A reformulation of UVN-flash for multicomponent two-phase systems with application to CO₂-rich mixture transport in pipelines

Abstract

Pipeline transport of dense-phase CO₂-rich mixtures is a crucial component in carbon capture and storage (CCS). Accurate modeling requires coupling of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, especially during transient events such as depressurization. In this work, we present a unified framework for two-phase multicomponent transport in pipelines that integrates both aspects. Specifically, we employ the homogeneous equilibrium model (HEM) for modeling the transport of two-phase CO₂-rich mixture, with thermodynamic closure provided by a Helmholtz energy-based equation of state. Phase equilibrium calculations are performed using UVN-flash, supplemented with a stability analysis procedure to detect phase separation and generate initial guesses for the phase-equilibrium calculations. Specifically, we introduce a novel tailored UVN-flash routine that aligns with the fluid dynamics formulation. This is achieved by introducing an alternative and better-scaled set of variables for the phase-equilibrium calculations. The proposed framework is applied to the depressurization of tanks and pipelines containing CO₂-rich mixtures, demonstrating its effectiveness for CCS-relevant applications.