INTERFACIAL INTERACTIONS AND SECONDARY FLOWS IN STRATIFIED TWO-PHASE FLOW

In this paper are analysed the interactions between a surface wave field and the kinematic structures above and below the waves, in gas-liquid stratified flow in a rectangular cross sectional channel. The analysis is based on experimental data both on the local structure of the flows and on the deformation of the gas-liquid surface. The basic phenomena that have been observed are: on the one hand, the waves that propagates over the liquid surface can exhibit a crosswise distribution of amplitude; on the other hand, secondary flows can be generated both in the gas and in the liquid. A theoretical attempt is developed to explain the distribution to wave amplitude: in fact, the waves propagate over a non uniform liquid current. On the one hand, the wave field interact with the liquid current to generate secondary flows below the waves. On the other hand, the wave amplitude distribution interacts with the gas flow; the wave distribution can be considered as a non uniform interfacial roughness which generates Prandtl second type secondary flows above the waves. These physical mechanisms which are based on the analysis of experimental results are also validated with numerical simulations.