Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

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Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering

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A comprehensive assessment of correlations for two-phase flow through

Venturi tubes
Xiaolei Liu a, *, Liyun Lao b, Gioia Falcone a
a
James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Glasgow, UK
b
Centre for Thermal Energy Systems and Materials, Cranfield University, MK43 0AL, Cranfield, UK

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The objective of this study is to comprehensively evaluate established correlations for two-phase (gas-liquid)
Venturi tube flow through Venturi tubes. Two-phase flow metering plays a critical role in the oil and gas industry and several
Two-phase flow metering commercial metering solutions incorporate a Venturi. However, despite its significance, there is no widely
Correlation performance
accepted standard for two-phase flow metering applications. In this paper, sixteen differential pressure corre­
lations are critically assessed from literature and international standards, focusing on the Venturi tube. The
discussions are supported by an independent dataset obtained from a two-phase flow test rig with an installed
Venturi tube (following ISO 5167-4 2005) to assess correlations’ performance within their own respective
application range. The wide literature review and the obtained comparison results trended to inform that the
homogeneous model performs better in most scenarios.

inserted along a pipe, the pipe diameter will firstly narrow down along
the flow direction to create a flow restriction and then widen back to the
1. Introduction original diameter. Comparing to other differential pressure devices, the
Venturi tube causes less influence on flow regimes and creates the lowest
Multiphase flow commonly occurs in petroleum systems (Kesana pressure loss (Abdul-Razzak and Shoukri JSC, 1995).
et al., 2018), with natural gas, water, condensates and condensed At present, the metrology of differential pressure devices for single-
vapour being encountered in gas field developments. It is important to phase flows and for flows that can be approximated to single-phase are
accurately track the flow rates of the co-produced fluids at each stage of more established compared to that for multiphase flows. The recom­
production, where multiphase flow measurement (MPFM) plays a vital mended single-phase flow rate calculation and its associated uncertainty
role. However, field MPFM always displays significantly higher uncer­ have been documented by the international standard ISO-5167 (non-
tainty compared with that of single-phase flow measurements. pulsating flow) (ISO5167-1, 2003; ISO5167-2, 2003; ISO5167-3, 2003;
One of the most widely used flow measurement methods is to derive ISO5167-4, 2003) and ISO-3313 (pulsating flow) (ISO 3313, 1998). The
the flow rate from the pressure differential across pipe restrictions, so- measurement of wet gas flow, which occurs when there is a very small
named differential pressure devices, such as orifice plates, Venturi amount of liquid in the flow, is also well established by the international
tubes, flow nozzles, cone meters and the like (Reader-Harris, 2015; standard ISO-11583 (11583:2012 I, 2012). In contrast, there is currently
Corneliussen et al., 2005; Oil and Gas Authority, 2015; American Pe­ no internationally accepted procedure for the testing of multiphase flow
troleum Instit, 2013; Chen et al., 2016). The working principles of those meters. The recently launched ISO committee on MPFM is working to
differential pressure devices are similar, where the flow in a pipe is produce an ISO technical report that will direct the industry on how to
partially obstructed to build up a pressure differential between the up­ meet the many flow metrology challenges associated with multiphase
stream and the downstream of the device. It is estimated that over 40% flows (OGUK, 2017). A reliable and standardised flow measurement
of the currently installed industrial flow meters are differential pressure practice for two- and multiphase flow conditions is highly desired by
meters (NEL, 2013). Each of these devices has its own strengths and several industrial sectors. This potentially can be beneficial for the
weaknesses, depending on the specific application. In this paper, cor­ application of wet gas metering; as subject to the operation and pro­
relations for two-phase flow through Venturi tubes are analysed to duction conditions, liquid content surges could take place in wet gas
neaten their trends as reported in the literature. When a Venturi tube is

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (X. Liu).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103323
Received 1 July 2019; Received in revised form 13 April 2020; Accepted 13 April 2020
Available online 17 April 2020
1875-5100/© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

Nomenclature Greek symbols

α Gas fraction [-]
Latin symbols β Ratio between the diameter of the Venturi throat and the
A2 Sectional area of the Venturi throat, m2 diameter of the Pipe [-]
Cd Discharge coefficient [-] μ Viscosity, cp
Fr Densitometric Froude number [-] ρ Density, kg/m3
K Two-phase flow coefficient [-]
M Mass flow rate, kg/s Subscripts
m Mass, kg a air
P Pressure, Pa f friction
ΔP Differential pressure between the upstream and the g gas
Venturi throat, Pa h homogeneous
Q Volumetric gas flowrates, m3/s l liquid
Re Reynolds number [-] tp two-phase flow
T Temperature, � C v void fraction
X Lockhart-Martinelli parameter [-]
x Quality factor [-]

