Trapped water displacement from low sections of oil pipelines

The study is motivated by the problem of pipeline corrosion due to water accumulation at low spots. Lab-scale experiments were conducted to identify the critical conditions required for the onset of water displacement by oil flow from a low horizontal section into an upward inclined section of the pipeline. Two test loops with pipe diameters of 27 mm and 41 mm I.D. with diesel flow were used. Water withdrawal from tapping valves distributed along the up-hill section enabled to follow the water displacement for oil flow rates exceeding the critical value.