Electric-Submersible-Pump Performance under Methane/Water/Methane-Hydrate Pipe Flows

Pump performance of a submersible centrifugal type is investigated experimentally using a multiphase vertical flow loop. Methane in water is tested under turbulent bubbly pipe flows. Some tests are conducted at a three-phase equilibrium point of methane-water-methane hydrate. The pump is operated at 0.1 MPa and 3.9 MPa with void fractions up to 0.048. It is found that the pump performance is improved at higher pressures under vapor-liquid system but it is not significantly affected by the phase transformations. The results indicate that the fluid properties under the three-phase equilibrium and vapor-aqueous conditions are not very different.