Behavior and dynamics of bubble breakup in gas pipeline leaks and accidental subsea oil well blowouts

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-2018

Abstract

Subsea oil well blowouts and pipeline leaks release oil and gas to the environment through vigorous jets. Predicting the breakup of the released fluids in oil droplets and gas bubbles is critical to predict the fate of petroleum compounds in the marine water column. To predict the gas bubble size in oil well blowouts and pipeline leaks, we observed and quantified the flow behavior and breakup process of gas for a wide range of orifice diameters and flow rates. Flow behavior at the orifice transitions from pulsing flow to continuous discharge as the jet crosses the sonic point. Breakup dynamics transition from laminar to turbulent at a critical value of the Weber number. Very strong pure gas jets and most gas/liquid co-flowing jets exhibit atomization breakup. Bubble sizes in the atomization regime scale with the jet-to-plume transition length scale and follow −3/5 power-law scaling for a mixture Weber number.

Identifier

85045070326 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Marine Pollution Bulletin

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.053

e-ISSN

18793363

ISSN

0025326X

PubMed ID

29886999

First Page

72

Last Page

86

Volume

131

Fund Ref

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

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