Two Phase Flow

Abdul Basit Ahmad 1221ME02 IIT Patna

Two Phase Flow

Special case of Multiphase flow A gas-liquid flow is called two phase flow Large scale power systems most commonly studied case Also in refrigeration, heat pumps and air conditioning

Characteristics of Two Phase Flow

Surface Tension makes the dynamical problems nonlinear Large scale changes in the density of mediums lead to compressibility effects The phase change isnt instantaneous and hence the liquid-vapor system may not be in equilibrium.

Important Quantities
Vol. av. gas fraction = void fraction = = Mass quality of flow = Volumetric quality , =
+ +

, = mass rate of flow =

, = vol. rate of flow

Superficial velocity of phase , =

Slip ratio, ratio of gas and liquid phase velocities: 1 = = 1

Analysis of Two phase flow

Three methods of analysis Homogenous flow model:
Consider flow to be single phased. Weighted average properties from phases.

Separated flow model:

Artificially segregated phases. Equations written per phase Need information on interaction among phases Of phase and wall Area occupied by each phase

Flow Pattern model:

2 phase flow in a channel takes some specific configurations.

(contd.)
Flow Pattern Models (contd.)
Flow takes one of 3 or 4 prescribed configurations. Need to figure out configuration of flow. The flow patterns depend on a variety of factors viz. geometry, flow velocity, flow composition etc. Need to identify pattern to analyze flow In transparent channels and at low velocities can simply see and observe. Flash photography or X-radiography otherwise.

Common Flow Patterns

Bubbly Flow
Gas phase distributed as discrete bubbles in a continuous liquid phase Is prevalent at low vapor concentrations

Slug Flow
Gas bubbles are approximately the diameter of the pipe Nose of bubble is characteristically spherical Bubble and wall separated by a film of liquid Slugs of liquid separate adjacent gas bubbles.

Churn Flow
At higher velocities Formed by breakdown of large vapor bubbles in the slug flow. The gas flow is very chaotic Flow has oscillatory character

(contd.)
Wispy annular flow
Thick liquid film at the walls and considerable liquid entrainment in the central gas phase Liquid film is aerated by small gas bubbles Entrained liquid appears as large droplets, agglomerated in long filaments or wisps

Annular flow
Liquid film at wall Gas core with some amount of droplet entrainment These droplets are not agglomerated but finely dispersed Large amplitude coherent waves

Fig 1: Regimes in Multiphase Flow

Shortcomings
No general method of deciding flow pattern
Flow pattern is subjective Depends on many local factors Less well defined parameters also affect flow pattern
Departure from local hydrodynamic equilibrium Presence of trace contaminants

e.g. injection of air into a porous wall

Bubbly near wall. Slug away from it

Flow Patterns in Vertical Heated Tube

Important special case Presence of heat flux alters the flow pattern Main reasons:
Departure from thermodynamic equilibrium Radial temperature profile Departure from local hydrodynamic equilibrium throughout

Thermal boundary layer formed at the wall Wall temperature exceeds saturation temperature Nucleation takes place at preferred sites along the wall Vapor bubbles grow and form bubbly flow Bubble population increases along length of the tube

(contd.)
Bubbles eventually coalesce leading to slug flow Further, due to high velocities, liquid entrainment observed Also evaporation at liquid vapor interface Loss of liquid leads to annular flow Eventually all the liquid dries out, leading to a single phase vapor flow Interspersed are small droplets of liquid These slowly evaporate with the passage of time

Fig 2: Flow Patterns in a Vertical Heated Tube

Flow Pattern Maps

Widely felt need for a simple method to predict flow patterns and transitions between them One way of this is to use the so called Flow Pattern Maps Using a given set of local flow parameters, map out the flow pattern and transitions between them

Development of Maps
Based on the actual superficial phase velocities, , Secondary variables impossible to represent Unlikely that these parameters have the same influence in all cases Examination of each transition individually underway Caveat: Map is only a rough guide

Fig 3: Flow pattern map for vertical flow

 Obtained by Hewitt and Roberts 1969 From observations on low pressure air-water and high pressure steam-water flow in small diameter(1-3 cm) vertical tubes Axes represent superficial momentum fluxes of liquid( ( )2 ) and vapor phases ( ( )2 ) Can also express the superficial momentum fluxes in terms of mass velocity and vapor quality as follows: ( ) =
2 [(1)]2

