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Escrig, Josep (2017) Influence of geometrical parameters on gas-liquid intermittent flows. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

The influence of geometrical parameters on the development of intermittent flow is studied in this thesis. The geometrical parameters considered are the diameter of the pipe, the angle of inclination of the pipe, and the distribution of the area of the gas injection.

Intermittent flow in gas-liquid two-phase flows occurs when, from a fixed point, a gas dominated structure followed by a liquid dominated structure seems to repeat at a certain mean frequency. It is mainly slug flow but churn and cap bubble flow also fall into this broad category.

Intermittent gas-liquid two-phase flow was investigated in a 67 mm diameter, 6 m long rig and also in a 127 mm diameter, 12 m long rig. The test section of the 67 mm rig was mounted in a steel frame supported by a pivot that allowed changing the inclination of the pipe from vertical to horizontal in steps of 15°. The 127 mm rig can only be operated in the upwards vertical position. The fluids utilised were air and silicon oil of viscosity = 5 cP and density = 0.912 kg/m3. The interfacial surface tension was measured at 0.02 N/m. The facilities were both operated at atmospheric pressure. The gas superficial velocity (Ugs) was varied from 0.17 to 2.9 m/s and liquid superficial velocity (Uls) from 0.023 to 0.47 m/s. The void fraction generated by each set of conditions was captured for 60 seconds using a Wire Mesh Sensor and a twin plane Electrical Capacitance Tomography probe.

The effect of the diameter and the angle of inclination of the pipe under different gas and liquid superficial velocities was reported. The main findings can be summarised as that the velocity of the periodic structures was found to be higher in large diameter pipes and increases with increasing the angle of inclination reaching a maximum around 50° then decreases. In addition, the frequency of the gas structures was found to be higher in small diameter pipes and increases with increasing the inclination of the pipe for all the gas and liquid superficial velocities investigated.

Additionally, two correlations to predict the velocity and the frequency of the periodic gas structures as a function of the diameter, the inclination of the pipe, the gas superficial velocity and the liquid superficial velocity were developed. The proposed correlations were found to not only be in excellent agreement with the present experimental results (less than 20% difference), but also in good agreement with data published by other researchers. This include data produced using different fluids, different diameters of pipe and different gas and liquid superficial velocities to the ones investigated in this work.

It was also found that the gas injection area, modified using different gas-liquid mixers, do not have an influence on the development of the intermittent two-phase flows at 75 diameters axial length from the mixing point.

Item Type:	Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (PhD)
Supervisors:	Hewakandamby, Buddhika Dimitrakis, Georgios
Keywords:	Multi-phase flow, Intermittent flow, Capacitance tomography
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) > TA 357 Fluid mechanics
Faculties/Schools:	UK Campuses > Faculty of Engineering
Item ID:	47085
Depositing User:	Escrig, Josep
Date Deposited:	13 Dec 2017 04:40
Last Modified:	14 Dec 2017 11:20
URI:	https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/47085

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