Application of time–frequency entropy from wake oscillation to gas–liquid flow pattern identification

Gas–liquid two-phase flow abounds in industrial processes and facilities. Identification of its flow pattern plays an essential role in the field of multiphase flow measurement. A bluff body was introduced in this study to recognize gas–liquid flow patterns by inducing fluid oscillation that enlarged differences between each flow pattern. Experiments with air–water mixtures were carried out in horizontal pipelines at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. Differential pressure signals from the bluff-body wake were obtained in bubble, bubble/plug transitional, plug, slug, and annular flows. Utilizing the adaptive ensemble empirical mode decomposition method and the Hilbert transform, the time–frequency entropy S of the differential pressure signals was obtained. By combining S and other flow parameters, such as the volumetric void fraction β, the dryness x, the ratio of density φ and the modified fluid coefficient ψ, a new flow pattern map was constructed which adopted S（1–x）φ and （1–β）ψ as the vertical and horizontal coordinates, respectively. The overall rate of classification of the map was verified to be 92.9% by the experimental data. It provides an effective and simple solution to the gas–liquid flow pattern identification problems.

Effects of tube cross-sectional shapes on flow pattern, liquid film and heat transfer of n-pentane across tube bundles

The heat transfer of hydrocarbon refrigerant across tube bundles have been widely used in refrigeration.Three-dimensional simulation model using volume of fluid(VOF) was presented to study the effects of tube shapes on flow pattern, film thickness and heat transfer of n-pentane across tube bundles, including circle, ellipse-shaped, egg-shaped and cam-shaped tube bundles. Simulation results agree well with experimental data in the literature. The liquid film thickness of sheet flow and heat transfer for different tube shapes were obtained numerically. The flow pattern transition occurs lower vapor quality for ellipse-shaped tube than other tube shapes. For sheet flow, the liquid film on circle tube and ellipseshaped tube is symmetrically distributed along the circumferential direction. However, the liquid film on egg-shaped tube at circumferential angles(θ) = 15°–60° is thicker than θ = 135°–165°. The liquid film on cam tube at θ = 15°–60° is slightly thinner than θ = 135°–165°. The liquid film thickness varies from thinner to thicker for ellipse-shaped, cam-shaped, egg-shape and circle within θ = 15°–60°. The effect of tube shape is insignificant on thin liquid film thickness. Ellipse-shaped tube has largest heat transfer coefficient for sheet flow. In practical engineering, the tube shape could be designed as ellipse to promote heat transfer.

Liquid mean velocity and turbulence in a horizontal air-water bubbly flow

The liquid phase turbulent structure of an air-water bubbly horizontal flow in a circular pipe has been investigated experimentally. Three-dimensional measurements were implemented with two "X" type probes oriented in different planes, and local liquid-phase velocities and turbulent stresses were simultaneously obtained. Systematic measurements were conducted covering a range of local void fraction from 0 to 11.7%. The important experiment results and parametric trends are summarized and discussed.

Interfacial wave patterns and their transitions in gas-liquid two-phase flow through horizontal ducts

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Flow patterns and their transition characteristics of the air-water two-phase flow in a horizontal pipe with a sudden-changed cross-section area

Flow patterns in upstream and downstream straight tubes of sudden-changed areas in a horizontal straight pipe were experimentally examined. Both sudden-expansion cross-section (SECS) and sudden-contraction cross-section (SCCS) were investigated. The flow pattern maps upstream and downstream were delineated and compared with those in straight tubes with uniform cross-sections. The effects of the SECS and SCCS on flow patterns were discussed and analyzed. Furthermore, flow pattern transition mechanisms resulting in occurrences of different flow patterns were simply discussed and some transition criteria for the flow pattern transitions were deduced by using the non-dimensionlized analysis method.