[(1)]2 2 ( ) =

Basic Equations of Multiphase Flow

There are many forms in which the equations have been written Can either consider in terms of local instantaneous or space-or-time averaged quantities Averaging simplifies the equations and makes them more tractable, at the cost of loss of information Considering one dimensional steady state flow Consider a system as shown in figure 4 Stratified multiphase flow in an inclined channel Stratified to derive general equations with phases in contact with each other and the walls Assume mean values of velocity and density of each phase across any plane normal to the flow Sum of areas occupied by all phases in any plane normal to the flow is equal to the total channel area

Fig 4: Simplified model for multiphase flow in an element of the channel

Conservation of Mass
In the absence of addition or removal of mass to the system:

represents mass generation per unit length = 0

Conservation of Momentum
Balance of forces acting on a differential element Balancing rate of inflow and rate of creation of momentum against sum of forces and momentum generation due to mass transfer Pressure forces, gravitational forces, wall shear, interfacial shear forces and the generation of momentum from mass transfer

Expression
Conservation of momentum for a differential element is written as: sin +

= +
Where, = for phase i.e the mass rate of flow

Conservation of Energy
Balance of various gains and losses in energy for the control element Rate of increase of total energy ( kinetic + internal ) of phase + total energy convected into the control element Balanced with the sum of heat addition to the phase and the work done on the phase Along with the rate at which energy is transferred across the interface of the control element

Expression
Conservation of energy for a differential element is written as:

+ +

+ + sin

= Where, = + is the heat flow from wall to phase / wall length = +

, the enthalpy per unit mass

Evaluation of pressure drop

Basic Equation: + = = Total Pressure drop:

where:

+ =

2 2

1 2 1

= sin

= sin + 1

Modeling of Two Phase Flow

Homogenous Flow Model

Assumptions of the homogenous flow model
Equal liquid and vapor velocities Attainment of thermodynamic equilibrium between phases Use of a suitably well defined single-phase friction factor for two phase flow, based on the properties of both the phases

Governing Equations
For steady one dimensional homogenous flow Continuity: = Momentum: sin = Energy: = +
2 2

+ sin

(contd.)
The overbar denotes averaged quantities Also: = + + is the net total wall shear force = =
the homogenous = + 1

fluid specific volume = + =

is the homogenous fluid density = Now,

2 2

= is a convenient two phase friction factor that is evaluated using a mean two phase viscosity, that is evaluated empirically

Separated Flow Model

Assumptions of the separated flow model
Velocities of phases need not be equal Attainment of thermodynamic equilibrium between phases Use of empirical correlations or simplified concepts to relate the two phase friction multiplier 2 and the void fraction to the independent variables of the flow

Found to be most valid for annular flow

Momentum Equation
The basic equations are already given for separated flow The frictional pressure gradient can be expressed in terms of the single phase pressure gradient of the total flow considered as a liquid The frictional pressure gradient is that part of the overall static pressure gradient that is required to overcome friction We have:
2

2 2

is the two phase multiplier

(contd.)
In terms of liquid flow only

2 2 1 2

Thus relationship between and

=
2

1 1 4 1 2 2

Similarly for and

2

1
2

1.75 2

A similar relationship for

and

Evaluation of

and

In order to compute the net pressure gradient we need to evaluate the above two quantities These quantities need to be known in terms of independent flow quantities This is achieved by using empirical correlations These correlations range from simple to incredibly complex No correlation valid over all flow conditions Every correlation has its own range of validity First done by Martinelli et al Important correlations are Lockhart-Martinelli, Martinelli-Nelson and Thom correlations Will only consider Lockhart-Martinelli, others are rather similar

The Lockhart-Martinelli Correlation

Assign some definite area of the flow to each phase Assume that conventional friction pressure-drop equations can be used for each phase Ignores the interaction between phases makes it somewhat inaccurate Basic postulates:
Four flow regimes, defined on the basis of the behavior of the flow The liquid and gas phase pressure drops considered equal, irrespective of the details of the particular flow pattern The acceleration and the static head components of the pressure drop are considered to be negligibly small Again the above statement implies that the liquid and gas phase pressure drops are equal

Fig 5: Lockhart-Martinelli Correlation