Experimental Analysis of Reduction Bubble Size in Subsea Gas Leakage Using Mechanical Dispersion*

Subsea pipelines are fundamental to the development and production systems of offshore oil and gas fields. Subsea gas leakage is a catastrophic event in the energy sector, presenting a profoundly detrimental issue with numerous environmental consequences. If the leakage is not promptly addressed, toxic chemical compounds can quickly reach the sea surface, causing extensive damage. Gas leakage can be mitigated using burning, chemical or mechanical dispersion methods. Dispersion involves applying chemicals or water jets to break gas bubbles into smaller ones, reducing their upward speed and enhancing their biodegradation, allowing the ecosystem to eventually consume them completely. This paper addresses the behavior of reduced air bubbles, described by the two-dimensional space spanned by the Weber and Ohnesorge numbers, as a function of mechanical dispersion, using a freshwater jet, characteristics like flow rate and nozzle diameter. An experimental testbed was constructed to obtain data with different water jet configurations. Meaningful relationships were identified between reduced bubble behavior and water jet characteristics, which are useful for designing effective dispersion methods to mitigate subsea gas leakage.