Numerical Investigation on Flow Pattern of Air-Oil with Different Viscosities Lubrication

In the present work, the performance of oil-air two-phase flow under different lubricant oils was investigated. The simulation method was applied to study the influence of the oil viscosity on the flow pattern, velocity distribution and Re number in oil-air lubrication by FLUENT software with VOF model to acquire the working performance of oil-air lubrication for high-speed ball bearing. This method was used to obtain the optimum lubrication conditions of high-speed ball bearing. The optimum operating conditions that produce the optimum flow pattern were provided. The optimum annular flow was obtained by PAO6 oil with the low viscosity. Reynolds number influences the fluid shape and distribution of oil and air in pipe. The annular flow can be formed when Reynolds number is an appropriate value. The velocity distribution of oil-air two-phase flow at outlet was also discussed by different oil viscosities. The simulating results show that due to the effect of the oil viscosity and flow pattern the velocity decreased and expanded gradually close to the pipe wall, and the velocity increased close to the central pipe. The simulation results provide the proposal for the design and operation of oil-air two-phase flow lubrication experiments in the present work. This work provides a useful method in designing oil-air lubrication with the optimum flow pattern and the optimum operating conditions.

SIMULATION OF TWO DIMENSIONAL LIQUID PHASE FLOW ON A DISTILLATION TRAY

A mathematical model describing the two dimensional liquid phase flow on a tray is presented, in which the k-ε model of turbulent flow was adopted with consideration of the rising vapor as a resisting force. The calculated results show that the theoretical prediction is in agreement with the experimental measurement.

Liquid holdup measurement with double helix capacitance sensor in horizontal oil-water two-phase flow pipes

This paper presents the characteristics of a double helix capacitance sensor for measurement of the liquid holdup in horizontal oil–water two-phase flow. The finite element method is used to calculate the sensitivity field of the sensor in a pipe with 20 mm inner diameter and the effect of sensor geometry on the distribution of sensitivity field is presented. Then, a horizontal oil–water two-phase flow experiment is carried out to measure the response of the double helix capacitance sensor, in which a novel method is proposed to calibrate the liquid holdup based on three pairs of parallel-wire capacitance probes. The performance of the sensor is analyzed in terms of the flow structures detected by mini-conductance array probes.

Influence of slug flow on flow fields in a gas–liquid cylindrical cyclone separator:A simulation study

A simulation method for slug flow based on the VOF multiphase flow model was implemented in ANSYS?Fluent via a user-defined function(UDF)and applied to the dissipation of liquid slugs in the inlet pipe of a gas–liquid cylindrical cyclone(GLCC)separator while varying the expanding diameter ratio and angle of inclination.The dissipation of liquid slug in inlet pipe is analyzed under different expanding diameter ratios and inclination angles.In the inlet pipe,it is found that increasing expanding diameter ratio and inclination angle can reduce the liquid slug stability and enhancing the effect of gravity,which is beneficial to slug flow dissipation.In the cylinder,increasing the expanding diameter ratio can significantly reduce the liquid carrying depth of the gas phase but result in a slightly increase of the gas content in the liquid phase space.Moreover,increasing the inclination angle results in a decrease in the carrying depth of liquid in the vapor phase,but enhances gas–liquid mixing and increases the gas-carrying depth in the liquid phase.Taking into consideration the dual effects of slug dissipation in the inlet pipe and carrying capacity of gas/liquid spaces in the cylinder,the optimal expanding diameter ratio and inclination angle values can be determined.

Field synergy analysis of different flow patterns in falling-film dehumidification system with horizontal pipes

Effects of the flow pattern of intertubular liquid film on mass and heat transfer synergies in a falling-film dehumidification system with horizontal pipes are studied.A flow model of the dehumidifying solution between horizontal pipes is established using Fluent software,the rule of transitions of the flow pattern between pipes is studied,critical Reynolds numbers of flow pattern transitions are obtained,and the accuracy of the model is verified by experiments.The mass transfer synergy angle and heat transfer synergy angle are respectively used as evaluation criteria for the mass transfer synergy and heat transfer synergy,and distribution laws of the synergy angles for droplet,droplet columnar and curtain flow patterns are obtained.Simulation results show that the mass transfer synergy angles corresponding to droplet,droplet columnar and curtain flow patterns all rise to a plateau with time.The mean mass-transfer synergy angle is 98°for the droplet flow pattern,higher than 96.5°for the droplet columnar flow pattern and 95°for the curtain flow pattern.The results show that the mass transfer synergy of the droplet flow pattern is better than that of the droplet columnar flow pattern and that of the curtain flow pattern.

