Flow of two-phase oil/water mixtures through sudden expansions and contractions

Pressure loss data in a sudden expansion and a sudden contraction were obtained for two-phase oil/water mixtures, covering a wide range of oil concentration: 0 to 97.3 vol.% oil. The emulsions were of oil-in-water type up to an oil concentration of 64 vol.%. Above this concentration, the emulsions were water-in-oil type. An on-line conductance cell was used to monitor the inversion point and the type of emulsion. The pressure loss was determined from the measured pressure profiles upstream and downstream of the fitting. From the pressure loss/velocity data, the loss coefficients were obtained. The loss coefficients for the emulsions are found to be independent of the concentration and type of emulsions. Furthermore, there is no observable difference between the loss coefficients for emulsions and single-phase water. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.