Efficient oil production and refining processes require the precise measurement of water content in oil (i.e., water-cut) which is extracted out of a production well as a byproduct. Traditional water-cut (WC) laboratory measurements are precise, but are incapable of providing real-time information, while recently reported in-line WC sensors (both in research and industry) are usually incapable of sensing the full WC range (0 – 100 %), are bulky, expensive and non-scalable for the variety of pipe sizes used in the oil industry. This work presents a novel implementation of a planar microwave T-resonator for fully non-intrusive in situ WC sensing over the full range of operation, i.e., 0 – 100 %. As opposed to non-planar resonators, the choice of a planar resonator has enabled its direct implementation on the pipe surface using low cost fabrication methods. WC sensors make use of series resonance introduced by a λ/4 open shunt stub placed in the middle of a microstrip line. The detection mechanism is based on the measurement of the T-resonator’s resonance frequency, which varies with the relative percentage of oil and water (due to the difference in their dielectric properties). In order to implement the planar T-resonator based sensor on the curved surface of the pipe, a novel approach of utilizing two ground planes is proposed in this work. The innovative use of dual ground planes makes this sensor scalable to a wide range of pipe sizes present in the oil industry. The design and optimization of this sensor was performed in an electromagnetic Finite Element Method (FEM) solver, i.e., High Frequency Structural Simulator (HFSS) and the dielectric properties of oil, water and their emulsions of different WCs used in the simulation model were measured using a SPEAG-dielectric assessment kit (DAK-12). The simulation results were validated through characterization of fabricated prototypes. Initial rapid prototyping was completed using copper tape, after which a novel reusable 3D-printed mask based fabrication was also successfully implemented, which would resemble screen printing if it were to be implemented in 3D. In order to verify the design’s applicability for the actual scenario of oil wells, where an oil/water mixture is flowing through the pipes, a basic flow loop was constructed in the IMPACT laboratory at KAUST. The dynamic measurements in the flow loop showed that the WC sensor design is also equally applicable for flowing mixtures. The proposed design is capable of sensing the WC with a fine resolution due to its wide sensing range, in the 80 – 190 MHz frequency band. The experimental results for these low cost and conformal WC sensors are promising, and further characterization and optimization of these sensors according to oil field conditions will enable their widespread use in the oil industry.

Physical bench top experiments are performed to validate and complement ongoing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of ventricular assist device (VAD) circulation. VADs are used in patients whose hearts do not function to their maximum potential due advanced stages of heart disease and, consequently, are unable to adequately supply blood to the systemic circulation. VADs are commonly utilized as a bridge-to-transplantation, meaning that they are implanted in patients while waiting for a heart transplant. In such cases of long term utilization of VADs, it has been reported in the literatures that thrombo-embolic cerebral events occur in 14-47% of patients over the period of 6 to 12 months. This is a result of thrombus forming despite the use of anticoagulants and advances in VAD design. Accepting current rates of thrombo-embolisms, the main objective of the project is to identify and propose an optimal surgical cannula implantation orientation aimed at reducing the rate of thrombi reaching the carotid and vertebral arteries and thus reduce the morbidity and mortality rate associated with the long term use of VADs to patients suffering from advanced heart failure. The main focus of the experiment is on the physical aspect using a synthetic anatomically correct model constructed by rapid prototyping of the human aortic arch and surrounding vessels. Three VAD cannula implantation configurations are studied with and without bypass to the left carotid artery or to the Innominate artery with ligation of the branch vessel at its root. A mixture of water and glycerin serves to match blood viscosity measured with a rotating cone-plate viscometer. The Reynolds number in the ascending aorta is matched in the flow model. A closed loop mock circulatory system is then realized. In order to match the Reynolds number in the ascending aorta and LVAD cannula with that of the CFD model, a volumetric flow rate of 2.7 liters per minute is supplied through the synthetic VAD cannula and 0.9 liter per minute is supplied to the ascending aorta. Flow rates are measured using rotary flow meters and a pressure sensor is used to ensure a mean operating pressure of 100 mmHg is maintained. Synthetic acrylic blood iv clots are injected at the inlet of the VAD cannula and they are captured and counted at the vertebral and carotid arteries. The sizes of the thrombi simulated are 2, 3.5 and 5 mm which are typical of the range of diameters encountered in practice. Nearly 300 particles are released over 5 separate runs for each diameter, and overall embolization rates as well as individual embolization rates are evaluated along with associated confidence levels. The experimental results show consistency between CFD and experiment. Means comparison of thromboembolization rates predicted by CFD and bench-top results using a Z-score statistic with a 95% confidence level results in 22 of 24 cases being statistically equal. This study provides confidence in the predictive capabilities of the bench-top model as a methodology that can be utilized in upcoming studies utilizing patient-specific aortic bed model.

