Vertical two-phase flow regimes and pressure gradients: Effect of viscosity

Journal Article · Tue May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EXPTHERMFLUSCI.2006.03.030· OSTI ID:20880658

Da Hlaing, Nan; Sirivat, Anuvat; Siemanond, Kitipat ^[1]; Wilkes, James O ^[2]

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1. The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Soi Chula 12, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand)
2. Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136 (United States)

The effect of liquid viscosity on the flow regimes and the corresponding pressure gradients along the vertical two-phase flow was investigated. Experiment was carried out in a vertical transparent tube of 0.019 m in diameter and 3 m in length and the pressure gradients were measured by a U-tube manometer. Water and a 50 vol.% glycerol solution were used as the working fluids whose kinematic viscosities were 0.85 x 10{sup -6} and 4.0 x 10{sup -6} m{sup 2}/s, respectively. In our air-liquid annular two-phase flow, the liquid film of various thicknesses flowed adjacent to the wall and the gas phase flowed at the center of the tube. The superficial air velocity, j{sub air}, was varied between 0.0021 and 58.7 m/s and the superficial liquid velocity, j{sub liquid}, was varied between 0 and 0.1053 m/s. In the bubble, the slug and the slug-churn flow regimes, the pressure gradients decreased with increasing Reynolds number. But in the annular and the mist flow regimes, pressure gradients increased with increasing Reynolds number. Finally, the experimentally measured pressure gradient values were compared and are in good agreement with the theoretical values. (author)

• OSTI ID: 20880658
• Journal Information: Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Journal Name: Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 31; ISSN 0894-1777; ISSN ETFSEO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
AIR
BUBBLES
FILMS
GLYCEROL
LIQUIDS
PRESSURE GRADIENTS
REYNOLDS NUMBER
SOLUTIONS
THICKNESS
TUBES
TWO-PHASE FLOW
VELOCITY
VISCOSITY
WATER