80
The experimental results of the stationary dead oil rise velocities are in good
agreement with the correlations for contaminated interfaces. When live oil droplets
are considered, the actual pressure conditions inside the reservoir and the deep sea
play an important role. Due to a reduced gas-in-oil solubility when pressure
decreases, degassing can occur inside the oil droplets, leading to an elevated buoyancy and consequently an increasingly fast ascent. Rise times can therefore be substantially smaller for live oil droplets than predicted with the available correlations
using the initial droplet diameters. Swarm effects, ocean currents, mass transfer, and
gas hydrate formation can have additional effects on the oil rise velocities and render the oil fate modeling extremely challenging.
In conclusion, it must be noted that the correlations for the rise velocity, although
applicable for the calculation of individual particle rise velocities, should not be
used uncritically. Also, the inference of median particle sizes from observed rise
times is deceptive. While droplet size distributions, as detailed in Chap. 4, can cover
a broad spectrum of particle sizes with corresponding distributions of rise velocities, the combined release and rise of oil and gas lead to swarm effects and twophase particles, both leading to a bubble-mediated, accelerated ascent of the oil.
References
Aliseda A, Bommer P, Espina P, Flores O, Lasheras JC, Lehr B, Leifer I, Possolo A, Riley J, Savas
O, Shaffer F, Wereley S, Yapa P (2010) Deepwater horizon release estimate of rate by PIV:
report to the Flowrate Technical Group
Ballard AL, Sloan ED (2004) The next generation of hydrate prediction. IV: a comparison of available hydrate prediction programs. Fluid Phase Equilib 216(2):257–270
Brauer H (1971) Grundlagen der Einphasen- und Mehrphasenströmungen. Grundlagen der
Chemischen Technik. Sauerländer, Aarau und Frankfurt am Main
Brown EP, Koh CA (2016) Micromechanical measurements of the effect of surfactants on cyclopentane hydrate shell properties. Phys Chem Chem Phys 18(1):594–600
Chen L, Levine JS, Gilmer MW, Sloan ED, Koh CA, Sum AK (2014) Methane hydrate formation
and dissociation on suspended gas bubbles in water. J Chem Eng Data 59(4):1045–1051
Clift R, Grace JR, Weber ME (1978) Bubbles, drops, and particles. Academic Press, New York
Davies SR, Sloan ED, Sum AK, Koh CA (2010) In situ studies of the mass transfer mechanism
across a methane hydrate film using high-resolution confocal Raman Spectroscopy. J Phys
Chem C 114(2):1173–1180
Grace JR, Wairegi T, Nguyen TH (1976) Shapes and velocities of single drops and bubbles moving
freely through immiscible liquids. Trans Inst Chem Eng 54:167–173
Gust G, Meyer A, Koepke D, Eggers R (2012) Mass transfer processes of a hydrate-covered deep
CO2 lake. Int J Greenhouse Gas Control 9:312–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2012.04.010
Hickman SH, Hsieh PA, Mooney WD, Enomoto CB, Nelson PH, Mayer LA, Weber TC, Moran K,
Flemings PB, McNutt MK (2012) Scientific basis for safely shutting in the Macondo well after
the April 20, 2010 Deepwater horizon blowout. Proc Natl Acad Sci 109:20268–20273. https://
doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1115847109
Infochem (2012) Multiflash for windows 4.1. Infochem Computer Services Ltd, London
S. Pesch et al.
The experimental results of the stationary dead oil rise velocities are in good
agreement with the correlations for contaminated interfaces. When live oil droplets
are considered, the actual pressure conditions inside the reservoir and the deep sea
play an important role. Due to a reduced gas-in-oil solubility when pressure
decreases, degassing can occur inside the oil droplets, leading to an elevated buoyancy and consequently an increasingly fast ascent. Rise times can therefore be substantially smaller for live oil droplets than predicted with the available correlations
using the initial droplet diameters. Swarm effects, ocean currents, mass transfer, and
gas hydrate formation can have additional effects on the oil rise velocities and render the oil fate modeling extremely challenging.
In conclusion, it must be noted that the correlations for the rise velocity, although
applicable for the calculation of individual particle rise velocities, should not be
used uncritically. Also, the inference of median particle sizes from observed rise
times is deceptive. While droplet size distributions, as detailed in Chap. 4, can cover
a broad spectrum of particle sizes with corresponding distributions of rise velocities, the combined release and rise of oil and gas lead to swarm effects and twophase particles, both leading to a bubble-mediated, accelerated ascent of the oil.
References
Aliseda A, Bommer P, Espina P, Flores O, Lasheras JC, Lehr B, Leifer I, Possolo A, Riley J, Savas
O, Shaffer F, Wereley S, Yapa P (2010) Deepwater horizon release estimate of rate by PIV:
report to the Flowrate Technical Group
Ballard AL, Sloan ED (2004) The next generation of hydrate prediction. IV: a comparison of available hydrate prediction programs. Fluid Phase Equilib 216(2):257–270
Brauer H (1971) Grundlagen der Einphasen- und Mehrphasenströmungen. Grundlagen der
Chemischen Technik. Sauerländer, Aarau und Frankfurt am Main
Brown EP, Koh CA (2016) Micromechanical measurements of the effect of surfactants on cyclopentane hydrate shell properties. Phys Chem Chem Phys 18(1):594–600
Chen L, Levine JS, Gilmer MW, Sloan ED, Koh CA, Sum AK (2014) Methane hydrate formation
and dissociation on suspended gas bubbles in water. J Chem Eng Data 59(4):1045–1051
Clift R, Grace JR, Weber ME (1978) Bubbles, drops, and particles. Academic Press, New York
Davies SR, Sloan ED, Sum AK, Koh CA (2010) In situ studies of the mass transfer mechanism
across a methane hydrate film using high-resolution confocal Raman Spectroscopy. J Phys
Chem C 114(2):1173–1180
Grace JR, Wairegi T, Nguyen TH (1976) Shapes and velocities of single drops and bubbles moving
freely through immiscible liquids. Trans Inst Chem Eng 54:167–173
Gust G, Meyer A, Koepke D, Eggers R (2012) Mass transfer processes of a hydrate-covered deep
CO2 lake. Int J Greenhouse Gas Control 9:312–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2012.04.010
Hickman SH, Hsieh PA, Mooney WD, Enomoto CB, Nelson PH, Mayer LA, Weber TC, Moran K,
Flemings PB, McNutt MK (2012) Scientific basis for safely shutting in the Macondo well after
the April 20, 2010 Deepwater horizon blowout. Proc Natl Acad Sci 109:20268–20273. https://
doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1115847109
Infochem (2012) Multiflash for windows 4.1. Infochem Computer Services Ltd, London
S. Pesch et al.