production lines hence the wet gas flow will be really “wet”! 2. Theoretical basis
To date, almost all the differential pressure based two-phase flow
metering correlations are semi-empirical formulae, which were derived 2.1. Single-phase flow under steady-state conditions
from the basic single-phase flow approach and corresponding experi­
mental data. Lockhart and Martinelli (1949) investigated the liquid Based on Bernoulli’s equation, assuming the fluid is flowing through
holdup and the frictional pressure drop in two-phase flow correlations a pipe restriction under steady-state conditions, a relationship can be
for horizontal pipes (Lockhart and Martinelli, 1949); this represents one established between the mass flow rate and the differential pressure
of the earliest studies of its kind. The authors proposed the so-called across the restriction. In addition, it is common practice to add a
“Lockhart and Martinelli parameter” which is regarded as key for all discharge coefficient (Cd) which characterises the flow and pressure loss
differential pressure devices. Subsequently, several investigators behaviour of the Venturi tube in a fluid system. Therefore:
researched the relationship between pressure differential and flow rate sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
under two-phase conditions, including Murdock (1962), Bizon (1965), M ¼ C⋅A2
2ρ⋅ΔP
(1)
James (1965), Chisholm (1967, 1977), Collin and Gasesa (1971), Smith ð1 β4 Þ
and Leang (1975), Lin (1982) and Zhang et al. (1992). However, all
these correlations were developed using orifice-based experimental where M is the mass flow rate, kg/s; Cd is the discharge coefficient; ρ is
datasets and therefore their applicability to Venturi tubes requires the fluid density, kg/m3; ΔP is the differential pressure, Pa; β is the ratio
further validation. between the diameter of the Venturi throat and the diameter of the pipe.
Based on the authors’ knowledge, before the late 1990s, there were Note that the compressibility of the fluid is not considered in this
only a few existing correlations in the literature that were tailored to equation.
Venturi tubes (Steven, 2002). Later, as the use of Venturi tubes became By replacing the parameters in Eq. (1) with the corresponding ones in
more widespread, its correlations were experimentally and analytically two-phase flow conditions, differential pressure meters for two-phase
investigated by De Leeuw (1997), Moura and Marvillet (1997), Steven flows can be characterised by the same type of relationship:
(2002), Xu et al. (2003), Zhang et al. (2005), ISO/TR 11583 (2012) pffiffi CdðtpÞ ⋅A2 qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
(11583:2012 I, 2012) and He and Bai (2014). The performance of these Mtp ¼ 2 ⋅ qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ⋅ ρtp ⋅ΔPtp (2)
correlations was tested by Steven (2002), Huang et al. (2005), Fang et al. ð1 β4 Þ
(2007) (Lide et al., 2007), Oliveira et al. (2009), Meng et al. (2010) and
As can be seen in Eq. (2), the determination of the two-phase mass
Gupta et al. (2016) through various Venturi experimental setups.
flow rate through a differential pressure device also depends on the
Although so far Venturi tubes have been primarily used for wet gas
discharge coefficient, fluid properties, pressure differential and the ge­
metering, more research and developments are focusing to MPFM.
ometry of both the used meters and the pipe. Additionally, Eq. (2) is
The objective of this study is to comprehensively evaluate estab­
often expressed as:
lished correlations for two-phase flow through Venturi tubes to evaluate
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
their performance against their claimed range of applicability. In Sec­ Mtp ¼ K ρtp ⋅ΔPtp (3)
tion 3, sixteen differential pressure correlations from literature and in­
ternational standards are critically reviewed. Among them, eleven
where K is the two-phase flow coefficient.
correlations were selected to assess their performance in Section 5 based
In principle, Eq. (3) is applicable to all differential pressure flow
on independent data obtained from a two-phase flow test rig with an
meters.
installed ISO 5167-4 2005 Venturi tube at Cranfield University. The
other five correlations, which were specifically built for wet gas flow
metering are not evaluated in Section 5 as the current experimental 2.2. Lockhart-Martinelli parameter
setup is only suitable for MPFM. The results showed that the Homoge­
neous model performs better under the tested flow conditions. In two-phase flows, the gas phase has relatively high compressibility
compared to the liquid phase and its density varies considerably with
pressure. In contrast, the liquid phase can be considered as virtually
incompressible. The Lockhart-Martinelli parameter (Lockhart and Mar­
tinelli, 1949) analytically defines the relationship between the

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X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

components’ densities and their mass flow rates. The experimental data 3. Overview of two-phase flow correlations through Venturi
used for its development were collected from four types of isothermal tube
two-phase, two-component flows (benzene, kerosene, water, and
various oil) in horizontal pipes with diameters of 0.0586 and 1.017 3.1. General correlations of differential pressure flow meters
inches, respectively (Lockhart and Martinelli, 1949).
The original Lockhart-Martinelli parameter is defined as: 3.1.1. Homogeneous flow correlation (reported by (Steven, 2002; Zhang
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�ffiffiaffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffiffi s�
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffi��
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffiffi et al., 2005; Oliveira et al., 2009), (Huang et al., 2005; Meng et al., 2010;
Reg Cl ρg Ml 2 ΔPf ΔPf Gupta et al., 2016))
X¼ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ¼ (4)
ðRel Þb Cg ρl Mg ΔL l ΔL g The Homogeneous correlation is one of the simplest approaches to
calculating two-phase flow rates, assuming that the water and gas
where Reg and Rel are the Reynolds numbers of the gas and the liquid, phases are well mixed and share the same velocity. Therefore, the slip
respectively; a and b are exponents of Reynolds modulus in the Blasius ratio of liquid and gas phases, which is a function of ρg , is not considered
ρ
l
expression for the friction factor of the gas and the liquid phase, here and the two-phase can be considered as one of the average prop­
respectively; Cl and Cg are constants in Blasius equation for friction erties. The two-phase flow density can be expressed via the gas quality
� � � �
factors of liquid and gas, respectively; ΔLf
ΔP
and ΔLf are the fric­
ΔP factor (x):
l g �� �
x 1 x
tional pressure losses per unit length, assuming that the liquid and the ρtp ¼ 1 þ (8)
gas are flowing alone in the pipe.
ρg ρl
As pointed out by several authors (Steven, 2002; Oliveira et al., Based on Eq. (3), the total two-phase mass flow rate is defined as:
2009; FalconeGeoffrey Hewitt, 2009; Gioia Falcone, 2006), the defini­ sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi��
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffi
tion of the Lockhart-Martinelli parameter is often inconsistent in the qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi x 1 x
Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρtp ¼ K ΔPtp þ (9)
open literature. Two related parameters, often used in the public ρg ρl
domain, are the “modified Lockhart-Martinelli parameter” and the
“simplified Lockhart-Martinelli parameter”, as discussed below. 3.1.2. Separated flow correlation (reported by (Huang et al., 2005; Meng
During his work on stratified two-phase flow through orifice plates et al., 2010; Gupta et al., 2016))
(Murdock, 1962), Murdock recommended a different version of the In the separated flow modelling approach, the density of the two-
Lockhart-Martinelli parameter: phase mixture is calculated by the general definition via the gas frac­
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi rffiffiffiffi tion ðαÞ, where two-phase flows are considered as separated flows:
ΔPl Ml Kg ρg
X¼ ¼ ⋅ ⋅ (5)
ΔPg Mg Kl ρl ρtp ¼ αρg þ ð1 αÞρl (10)

