Stabilization of slugging in oil production facilities with or without upstream pressure sensors

► We model and stabilize in closed-loop multiphase slugging flow. ► Observer-based stabilization with topside pressure sensor only is possible, although limited. ► Pressure difference between top and bottom (when measured) is a good choice for the control variable. This paper presents methods for suppressing the slugging phenomenon occurring in multiphase flow. The considered systems include industrial oil production facilities such as gas-lifted wells and flowline risers with low-points. Given the difficulty to maintain sensors in deep locations, a particular emphasis is put on observer-based control design. It appears that, without any upstream pressure sensor, such a strategy can stabilize the flow. Besides, given a measurement or estimate of the upstream pressure, we propose a control strategy alternative to the classical techniques. The efficiency of these methods is assessed through experiments on a mid-scaled multiphase flow loop.