. The traditional requirements of reliability and availability remain key…

The phenomenon of choked flow is often encountered in gas piping systems and tends to occur where there is a change in the flow path cross-sectional area. It can, therefore, occur in locations where we have orifice plates, valves, and…

To obtain maximum accuracy in gas calculations, particularly in systems where large pressure losses occur, the Joule-Thomson effect needs to be included in the solution. The J-T effect describes the increase or decrease in temperature of a real gas (as…

Fire sprinkler systems can be found in a wide range of buildings or structures from warehouses to multi-story buildings, ships, oil rigs etc. Sprinkler systems are used to provide a reliable method of automatically detecting and extinguishing fires at an…

In general, there are two main types of systems in which pumps can be installed, open-loop and closed loop systems. Open-loop systems are circuits in which the pumped fluid is exposed to the local atmosphere at some point in the…

This example case considers the flow of water in a 6 inch Schedule 40 pipeline and compares the results when using the Moody Friction Factor vs the Hazen Williams formula for the same flowing conditions. A hand calculation will initially…

Back in November 2014, Nevesbu and Iv-Oil & Gas joined forces and started the Pre-Contract Engineering for the contract to modify and upgrade the Petrojarl 1 FPSO. It was anticipated that the upgrade will take around a year to complete.…