Accordingly, the total mass flow rate of the two-phase flow is (Huang
where ΔPl and ΔPg represent the pressure loss through the orifice when
et al., 2005):
liquid and gas are flowing alone in the pipe, and Kl and Kg are the su­
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�ffiffi
perficial flow coefficients of the liquid and the gas phase, respectively.
Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρtp ¼ K ΔPtp ⋅ αρg þ ð1 αÞρl (11)
This modified Lockhart-Martinelli parameter considered both accelera­
tional and frictional losses through orifice plates, instead of just the In principle, the two correlations above can be applied to all types of
frictional losses of the original formulation (Steven, 2002; Oliveira et al., differential pressure flow meters. However, the slip ratio is not consid­
2009; FalconeGeoffrey Hewitt, 2009; Gioia Falcone, 2006). ered by either of the approaches above.
Some researchers simplified the Murdock Lockhart-Martinelli
parameter by assuming that the superficial flow coefficients of liquid 3.2. Correlations originally developed for orifice plates with potential for
and gas are equal, in which case the simplified Lockhart-Martinelli application to Venturi tubes
parameter can be expressed as:
rffiffiffiffi
Ml ρg 3.2.1. Murdock’s correlation (1962) (Murdock, 1962) and its
X¼ (6) modifications
Mg ρl
Murdock (1962) suggested a practical correlation by testing several
Chisholm and Laird (1958) developed another form of the groups of fluids combinations, such as air-water, steam-water, natural
Lockhart-Martinelli parameter, which has been applied to several sub­ gas-distillate, natural gas-salt water and natural gas-water with orifices
sequent studies of two-phase flow through orifices, including the of various dimensions, where the liquid weight fractions varied from
well-known Murdock’s (Murdock, 1962) and Chisholm’s correlations 0.02 to 0.89. The proposed correlation can be given by:
(ISO5167-2, 2003; Chisholm, 1977). The modified formulation can be , !
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
expressed as: pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi x 1 x
Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρtp ¼ K ΔPtp pffiffiffiffi þ 1:26 pffiffiffiffi (12)
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi rffiffiffiffi ρg ρl
ΔPl 1 x ρg
X¼ ¼ (7) If the simplified Lockhart-Martinelli parameter (Eq. (7)) is imported
ΔPg x ρl
into Eq. (12), then Murdock’s correlation can be re-written as:
m
where x is the gas quality factor, x ¼ mg þm
g
. qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi �
l Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρg xð1 þ 1:26XÞ (13)
The modified Lockhart-Martinelli parameter is often used to define
the wetness of gas production in the oil and gas industry: when X � 0:3, Following Murdock’s effort, several authors derived further modified
the corresponding flows are identified as wet gas flows; when X > 0:3, formulae:
the corresponding flows are defined as multiphase flows (Steven, 2006).
� Bizon’s Correlation (1965) (Bizon, 1965)
, ! ,
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi x 1 x qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
Mtp ¼K ΔPtp ρtp ¼K ΔPtp a pffiffiffiffi þb pffiffiffiffi ¼K ΔPtp ρg xða þbXÞ
ρg ρl
(14)

3
X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

where the values of a and b are determined experimentally. phases.

Thus, Chisholm’s correlation can be expressed as:
," rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi #
� Collin and Gasesa’s Correlation (1971) (Collins and Gacesa, 1971) pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi C 1
Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρl ð1 xÞ 1 þ þ 2 (21)
X X

, pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ! ,
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi x 1 x xð1 xÞ qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi � pffiffiffi �
Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρtp ¼ K ΔPtp a pffiffiffiffi þ b pffiffiffiffi þ c p ffi ffi ffi ffi ffi ffi ffiffi ¼ K ΔPtp ρg x a þ bX þ c X (15)
ρg ρl 4 ρl ρg

� �1=4 � �1=4 � �1=2 � �1=2

where the values of a, b and c are determined experimentally. where, if X < 1, C¼ and if X > 1, C¼
ρg ρl ρg ρh
ρl þ ρg ρh þ ρg

� Lin’s Correlation (1982) (Lin, 1982) In literature, the Chisholm’s correlation is often written in a different
, ! , form for wet gas measurements:
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi x 1 x qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi .pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρtp ¼ K ΔPtp pffiffiffiffi þ ϑ pffiffiffiffi
ρg
¼ K ΔP
ρl
tp g ρ xð1 þ ϑXÞ Mg ¼ Mg; Apparent 1 þ CX þ X 2 (22)

(16) � �1=4 � �1=4 qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi

where X � 0.3, C ¼ and the term of 1 þ XC þ X12 is
ρg ρl
ρl þ ρg
where ϑ is a function of ρl :
ρg

considered as a correction factor for wet gas conditions.