Replacement of the traditional thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors (methanol and glycols) in multiphase applications is highly desirable for Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) considerations and for investment costs savings. Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors (LDHI) are good candidates to achieve this objective and their interest is growing in the E&P industry. There are two types of LDHI: the Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitors (KHI) and the Anti-Agglomerants (AA) also called dispersant additives. The main challenge with LDHIs is that they require the unprocessed effluents to be produced inside the hydrate stability zone. It is then of the utmost importance to select, qualify and implement properly LDHIs, so that their field deployment is performed with success. But due to the very stochastic nature of the nucleation step, the hydrate crystallisation process leads to very large discrepancies between performances results carried out at lab or pilot scales. In order to overcome this difficulty, we have developed an in-house special protocol which is implemented prior to each qualification tests series. This in-house 15 years old protocol consists in conducting each tests series with a fluids system having previously formed hydrates in a first step but followed by a dissociation step at moderate temperature for a few hours. This paper presents results selected from several field cases studies and obtained from our 80 bara and 165 bara flow loops. They show the very good reproducibility obtained with and without LDHIs. In the case of KHI, where the stochastic nature of the nucleation step is very critical, the results show that the deviation on the “hold time” for a given subcooling is less than 15%. (Revised version of ICGH paper 5499_1)

Orientadores: Roger Josef Zemp, Paulo de Carvalho Tofani / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-03T15:26:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Veloso_MarceloAntonio_D.pdf: 10344720 bytes, checksum: e173f03cd07f8090cdc60aacf528de23 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003 / Resumo: O programa computacional P ANTERA-2 (Programa para Análise Termo-hidráulica de Reatores a Água, Versão 2), cujos fundamentos são descritos neste trabalho, efetua a análise por subcanais de feixes de varetas em conjunção com a simulação de múltiplos circuitos. O programa resolve simultaneamente as equações de conservação da massa, dos momentos axial e lateral e da energia para a geometria de subcanais acopladas com as equações de balanço que descrevem o escoamento de um fluido em um número arbitrário de circuitos de remgeração conectados a um vaso de pressão que contém o feixe. Atendo-se à formulação de subcanais, a estratégia computacional básica de P ANTERA-2 provém dos códigos COBRA, mas um método implícito alternativo de solução orientado para o campo de pressões é usado para resolver as aproximações de diferenças finitas das leis de balanço. Os resultados previstos pelo modelo de subcanais compreendem as distribuições de densidades, entalpias, vazões de massa e pressões nos subcanais. O modelo de circuitos prevê as vazões nos circuitos individuais, a vazão total através do vaso de pressão e as velocidades de rotação das bombas em função do tempo subseqüente à falha de qualquer número das bombas de circulação. Os transitórios de vazão nos circuitos podem ser ocasionados pelas perdas de potência elétrica, ruptura de eixos e travamento de rotores das bombas. As variações nas velocidades de rotação das bombas em função do tempo são determinadas através de um balanço de torques. A altura de recalque e o torque hidráulico das bombas são calculadas em função da velocidade e da vazão com duas curvas homólogas polares fornecidas ao programa na forma tabular. Para ilustrar a capacidade analítica de P ANTERA-2, três problemas-exemplo são apresentados e discutidos. Comparações entre resultados calculados e medidos indicam que o programa reproduz com boa precisão dados experimentais de temperaturas de saída de subcanais e de fluxos de calor críticos em feixes de 5x5 varetas. Observa-se támbém uma boa concordância entre as curvas teóricas previstas por P ANTERA-2 e valores medidos para as velocidades de rotação das bombas e vazões de massa nos circuitos primários da central nuclear Angra-2, quando suas quatro bombas principais são simultaneamente desligadas para simular o evento de declínio de vazão. Palavras-chave: análise por subcanais, código de subcanais, códigos cobra, análise de circuitos de escoamento, acidente de falha de bombas / Abstract: PANTERA-2 (from Programa para Análise Termo-hidráulica de Reatores a ÁguaProgram for Thermal-hydraulic Analysis of Water Reactors, Version 2), whose fundamentals are described in this work, is intended to carry out rod bundle subchannel analysis in conjunction with multiloop simulation. It solves simultaneously the conservation equations of mass, axial and lateral momentum, and energy for subchannel geometry coupled with the balance equations that describe the fluid flows in any number of coolant loops connected to A pressure vessel containing the rod bundle. As far as subchannel analysis is concemed, the basic computational strategy of P ANTERA-2 comes from COBRA codes, but an altemative implicit solution method oriented to the pressure field has been used to solve the finitedifference approximations for the balance laws. The results provided by the subchannel mode1 comprise the fluid density, enthalpy, flow rate, and pressure fields in the subchannels. The loop model predicts the individualloop flows, total flow through the pressure vessel, and pump rotational speeds as a function of time subsequent to the failure of any number of the coolant pumps. The flow transients in the loops may initiated by partial, total or sequentialloss of electric power to the operating pumps. Transient events caused by either shaft break or rotor locking may also be simulated. The changes in rotational speed of the pumps as a function of time are determined from a torque balance. Pump dynamic head and hydraulic torque are calculated as a function of rotational speed and volumetric flow from two polar homologous curves supplied to the code in the tabular form In order to illustrate the analytical capability of P ANTERA-2, three sample problems are presented and discussed. Comparisons between calculated and measured results indicate that the program reproduces with a good accuracy experimental data for subchannel exit temperatures and critical heat fluxes in 5x5 rod bundles. It is also observed a good correspondence between the theoretical curves predicted by P ANTERA-2 and measured values for pump rotational speeds and mass flow rates in the primary loops of Angra-2 nuclear power plant, when the four main coolant pumps are simultaneously switched off to simulate the flow decline evento / Doutorado / Sistemas de Processos Quimicos e Informatica / Doutor em Engenharia Química

