In the February issue, I wrote about the tough times our industry is going through and the prediction of even lower oil prices. Since then, the oil price did indeed drop further, to below USD 30/bbl, but recovered to approximately USD 34/bbl by the time of writing this introduction. Hopefully, that low point was the bottom and the price will recover even more, and I hope the same for the number of peer-reviewed papers.
Last year, we had several issues with five papers. We then dropped back to four per issue, but in the February issue, we had only two, and now only one paper. I have highlighted on several occasions the value of peer review and extended invitations to submit papers very regularly. I can only repeat this invitation, and hope that just as with the price of oil, we have hit the bottom and will begin to recover from here.
This paper is research-related with very practical applications. It describes an experimental study to investigate characteristics of three-phase stratified wavy flow in horizontal pipelines. The experiments are conducted under low-liquid-loading conditions, which are commonly observed in wet-gas pipelines. The analyzed flow characteristics include wave pattern, liquid holdup, water holdup, pressure gradient, and wetted-wall fraction.
The number of experimental three-phase data sets, especially in larger pipe diameters, is very limited. This paper provides comprehensive data for three-phase stratified flow in a 6-in.-ID pipe and includes comparisons with the results of various models that are commonly used in the industry.
I hope you will find this paper of interest, but most of all, I hope that this section encourages you to submit a paper for peer review.
Gerald Verbeek, Peer-Review Editor,
Verbeek Management Services
Associate Editors
Williams Chirinos,
InexertusGalen Dino, Dino Engineering
Sudhakar Mahajanam, ConocoPhillips