� � � �2 � �3 � �4
ρg ρg ρg ρg
ϑ¼1:48625 9:26541 þ44:6954 60:6150 5:12966
ρl ρl ρl ρl 3.2.4. Smith and Leang’s correlation (1975) (Smith et al., 1975)
ρg
� �5 Smith and Leang (1975) (Smith et al., 1975) proposed a two-phase
26:5743 flow correlation which they claimed could be applied to orifice plates,
ρl
Venturi tubes and nozzles when the phases can be treated as separated.
(17)
A parameter called “Blockage Factor (BF)” was brought into the equa­
tion to calculate the gas mass flow rate, quantitatively representing the
partial blockage in the pipe due to the liquid phase, through the flow
� Phillips Petroleum’s Correlation (1998) (reported by (Steven, 2002; quality (x). This correlation, which was developed primarily for wet gas
Lide et al., 2007)) applications, can be expressed as:
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi � �
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
, !
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
, 0:00183 qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi x 1 x Mg ¼ Kg A2 ðBFÞ 2ΔPtp ρg ¼ Kg A2 0:637 þ 0:4211x 2ΔPtp ρg
Mtp ¼K ΔPtp ρtp ¼K ΔPtp pffiffiffiffi þ1:5 pffiffiffiffi ¼K ΔPtp ρg xð1þ1:5XÞ x2
ρg ρl
(23)
(18)
3.2.5. Zhang et al. Correlation (1992) (Zhang et al., 1992)
where the constant 1.26 in the original Murdock’s correlation was Unlike the above correlations, which can be applied to a relatively
replaced by 1.5. wide range of quality factor, Zhang et al. (1992) developed a correlation
specifically for low-quality air-water flow through orifice plates, quality
3.2.2. James’s correlation (1965) (James, 1965) factor was controlled in the 0.007–1% range. Zhang et al.’s correlation is
James (1965) carried out two-phase flow experiments using steam defined by:
and water mixtures through orifices with different diameters, where the
gas quality factor varied from 0.01 to 0.56. Based on the test results, a
modified homogeneous correlation was proposed:
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi��
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffi
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi x1:5 ð1 xÞ1:5 Table 1
Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρtp ¼ K ΔPtp þ (19)
ρg ρl Relevant parameters of orifice-based experimental setups.
Authors Tested Installed Operating Orifice Beta Quality,
3.2.3. Chisholm’s correlation (1967, 1977) (Chisholm, 1967, 1977) Fluids device pressure, bar Ratio %

Chisholm (1967, 1977) (Chisholm, 1967) (Chisholm, 1977) pro­ Murdock Steam- Orifice 39.61–40.31 0.5 78–95
posed a correlation for separated two-phase flow through orifices with (1962) water plate
James Steam- Orifice 7.72–16.82 0.707 6.2–66.9
the consideration of slip ratio:
(1965) water plate
ΔPtp C 1 Bizon Steam- Orifice 82.74 0.45 and 5–50
¼1 þ þ 2 (20) (1965) water plate 0.7
ΔPl X X
Collin and Steam- Orifice 67.57 0.62–0.753 5–95
qffiffiffi qffiρffiffi Gasesa water plate
1
where C is an empirical number, C ¼ ρg þ S ρl ; ΔPl is the pressure
ρg
S
l
(1971)
� �1=4 Lin (1982) Vapour- Orifice – 0.25–0.75 0–100
liquid (R- plate
drop of liquid flowing alone; and if X < 1, S ¼ ρρl , while if X > 1, 113)
g

� � ��1=2 Zhang Air- Orifice 2.31–2.79 0.499 and 0.007–1

et al. water plate 0.422
S ¼ 1 þ x ρρl 1 , where S is the interfacial shear force between
g (1992)

4
X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

Fig. 1. The highest gas quality available in the orifice-based experimental setups.

, sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi !
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi � ρl 61:695ðρg =ρl Þ2 8:349ðρg =ρl Þ þ 0:223; C ¼ 1722:917ðρg =ρl Þ2
Mtp ¼ K ΔPtp ρl x1:25þ0:25x1=3 1 þ1 (24) 2
ρg 272:92ðρg =ρl Þ þ 11:752; D ¼ 57:387ðρg =ρl Þ 7:679ðρg =ρl Þ þ 0:195.