Groundwater remediation engineering——Study on the flow distribution of air sparging using acetylene

Air sparging(AS) is an emerging method to remove VOCs from saturated soils and groundwater. Air sparging performance highly depends on the air distribution resulting in the aquifer. In order to study gas flow characterization, a two-dimensional experimental chamber was designed and installed. In addition, the method by using acetylene as the tracer to directly image the gas distribution results of AS process has been put forward. Experiments were performed with different injected gas flow rates. The gas flow patterns were found to depend significantly on the injected gas flow rate, and the characterization of gas flow distributions in porous media was very different from the acetylene tracing study. Lower and higher gas flow rates generally yield more irregular in shape and less effective gas distributions.

Local Flow Regime Transition Criteria of Gas-Liquid Two-phase Flow in Vertical Upward Tube with a Horizontal Rod

The upward multiphase cross flow and heat transfer in the vertical tube may occur in oil production and chemical facilities. In this study, the local flow patterns of an upward gas-water two phase cross flow in a vertical tube with a horizontal rod have been investigated with an optical probe and the digital high speed video system. The local flow patterns are defined as the bubble, slug, churn and annular flow patterns. Optical probe signals are ana- lyzed in terms of probability density function, and it is proved that the local flow patterns can be recognized by this method. The transition mechanisms between the different flow patterns have been analyzed and the corresponding transitional models are proposed. Finally, local flow pattern maps of the upward gas-water two-phase flow in the vertical tube with a horizontal rod are constructed.

Design and Numerical Investigation to Predict the FlowPattern of Non-axisymmetric Convergent Nozzle:AComponent of Turboexpander

Current work proposes a novel design methodology using curve-fitting approach for a non-axisymmetric airfoil convergent nozzle used in small-sized cryogenic turboexpander.The curves used for designing the nozzle are based on a combination of fifth and third order curve at upper and lower surface respectively.Four different turbulence model such as k-ε,SST,BSL and SSG Reynolds stress turbulence model is used to visualize and compare the fluid flow characteristics and thermal behaviors at various cross-sections.It is interesting to observe that the Mach number obtained at the outlet of the nozzle is highest and temperature drop is maximum for SSG model under similar boundary conditions.It is also observed that the designed nozzle with curve fitting approach is appropriate for impulse type turbine with a small amount of reaction.The key feature of this implementation is to obtain subsonic velocity at the nozzle exit and reduce the irreversible losses through the nozzle,which can affect the performance of a turboexpander.

Flow pattern identification based on a single-wire capacitance probe

To identify flow patterns in horizontal gas-liquid flows,a single-wire capacitance probe was used for voltage output for the first time.Regardless of the measurement accuracy of water layer height,the statistic parameters of the voltage-time traces were compared within the same sampling time of 5s under different flow patterns,including maximum,minimum,range,and average.The results show that most of flow pattens were accurately identified except for some transition lines.

Branch Quality Control of Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow Using a Novel T-Junction Type Distributor

In order to eliminate mal-distribution and ensure the side arm to produce desirable gas quality a special distributor is proposed. The experimental distributor mainly consists of a straight through section,a gas extraction line,a liquid extraction line and a side arm branch. A gas orifice and a liquid orifice are mounted at the gas and liquid extraction line respectively to control the outlet gas quality. The diameter of the liquid orifice was set to 2. 50 mm and three gas orifices with different size( dG= 2. 65,5. 00,10. 00 mm) were tested. The experiments were carried out at an air-water two-phase flow loop. The gas superficial velocity ranged from 6. 0 to 20. 0 m /s and the liquid superficial velocity was in the range of 0. 02- 0. 18 m /s. Flow patterns such as wave flow,slug flow and annular flow were observed. The gas quality of the side arm branch was found mainly determined by the flow area ratio of the gas orifice to the liquid orifice and independent of gas and liquid superficial velocity,flow patterns and extraction flux.

Slug Flow Characteristics in Inclined and Vertical Channels

Horizontal well production technology gradually occupies a dominant position in the petroleum field.With the rise in water production in the later stage of exploitation,slug flow phenomena will exist in horizontal,inclined and even vertical sections of gas wells.To grasp the flow law of slug flow and guide engineering practice,the flow law of slug flow at various inclination angles(30°~90°)is studied by means of the combination of laboratory experiments(including high frequency pressure data acquisition system)and finite element numerical simulation.The results reveal that because of the delay of pressure variation at the corresponding position of pipeline resulting from gas expansion,the highest point of pressure change curve corresponds not to the highest point of liquid holdup curve(pressure change lags behind 0.125 s of liquid holdup change).Thus,the delay of pressure should be highlighted in predicting slug flow using pressure parameter change;otherwise the accuracy of prediction will be affected when slug flow occurs.It is generally known that liquid holdup and pressure drop are the major factors affecting the pressure variation and stable operation of pipelines.Accordingly,the results of finite element numerical simulation and Beggs-Brill model calculation are compared with those of laboratory experiments.The numerical simulation method is applicable to predicting the pressure drop of the pipeline,while the Beggs-Brill model is more suitable for predicting the liquid holdup variation of the pipeline.The research conclusion helps reveal the slug flow law,and it is of a scientific guiding implication to the prediction method of flow parameters under slug flow pattern in the process of gas well exploitation.

