Prediction and improvement of the solid particles transfer rate for the bulk handing system design of offshore drilling vessels

• Published in: International journal of naval architecture and ocean engineering Vol. 7; no. 6; pp. 964 - 978
• Main Authors: Ryu, Mincheol, Jeon, Dong Soo, Kim, Yooil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-11-2015; De Gruyter Open; Elsevier; 대한조선학회
• Subjects: Bulk handling system; Drilling system; Multiphase flow; Pneumatic conveying; Transfer rate; 조선공학; Bulk handling system; Pneumatic conveying; Drilling system; Multiphase flow; Transfer rate
• DOI: 10.1515/ijnaoe-2015-0067
• EISSN: 2092-6790
• ISSN: 2092-6782

Numerous experiments with a scaled pilot facility were carried out to compare the relative bulk transfer performance of three special devices for applications to drilling systems. The pipe diameter for bulk transportation was 3 in., which corresponds to around half of the actual system dimensions. Two different pressures, 3 and 4 bar, were considered to check the relative performance under different pressure conditions at a bulk storage tank. And to make a practical estimation method of the bulk transfer rate at the early design stages of the bulk handling system, a series of experiments were conducted for real scaled bulk handing systems of two drilling vessels. The pressure drops at each pipe element as well as the bulk transfer rates were measured under different operating conditions. Using the measured results, the friction factor for each pipe element was calculated and a procedure for transfer rate estimation was developed. Compared to the measured transfer rate results for other drilling vessels, the estimated transfer rates were within a maximum 15% error bound.