3.2.6. Summary of correlations originally developed for orifice plates with 3.3.3. Zhang et al. Correlation (2005) (Zhang et al., 2005)
potential for application to Venturi tubes Zhang et al. (2005) (Zhang et al., 2005) proposed a correlation that is
The experimental parameters of the orifice-based two-phase flow specifically designed for oil and gas two-phase flow in low-quality
correlations reviewed above are summarised in Table 1. The data of conditions (x � 1.98%) with the consideration of the ratio of oil and
Chisholm’s and Smith & Leang’s correlations were not included as there air densities, using Venturi and void fraction sensors. Through the
is insufficient information on the experimental setups in the original control of void fraction (15–83%), this correlation has been applied to
papers. As can be seen, a mixture of steam and water was often selected different flow regimes, including bubble flow, slug flow, wavy flow and
as the test fluid, as they are among the most convenient and safest fluids annular flow. This is one of only a few correlations that explicitly ac­
to use in a laboratory environment. Most authors attempted to produce a count for the influence of flow patterns. The mixture mass flow rate and
general two-phase correlation that can cover a relatively wide range of quality can be determined by:
gas quality with the exception of Zhang et al. (1992), who focused on sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi !
low-quality application. As shown in Fig. 1, the highest gas quality in 2ρl ΔPtp
Mtp ¼ Cd ⋅ A2 ⋅ ⋅Kl (27)
Zhang’s experimental setups is much lower compared to the other ð1 β4 Þ
authors.
� �� � � ��
α � n ρl m 1=2
Kl ¼ c þ1 (28)
1 α ρg
3.3. Correlations developed for Venturi tube
� α ��ρ �H
3.3.1. De Leeuw’s correlation (1997) (DL, 1997) (29)
0 g
x¼c
1 α ρl
The first dedicated Venturi’s correlation was proposed by Leeuw in
1997. It is only applicable to wet gas measurements, where the Lockhart-
where c, n, m, c and H are constants that are determined by the flow
0

Martinelli parameter must not be greater than 0.3. The author intro­
regimes and the experimental conditions. Under bubble and slug flow,
duced the gas densitometric Froude number ðFrÞ to further clarify the
c ¼ 0:5, n ¼ 0:95, m ¼ 0:02, c ¼ 0:51 and H ¼ 0:65; under wavy flow,
0

measuring errors caused by the presence of the liquid phase. The basic
c ¼ 1:3, n ¼ 1:15, m ¼ 0:08, c ¼ 1:25 and H ¼ 0:7; under annular flow,
0

formulation of De Leeuw’s correlation is similar to Chisholm’s

c ¼ 1:2, n ¼ 0:95, m ¼ 0:05, c ¼ 1:21 and H ¼ 0:95.
0
correlation:
, sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi��
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�
ffiffiffiffiffi�ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ρl n
ρg n
3.3.4. ISO/TR 11583 (2012) (11583:2012 I, 2012)
Mg ¼ Mg; Apparent 1þ þ X þ X2 (25) The international standard ISO/TR 11583 describes the measure­
ρg ρl
ment of wet gas flow (the gas volume fraction must be no less than 95%)
where n ¼ 0:606ð1 e 0:746Fr
Þ, if Fr � 1.5; n ¼ 0:41, if 0.5 � Fr < 1.5. with Venturi tubes and orifice plates. The proposed correlation for
Venturi tubes is given by:
3.3.2. Steven’s correlation (2002) (Steven, 2002) qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi .pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
Mg ¼ Cwet Kg A2 2ΔPtp ρg 1 þ CX þ X 2 (30)
Steven (2002) (Steven, 2002) developed a new correlation for wet
gas Venturi measurements by employing independent test data from a " #
wet gas flow loop, where a six-inch horizontal Venturi with a beta ratio 0:05Frg;th
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
X Frg
where Cwet ¼ 1 0:0463e min 1; ; Frg;th ¼ ; C ¼
of 0.55 was installed. Steven’s correlation is defined by: 0:016 β2:5

�� � � �n � �n
1 þ AX þ BFr ; n ¼ maxð0:583 0:18β2 0:578e 0:8Frg =H
; 0:392
ρl ρg
Mg ¼ Mg; Apparent (26) ρg þ ρl
1 þ CX þ DFr
0:18β2 Þ; for hydrocarbon liquid, H ¼ 1; for water, H ¼ 1.35; for liquid
where A ¼ 2454:51ðρg =ρl Þ2 389:568ðρg =ρl Þ þ 18:146; B ¼

5
X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

Table 2
Relevant parameters of Venturi-based experimental setups.
Authors Tested Fluids Fluids Types Installed devices Venturi Beta Pressure, Flow rate
direction Ratio bar

De Leeuw Nitrogen-diesel Wet gas [Gas Volume Venturi Horizontal 0.401 15–95 1.08–458.33 m3/h (liquid);
(1997) oil Fraction (GVF) ¼ 50–1458.33 m3/h (gas)
90–100%]
Steven Nitrogen- Wet gas (GVF > 95%) Venturi Horizontal 0.55 20–60 3.04–65.11 m3/h (liquid);
(2002) kerosene 400–1000 m3/h (gas)
substitute
Zhang et al. Oil-air Low quality fluids (x < Venturi þ void fraction sensor Horizontal 0.55 2–4 4.5–6.3 m3/h (liquid); 0–14
(2005) 1.98%) [Electrical Capacitance Tomography m3/h (gas)
(ECT)]

Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of the experimental facility.