[pt] A deposição de parafinas em dutos traduz-se em perdas econômicas relevantes para a indústria. Dentre as formas de mitigação do fenômeno, encontram-se os inibidores de parafina, produtos químicos injetados continuamente e em baixas concentrações, cujo objetivo é eliminar ou reduzir a deposição. Tradicionalmente, a eficiência de inibição destes produtos para uma dada amostra de petróleo é avaliada em laboratório em equipamento denominado dedo-frio. No entanto, não há uma padronização para o projeto e uso destes equipamentos e procedimentos experimentais de teste. Também, ainda não há consenso entre fabricantes dos inibidores e operadoras de petróleo sobre a correlação entre a eficiência de inibição apresentada nos testes de dedo frio e aquela observada no campo. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo comparar resultados de deposição de parafina obtidos em dedo frio do tipo dinâmico com aqueles obtidos em duto circular em loop de teste, utilizando solução de teste com propriedades controladas, com e sem a presença de inibidor de parafina. No dedofrio do tipo dinâmico, um cilindro refrigerado imerso no óleo gira com velocidade angular constante, promovendo um escoamento do tipo Taylor-Couette, caracterizado por padrões de escoamento complexos e diferentes daqueles encontrados em dutos de transporte de petróleo. O trabalho teve como foco o estudo da influência de parâmetros hidrodinâmicos na deposição de parafinas, representados pelo número de Reynolds e tensão cisalhante adimensional sobre a superfície do depósito. Testes realizados com os fluidos modelo em regime laminar e turbulento mostraram boa correlação entre os resultados de inibição obtidos no dedo frio e no loop de teste, a despeito da diferença nos padrões de escoamento. Testes em regime turbulento resultaram em depósitos menores e menos porosos, tanto no dedo-frio quanto no loop. Foi também observada a redução da porosidade dos depósitos com a adição do inibidor,independentemente do tipo de equipamento e da condição operacional. Experimentos no dedo-frio com um segundo fluido, mais viscoso, foram conduzidos com o objetivo de avaliar a influência da viscosidade no processo de deposição, tendo como premissa a diminuição do coeficiente de difusão esperada para o fluido mais viscoso. Ao contrário do esperado, não foi observada variação sensível na deposição com a mudança da viscosidade do fluido. Efeitos positivos e negativos de inibição foram observados nos testes para o inibidor avaliado. Observou-se uma maior atuação do inibidor, seja positiva ou negativa, para experimentos em regime laminar. O presente estudo mostrou que o inibidor pode diminuir a massa total depositada aumentando, no entanto, a massa de parafina depositada. / [en] Wax deposition in pipelines is associated with relevant economic losses for the industry. Wax deposition inhibitors are among the options available to mitigate the problem, being continuously injected in the flow at low concentrations. Traditionally, the inhibition efficiency of these products for a particular oil sample is assessed in a laboratory equipment know as cold finger. However, a standard is still not available for the design and operation of cold fingers. Also, there is no consensus among operators and inhibitor suppliers as to the level of correlation between the inhibition efficiency found in the laboratory and that in the field. The objective of the present work was to compare wax deposition results obtained in a dynamic cold finger apparatus to those obtained in a pipe flow loop, employing a test solution with controlled properties, with and without inhibitor, In the dynamic cold finger, a cylinder immersed in the oil sample rotates at constant angular velocity producing a Taylor-Couette flow in the cylindrical oil container, which is characterized by complex flow patterns, that are distinct from those found in an oil pipeline. The investigation focused on the influence of the flow hydrodynamic parameters on the wax deposition, represented by the Reynolds number and the dimensionless shear stress imposed at the deposit surface. Tests conducted with model fluids in laminar and turbulent regimes displayed good correlation between the inhibition results obtained in the cold finger apparatus and in the test loop, despite the differences in flow patterns. Turbulent flow testes produced smaller and less porous deposits both, in the cold finger and in test loop. Also observed was a reduction in the deposit porosity in the presence of the inhibitor, independently of the equipment type and operational conditions. Experiments in the cold finger for a second more viscous fluid were conducted to assesses the influence of viscosity on the deposition process, and the expected decrease in the diffusion coefficient for the higher viscosity fluid. Contrary to what was expected, no significant variation was observed on the deposits with the viscosity change. Positive and negative inhibition effects were observed in the tests for the particular inhibitor tested. A more significant influence of the inhibitor, either positive or negative, was observed for tests in laminar flow conditions. The present study revealed that the inhibitor could decrease the total deposited mass while increasing the paraffin deposited mass.

