SINTEF and IFE have unique laboratory facilities for multiphase flow research at an international level. These laboratories perform experiments for both industrial and academic partners and are among the best in the world in their focus areas, offering capabilities for a variety of measurement methods. To ensure the continued delivery of up-to-date experimental data to national and international research communities, the partners jointly applied to the Norwegian Research Council for infrastructure funding to support the upgrade, maintenance, operation, and expansion of existing process equipment and instrumentation. The application also included funding to establish an extensive, searchable database for the large amounts of multiphase data collected over decades.
Providing access to the world's largest multiphase flow datasets will unlock new opportunities for production optimization via digitalization and improved multiphase flow modelling. This application was based on the IMF-2020 project outline.
For SINTEF, the initiative involved the acquisition of brand-new gas equipment, storage systems, and fitting facilities. These upgrades will have a significant impact on future research, enabling much better storage and controlled release of liquid gases, such as liquid CO₂, liquefied natural gas (LNG). The newly acquired gas facilities, showcased in the main picture, uphold SINTEF's Tiller Laboratory's tradition of providing world-class flow research infrastructure.
These developments are strongly linked to innovation and industry through collaborations with engineering companies, both past and future. Additionally, we foresee potential applications in blue hydrogen production and new industrial uses for hydrates. There are significant opportunities for innovation at the intersection of blue hydrogen, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and methane processing.
In addition to acquiring cutting-edge technology, SINTEF and IFE developed and launched FlowDa, an open database where historical data are stored and made available to anyone with an interest in multiphase flow in pipes.
FlowDa was officially launched on November 21, 2024, through a webinar. The webinar included a brief introduction and historical overview of Multiphase Flow Assurance research in Norway, followed by a guided tour of FlowDa. Step by step, the process of fetching, selecting, plotting, and exporting data was explained to the audience.
FlowDa offers multiple use cases. Through the Browse section, users can explore the various projects available, complete with general information about configurations, fluid systems, and instrument setups. Meanwhile, the Explore section allows users to query data directly. For example, if one needs data for a specific pipe diameter or inclination, the user simply inputs the desired parameters into the filtering tool, selects "Fetch data," chooses the relevant instruments and observed quantities, and updates the plot. This instantly reveals the available data points matching the query. A demonstration during the webinar described this functionality, including an example with a constant oil superficial velocity, as visualized in a screenshot of FlowDa.
FlowDa is envisioned as an ever-growing resource: future campaigns and datasets will be added to the database. It is also designed to accommodate private datasets, encouraging customers and clients to leverage FlowDa for their data needs, which may vary widely depending on the organization or individual. Additionally, collaborations with partner universities, research institutes, or companies interested in contributing to this open resource are welcomed. As data is the cornerstone of progress, access to it should be granted to as many people as possible, breaking down barriers and encouraging learning and innovation for future endeavors.