water in wet-steam flow, H ¼ 0.79. mass flowrates. The performance of eleven correlations out of the
sixteen was verified based on an existing Venturi experimental setup at
3.3.5. He and Bai’s correlation (2014) (He and Bai, 2014) Cranfield University. Only the slug flow regime was tested in the ex­
He and Bai (2014) introduced an alternative correlation for wet gas periments to exclude the influence of different flow patterns. It was
flow rate measurement based on the relationship between the two-phase noted that, under the current test flow conditions, the vertical upward
flow coefficient, the density ratio (gas to liquid), the Lockhart-Martinelli intermittent flow regimes dominated the experiments. The results of the
parameter and the gas densitometric Froude number. The proposed newly generated experimental data were then compared with six similar
correlation can be defined as: review studies available in the literature.
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi " ! #
Kg A2 2ΔPtp ρg 0:5681 4.1. Experimental setup and procedure
Mg ¼ qffiffiffiffiffi�ffiffiffiffiffiffi 0:1444Fr 0:1494 X þ 1 (31)
1 þ pffiXffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ρg ρl
ρg =ρl
The experimental setup consists of three major components,
The authors above paid great attention to developing Venturi tube including a water supply system, an air supply system and a vertical flow
correlations for wet gas measurements. In the five listed correlations, test section (Venturi tube). A schematic diagram of the experimental
four of them are specifically considered for wet gas flow metering. The facility is presented in Fig. 2. In the experiments, the water flow was
study by Zhang et al. (2005) is the only exception, as it covered very supplied through 2-inch horizontal pipelines from an underground tank
low-quality measurements. There seems to be a gap for a Venturi cor­ by a centrifugal pump. The air flow, which was provided by compres­
relation that can measure two-phase flow in a general quality range. The sors, was injected at an injection point that is 100D away from the test
relevant parameters of Venturi-based experimental setups are collected section. The water flowrates were measured using an Autoflux Electro­
in Table 2. The data from ISO/TR 11583 and He & Bai’s correlations are magnetic Flow Meter (0–4.524 m3/h, � 0.1% of the upper range) while
not included, as the details of the corresponding experimental setups the gas flowrates were recorded by a Quadrina Turbine Flow Meter
were not mentioned in the original sources. (0–60 m3/h, � 0.1% of the upper range). The riser base is the location
where the superficial gas and liquid velocities were referring to. The
4. Correlation performance local pressure Pg and temperature Tg were measured and recorded. As
the tests were conducted using air and water superficial velocities at the
In this paper, ad hoc tests were carried out to compare the perfor­ riser base hence only the local gas and water volumetric flow rates were
mance of different correlations through the prediction of two-phase required. The local volumetric liquid flow rates were directly taken from

6
X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of the test section (a), geometric dimensions of the Venturi tube (b), and a photograph of the tested Venturi tube (c).

Fig. 4. Scheme of two-phase (air and water) flowrate measurements.

the water flow meter, while the local volumetric gas flowrates Qg is pressure at the gas metering point, respectively.
calculated using the equation below: The experiments were performed under various superficial air and
� � � � water velocity combinations to investigate the flow along the vertical
Tg Pa
Qg ​ ¼ ​ Qa * * (32) test section. The tested superficial water velocities were in the range of
Ta Pg
0.22 m/s to 1.18 m/s while the superficial air velocities varied from
1.03 m/s to 2.27 m/s. During the tests, the operating conditions were
where Qa , Ta and Pa are volumetric gas flowrates, temperature and
kept at a pressure of 1–3 bara under ambient temperature. The desired

Fig. 5. Comparison between reference mass flowrates and those predicted by 11 existing correlations under slug flow pattern.

7
X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

Fig. 6. RMSF of two-phase mass flowrate predictions of eleven existing correlations under slug flow conditions.

flow rates of both water and air were then circulated in the system via accuracy of �0.5%.
the corresponding control valves until a steady-state condition was
reached. After that, the values of pressure at each observing point and 4.2. Results and analyses
the corresponding flowrates of each phase was recorded by the data
acquisition system. The same experimental procedures were repeated Eleven correlations were selected due to their suitable liquid/gas
for different flow rate combinations. ratio combination compared to the experimental conditions at Cranfield
The outlet of the flow loop was connected to a hose under atmo­ University. Given the broad range of experimental conditions tested in
spheric pressure, where the air was discharged to the atmosphere and previous studies, a direct point-by-point comparison with the present
water sent back to the tank. The void fraction was controlled in the range study was not possible. However, the set-up at Cranfield University
of 0.15–0.49. As illustrated in Fig. 3 a, b and c, the Venturi tube has a represented a consistent platform to test all of the eleven correlations
throat diameter of 27.40 mm, a beta ratio of 0.50 and a total length of against the same experimental points. The predictions of two-phase
267.86 mm, which was designed based on ISO 5167-4 2005. The mass flowrates by the Homogeneous, Separated, Murdock, Bizon, Col­
convergent and divergent angles are 21� and 14.5� , respectively. lin, Lin, Phillips Petroleum, Jame, Chisholm, Zhang et al., 1992, and
The current experimental procedure consists of three major steps Zhang et al., 2005 are plotted in Fig. 5, compared with the reference
(see Fig. 4). In the first step, flow patterns of two-phase flow were mass flowrates. As can be seen, most of the correlations overestimated
identified in real-time through the method of Probability Density the measurements, with the exception of the Homogeneous, Bizon and
Function (PDF) analysis. The void fraction data were collected through a Collin models.
16 � 16 Wire Mesh Sensor (WMS) installed at the entrance of the The more direct root mean square error (RMSE) comparing method
Venturi tube, as presented in Fig. 3 a and c. The WMS has a measuring was also applied in this study. RMSE can be expressed as:
range of 0–100% gas volume fraction (GVF) with an accuracy of �10%. sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi�ffiffiffiffi
In the second step, the gas mass quality was calculated from the corre­ 1X n
Mpredicted i ðMactual Þi 2
sponding correlations and measured void fractions. The empirical cor­ RMSE ¼ (35)
n i¼1 ðMactual Þi
relation between void fraction and mass quality is obtained by
(Abdul-Razzak and Shoukri JSC, 1995; Huang et al., 2005): where n is the number of tests.
1 α The calculated results of the RMSE analysis are presented in Fig. 6,
¼ 0:1531Xv0:9833 (33) indicating that the Homogeneous model gives the best performance with
α
an RMSF of 0.0394. The modified Murdock formulae (Phillips Petro­
where Xv is a modified Lockhart-Martinelli parameter, which can be leum, Lin, Collin, and Bizon) are the second-best, with RMSFs of ~0.15.
defined as (Abdul-Razzak and Shoukri JSC, 1995; Huang et al., 2005): These correlations, which were originally formulated for orifice plates,
� �0:9 � �0:5 � �0:1 performed satisfactorily. The Chisholm correlation takes the third place,
1 x ρg μl
Xv ¼ (34) with an RMSF of 0.1685.
x ρl μg
In the end, the mass flowrates were predicted by selected two-phase 5. Comparisons with previous studies
flow correlations of through calculated mass fraction and measured
pressure differentials. Three pressure transducers were mounted along The performance of various correlations for application to Venturi
the Venturi tube: upstream (u), throat (th) and downstream (d) (see tubes has been investigated by several previous researchers. Steven
Fig. 3 a). The downstream and throat pressure transducers have a (2002) assessed the performances of seven correlations listed in Section
measuring range of 0–6 barg with an accuracy of �0.15% while the 3 for wet gas metering, including two wet gas Venturi-correlations and
upstream pressure transducer has a measuring range of 0–4 barg with an five general two-phase flow orifice-correlations. Huang et al. (2005)
tested and compared five general orifice-correlations, using a Venturi