QC 20120530

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No description available.

The mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease (CVD) initiation and progression are not fully elucidated. It is hypothesized that blood flow patterns regulate endothelial cell (EC) function to affect the progression of CVDs. A system that subjects ECs to physiologically-relevant shear stress waveforms within microfluidic devices has not yet been demonstrated, despite the advantages associated with the use of these devices. In this work, a bioreactor was designed to fulfill this need. Waveforms from regions commonly affected by CVDs including were derived. Pump motion and fluid flow profiles were validated by actuator motion tracking, particle image velocimetry, and flowmeters. While several relevant waveforms were successfully replicated, physiological waveforms could not be produced at physiological frequencies owing to actuator velocity and accuracy limitations, as well as dampening effects in the system. Overall, this work lays the foundation for designing a system that provides insight into the role of shear stress in CVD pathogenesis.

The mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease (CVD) initiation and progression are not fully elucidated. It is hypothesized that blood flow patterns regulate endothelial cell (EC) function to affect the progression of CVDs. A system that subjects ECs to physiologically-relevant shear stress waveforms within microfluidic devices has not yet been demonstrated, despite the advantages associated with the use of these devices. In this work, a bioreactor was designed to fulfill this need. Waveforms from regions commonly affected by CVDs including were derived. Pump motion and fluid flow profiles were validated by actuator motion tracking, particle image velocimetry, and flowmeters. While several relevant waveforms were successfully replicated, physiological waveforms could not be produced at physiological frequencies owing to actuator velocity and accuracy limitations, as well as dampening effects in the system. Overall, this work lays the foundation for designing a system that provides insight into the role of shear stress in CVD pathogenesis.