Paper Award at TFEC 2026 for a study conducted by the Department of Energy
The award was granted to the paper “Characterization of Three-Phase Air-Water-Oil Flows in a Downward Inclined Pipe: Pressure Gradient and Interfacial Wave Parameters”, authored by Igor M. Carraretto, Alessandro Campagna, and Luigi P. M. Colombo.
The conference took place from March 9 to 12, 2026, at Arizona State University (Tempe, USA), with international participation both in person and online.
The awarded study analyzes the behavior of three-phase air–water–oil flows in inclined pipes, a phenomenon relevant to many industrial applications, particularly in the energy sector and hydrocarbon transport. Through an experimental campaign conducted in the laboratory, the researchers characterized the main flow parameters, including flow regimes, pressure gradients, and interfacial properties. The experimental results were compared with theoretical models available in the literature, and new modeling approaches were also proposed.
The results show that the presence of a third high-viscosity phase significantly affects flow stability and transitions between different flow regimes, providing new experimental data for the development of more accurate models to predict multiphase flow behavior in pipelines.
The award confirms the contribution of the Department of Energy to the advancement of international research in applied fluid dynamics and complex energy systems.
The conference is organized by ASTFE, one of the leading international scientific societies in the field of thermal engineering and fluid dynamics, committed to promoting research, fostering academia–industry collaboration, and disseminating knowledge in the field.