8
X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

Table 3
Experimental setups in Venturi correlations performance tests.
Authors Tested Fluids Void Installed Flow Beta Pressure, Flow rate Tested Tested Models Correlations
Fluids Types fraction, % devices direction Ratio bar Flow with the best
patterns performance

Steven Nitrogen- Wet gas – Venturi Horizontal 0.55 20–60 3.04–65.11 Annular- Homogeneous; De Leeuw
(2002) kerosene (GVF > m3/h dispersed Murdock; (RMSE ¼
substitute 95%) (liquid); Chishlom; Smith 0.0211);
400–1000 & Leang; Lin; De Homogeneous
m3/h (gas) Leeuw (RMSE ¼
0.0237);
Huang Air-diesel Relatively 13–80 Venturi Horizontal 0.55 3.8–4 0–15 m3/h bubble, Homogeneous; Separated
et al. oil low þ void (liquid); slug, Separated; (RMSE ¼
(2005) quality fraction 0–30 m3/h stratified Murdock; 0.1–0.3)a;
fluids (x < sensor (gas) and Chishlom; Lin Chishlom
10%) (ECT) annular (RMSE ¼
0.15–0.5)a;
Fang Air-water Wet gas – Venturi Horizontal 0.4040, 1.5, 2 and – – Homogeneous; Homogeneous
et al. 0.55 & 2.5 Murdock; (RMSE ¼
(2007) 0.7 Chishlom; Smith 0.11021);
(Lide & Leang; Lin; De
et al., Leeuw
2007)
Oliveira Air-water Relatively 2–85 Venturi Horizontal 0.5 2–3 �4 m3/h bubble, Homogeneous; Chishlom
et al. low þ void & Vertical (liquid); slug, Chishlom; (RMSE ¼
(2009) quality fraction �14 m3/h churn and Zhang et al. 0.079);
fluids (x < sensor (gas) annular (1992); Zhang Homogeneous
10%) (ECT) et al. (2005) (RMSE ¼
0.086);
Meng Air-water Relatively 3–93a Venturi Horizontal 0.58 3 0.1–16 m3/ bubble, Homogeneous; Collin and
et al. low (Estimated) þ void &0.68 h (liquid); slug, Separated; Gasesa (RMSE
(2010) quality fraction 0.1–20 m3/ stratified James; ¼
fluids (x < sensor h (gas) and Murdock; 0.0256–0.123);
10%) (ERT) annular Bizon;
Collin and
Gasesa;
Chishlom; Lin
Gupta Air-water – 2–22 Venturi Horizontal – ~0.9 14.5–21.69 – Homogeneous; Homogeneous
et al. m3/h James; (Error < 5%);
(2016) (liquid); Murdock; Collin and
�0–3.47 Collin and Gasesa (Error <
m3/h (gas) Gasesa; 5%);
Chishlom; Zhang et al.
Zhang et al. (2005) (Error <
(2005) 5%);
Current Air-water Relatively 15–49 Venturi Vertical 0.5 1–3 1.5–8.5 m3/ slug Homogeneous; Homogeneous
study low þ Wire h (liquid); Separated; (RMSE ¼
quality Mesh 7–16 m3/h Murdock; 0.0394);
fluids (x < Sensor (gas) Bizon;
10%) (WMS) Collin, Lin;
Phillips
Petroleum;
Jame; Chisholm;
Zhang et al.
(1992); Zhang
et al. (2005);
a
The value was extracted from a corresponding figure, marking it as “estimated”.