Visual study on the characteristics of liquid and droplet in a novel rotor-stator reactor

Rotor–stator reactor(RSR), an efficient mass transfer enhancer, has been applied in many fields. However,the hydrodynamic characteristics of liquid flow in RSR are still a mystery despite they are fundamental for the mass transfer performance and processing capacity. In view of the above, this paper studies the liquid–liquid flow and liquid holdup in RSR under various conditions with a high-speed camera. The paper firstly demonstrates two flow patterns and liquid holdup patterns that we obtained from our experiment and then presents in succession a flow pattern and a liquid holdup criterion for the transition of film flow to filament flow and complete filling to incomplete filling. It is found that experimental parameters, including rotor–stator distance, rotational speed and volume flow rate exert great influence on the average droplet diameter and size distribution. Besides, by comparison and contrast, we also find that the experimental values match well with our previous predicted calculations of the average diameter, and the relation between the average diameter and the mean energy dissipation rate.

PARALLEL ADAPTIVE SIMULATION OF A PLUNGING LIQUID JET

This paper is concerned with three-dimensional numerical simulation of a plunging liquid jet. The transient processes of forming an air cavity around the jet, capturing an initially large air bubble, and the break-up of this large toroidal-shaped bubble into smaller bubbles were analyzed. A stabilized finite element method （FEM） was employed under parallel numerical simulations based on adaptive, unstructured grid and coupled with a level-set method to track the interface between air and liquid. These simulations show that the inertia of the liquid jet initially depresses the pool＇s surface, forming an annular air cavity which surrounds the liquid jet. A toroidal liquid eddy which is subse- quently formed in the liquid pool results in air cavity collapse, and in turn entrains air into the liquid pool from the unstable annular air gap region around the liquid jet.

水平管降膜换热器性能规律研究进展

水平管降膜换热器具有热质传递效率高、阻力小、结构简单等优点,被广泛应用于化工等传统领域及能源利用的节能减排领域。降膜换热器内部发生复杂的流动及传热传质相互耦合过程。介绍了实验及模拟研究手段的进展,综述了不同操作参数(气体温度、流向及流量,溶液流量、温度及浓度,内部媒介流量及温度等)与结构参数(管径、管间距等)对水平管降膜管间流型、液膜厚度与润湿性等流动特性的影响规律,以及对蒸发传热特性、吸收传热传质特性等换热器性能的影响规律,包括整体性能和局部微细特征,为水平管降膜换热器的性能优化提供理论支撑。指出在不同气流特征以及多因素相互作用下多维度的局部流动与传热传质性能的耦合影响规律以及强化换热手段会是水平管降膜换热器未来研究的重点方向。

喷嘴位置对轴承腔内油气润滑两相流的影响

基于气液两相流理论,采用多重坐标系法构建角接触球轴承数值计算模型,分析不同喷嘴位置和转速下轴承腔内油相体积分数、保持架表面及轴承内外圈的油气分布特性。结果表明:在轴承低转速下,正面供油时轴承腔内油相体积分数及其周向分布的波动大于背面供油;正面供油时保持架下表面会产生润滑油的积聚,造成润滑油无法及时通过出口排出,而背面供油时润滑油在保持架表面的油相分布更均匀;正面供油时内圈左面油相体积分数较高,外圈油相分布变化较大,而背面供油时内圈右面、中间面及外圈中间面油相体积分数较高。不同转速下喷嘴位置对腔内油相分布的影响也不同,低转速下正面供油时腔内油相体积分数更高,高转速下喷嘴位置对轴承腔内油相分布的影响较小,润滑油在轴承腔内分布较为均匀,保持架下侧未见明显的润滑油积聚。