Selected topics in the fluid mechanics of immiscible liquids

The first part of this dissertation deals with lubricated pipelining. Viscous fluids can be transported efficiently and effectively through the use of lubricated pipelining technology, where the viscous fluid (e.g. crude oil) is surrounded by a less viscous, immiscible fluid (e.g. water). The addition of the water substantially reduces the amount of frictional losses that would be present if the crude oil were flowing in the same pipeline alone. New data from a completely new pipeline are introduced and compared with literature sources. Many observations are given, along with a spectral analysis of wavy core-annular flow of crude oil in water. Then, a Reynolds number and friction factor are developed from well known equations for laminar core-annular flow and applied to a number of literature sources. A new correlation for holdup is introduced which is in good agreement with all holdup data found in the literature sources. Finally, some experiments which address the problem of pipeline fouling by searching for a hydrophilic pipe wall are introduced and discussed.; The mechanics of lubricated pipelining are partly controlled by the interfacial tension between the oil and water. In part II of this dissertation, an instrument for measuring interfacial tension is further developed by introducing a method for fitting data points obtained at an early time and then use them to predict a value of the surface tension. Then a theory is presented which is in agreement in form with the data reduction technique, but without quantitative agreement. The instrument is then critiqued, and results from other research is introduced.