meter and a void fraction sensor [Electrical Capacitance Tomography to study the influence of various parameters in Venturi two-phase flow
(ECT)]. Fang et al. (2007) (Lide et al., 2007) presented the re-tested experiments, as well as find out the best performing model that fits most
results for the seven correlations that were originally proposed in Ste­ of the scenarios.
ven’s work (Steven, 2002) under low pressure and low Lockhart and As presented in Table 3, the selected tested fluids are basically the
Martinelli parameter conditions. Oliveira et al. (2009) reported the combination of air-water or air-oil, where a polarisation of the gas
comparisons of four correlations (one Venturi-correlation and three proportion can be seen. The gas quality is either very high (e.g. GVF
orifice-correlations) through a two-phase flow setup, using a Venturi >95% in wet gas measurements), or very low (x < 10%). In addition,
meter and a void fraction sensor (ECT). Meng et al. (2010) selected eight several previous authors ((Zhang et al., 2005), (Huang et al., 2005),
orifice-correlations that were closest to their experimental operating (Oliveira et al., 2009), (Meng et al., 2010)) as well as the current study
conditions to test by a Venturi meter and a void fraction sensor [Elec­ applied void fraction sensors (either ECT or ERT or WMS) to determine
trical Resistance Tomography (ERT)]. Gupta et al. (2016) discussed the the gas quality and to identify flow regimes.
performances of six two-phase flow correlations in their investigation of In the seven studies of Table 3, only the Oliveira et al. (2009)
flow measurements in a Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). addressed flow direction as one of the variables in the tests, where both
The experimental setups and tested models from the six previous vertical and horizontal Venturi tubes were installed in the experimental
studies described above and the current experiment that was introduced setup. The authors claimed that the flow direction had no major impact
in Section 4 are summarised in Table 3. The goal of this data collection is on the results under their experimental operating conditions. However,

9
X. Liu et al. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78 (2020) 103323

Fig. 7. The amount of times correlations scored as the best-performing in the present study (based on Table 3).

Steven (2002) stated that the vertical or horizontal flow direction can previously published works, taking into consideration their claimed
influence the flow measurement, as gravity plays a role in relation to application ranges. A quantitative evaluation of these studies was car­
changes in flow regime. Further investigations are required in this area, ried out. Despite various Venturi geometry, pipe diameters, fluids
as a vertical installation of Venturi tubes is only seldom mentioned in properties, operating conditions, and tested flow patterns, the Homo­
public papers, in comparison with horizontal installations. In our ex­ geneous model, which has the simplest expression, was the one that
periments, as described in Section 4, the choice of a vertical set-up was performed best.
made. Recent evidence suggests that flow patterns have a great impact on
The influence of flow patterns has attracted growing attention in the the accuracy of two-phase flow measurement. In this study, only one
area of two-phase flow measurement. As displayed in Table 3, Huang flow regime was tested due to experimental limitations. More tests are
et al. (2005), Oliveira et al. (2009) and Meng et al. (2010) tested various required to cover other flow patterns commonly encountered in gas field
two-phase flow correlations under different flow patterns: bubble, slug, developments.
stratified, churn and annular flow. Their experimental results confirmed
that flow regimes have a direct impact and that the same correlation can Declaration of competing interest
perform differently under different flow patterns, and the latter is
associated with different pressure losses through restrictions in a pipe. In The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
our experiments, only one flow regime was selected to avoid the influ­ interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
ence of multiple flow regimes. the work reported in this paper.
The best-performing models for each test are presented in the last
column of Table 3. Despite different tested fluids, liquid-gas ratio, CRediT authorship contribution statement
Venturi geometry, operating pressure/temperature, flow patterns, and
experimental setups, the homogeneous correlation, which is the simplest Xiaolei Liu: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Investiga­
model among those considered, was scored as the best-performing (see tion, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft. Liyun Lao:
Fig. 7). Conceptualization, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing,
Supervision. Gioia Falcone: Validation, Writing - review & editing,
6. Conclusions Supervision.

This study has comprehensively evaluated well-established correla­ Acknowledgements

tions for two-phase flow through Venturi tubes and assessed their per­
formance against experimental data. Sixteen differential pressure This work is funded by the European Metrology Research Pro­
correlations were critically reviewed with a focus on their applicability gramme (ENG58-MultiFlowMet) project ‘Multiphase flow metrology in
to Venturi tubes, including clarifications of the corresponding theoret­ the Oil and Gas production’, and the European Metrology Programme
ical basis. Among them, the performance of eleven correlations out of for Innovation and Research project (16ENG07-MultiFlowMet II) project
the sixteen was verified based on a two-phase flow test rig with an multiphase flow reference metrology, which are jointly funded by the
installed ISO 5167-4 2005 Venturi tube. To compare the performance of European Commission and participating countries within Euramet and
the different correlations, ad hoc experiments were conducted through the European union.
2-inch horizontal pipelines, where a vertical Venturi tube was mounted
along with a 16 � 16 WMS. Under current operating conditions, the Appendix A. Supplementary data
vertical upward intermittent flow regimes dominated the experiments.
Therefore, only the slug flow pattern was evaluated through the tests. Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.
The comparison showed that the Homogeneous model performed org/10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103323.
slightly better than other correlations, which had the lowest RMSF of
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 Cranfield University
CERES Research Repository https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/
School of Water, Energy and Environment (SWEE) Staff publications (SWEE)

A comprehensive assessment of
correlations for two-phase flow through
Venturi tubes

Liu, Xiaolei
2020-04-17
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Liu X, Lao Y, Falcone G. (2020) A comprehensive assessment of correlations for two-phase

flow through Venturi tubes. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, Volume 78, June
2020, Article number 103323
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103323
Downloaded from CERES Research Repository, Cranfield University