Abstract
Experimental measurements were carried out for upward gas-liquid slug flow in a 50.8 mm diameter pipe. Parallel conductance wires were used to distinguish the Taylor bubbles and liquid slugs and to determine translation velocities and lengths, an electrochemical probe provided the magnitude and direction of the wall shear stress and a radio-frequency local probe was used for the axial and radial distribution of voidage in the liquid slugs. Data are reported over wide range of flow conditions covering slug flow and into the churn flow pattern. Comparison with the Fernandes model predictions are presented. Numerical simulation of slug flow provided information on the structure of flow in a liquid slug and, in particular, on the process of mixing behind a Taylor bubble.
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Abbreviations
- D :
-
pipe diameter
- f :
-
Taylor bubble frequency
- F Gi (x) :
-
gas existence function for i-th liquid slug
- g :
-
gravitational acceleration
- l A :
-
distance for the wall shear stress reversal in a liquid slug
- l B :
-
distance for the wall shear stress reversal in a Taylor bubble region
- l LS :
-
length of a liquid slug
- l TB :
-
length of a Taylor bubble
- n :
-
number of samples in an ensemble
- u :
-
axial velocity
- U M :
-
superficial mixture velocity (U SG + USL)
- U N :
-
translation velocity of the leading Taylor bubble
- U NLS :
-
average translation velocity of liquid slugs
- U NTB :
-
average translation velocity of Taylor bubbles
- U OT :
-
overtaking velocity of the trailing Taylor bubble
- U SG :
-
superficial gas velocity
- U SL :
-
superficial liquid velocity
- v :
-
radial velocity
- w (y) :
-
velocity profile at the inlet to a liquid slug
- x :
-
axial coordinate
- y :
-
radial coordinate
- α :
-
void fraction
- α LS :
-
void fraction in a liquid slug
- β :
-
β=〈l TB 〉/(〈lTB〉 + 〈lLS〉)
- ρ :
-
density
- σ :
-
surface tension
- τ ω :
-
shear stress
- φ :
-
saturation ratio, φ=τ w /ρ g h
- 〈 〉:
-
ensemble average
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Mao, ZS., Dukler, A.E. An experimental study of gas-liquid slug flow. Experiments in Fluids 8, 169–182 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195792
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195792