Inception and termination of the core‐annular flow pattern for oil‐water downflow through a vertical pipe

Different flow patterns for lube oil–water and for kerosene‐water downflow through a vertical glass tube have been analyzed with the help of flow visualization. Core‐annular flow is the dominant flow regime, with oil forming the core, and water is forming the wall film. When the velocities are increased, transition to slug flow and transition to dispersed flow are found. The waves found during the transition to slug flow depend on oil viscosity: axisymmetric bamboo waves are seen in kerosene‐water downflow and the waves are asymmetric in case of lube oil–water flow where they have a cork‐screw shape. Based on the experimental observations, simple mathematical models have been proposed for predicting the flow pattern transition curves. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012     

PARTICLE FLOW PATTERNS IN THE RISER AND DOWNER OF CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED

This paper presents an experimental study on the flow patterns of FCC particles in a 140 mm ID Circulating Fluidized Bed with concurrent upflow and downflow gas-solid suspension. Based on the distribution of local particle velocity and particle concentration measured by a Fiber-Optical Probe Laser Doppler Velocimeter and a Fiber Optical Probe System respectively, the different flow patterns of local particls concentration, local particle velocity, local particle fluctuating velocity and sectionally average particle velocity in concurrent upflow and downflow gas-solid system have been investigated. It is found that the particle flow in the concurrent downflow is much more uniform radially than that in the concurrent upflow riser. The investigation of flow patterns in different flow systems is of significance to the development of a new gas-solid reactor.     

Effect of pipe orientation on dense-phase transport in inclined upward and downward flows

A physical model is presented to describe the flow characteristics of cocurrent two-layer upflow and downflow through inclined tubes. The influence of inclination angle on these two kinds of flow patterns has been investigated. For inclined upflow, the solids/gas velocity ratio is less than unity and decreases slightly with the increase of inclination angle, whereas for inclined downflow, this velocity ratio is, in general, greater than unity and increases with the inclination angle. The average voidage increases as the inclination angle decreases for inclined upflow while an opposite trend exists for inclined downflow. The pressure gradient is invariably negative for inclined upflow at various inclination angles and for inclined downflow of low inclination; however, the gradient becomes positive for inclined downflow at higher inclination angles. A flow regime map has also been presented. The present predictions agree well with the existing published experimental results.     

EFFECT OF PIPE ORIENTATION ON DENSE-PHASE TRANSPORT IN INCLINED UPWARD AND DOWNWARD FLOWS

A physical model is presented to describe the flow characteristics of cocurrent two-layer upflow and downflow through inclined tubes. The influence of inclination angle on these two kinds of flow patterns has been investigated. For inclined upflow, the solids/gas velocity ratio is less than unity and decreases slightly with the increase of inclination angle, whereas for inclined downflow, this velocity ratio is, in general, greater than unity and increases with the inclination angle. The average voidage increases as the inclination angle decreases for inclined upflow while an opposite trend exists for inclined downflow. The pressure gradient is invariably negative for inclined upflow at various inclination angles and for inclined downflow of low inclination; however, the gradient becomes positive for inclined downflow at higher inclination angles. A flow regime map has also been presented. The present predictions agree well with the existing published experimental results.     

Process intensification of gas–liquid downflow and upflow packed beds by a new low‐shear rotating reactor concept

In the present work, a new low‐shear rotating reactor concept was introduced for process intensification of heterogeneous catalytic reactions in cocurrent gas–liquid downflow and upflow packed‐bed reactors. To properly assess potential advantages of this new reactor concept, exhaustive hydrodynamic experiments were carried out using embedded low‐intrusive wire mesh sensors. The effect of the rotational velocity on liquid flow patterns in the bed cross‐section, liquid saturation, pressure drop, and regime transition was investigated. Furthermore, liquid residence time and Péclet number estimated by a stimulus‐response technique and a macro‐mixing model were presented and discussed with respect to the prevailing flow patterns. The results revealed that the column rotation induces different flow patterns in the cross‐section of the packed bed operating in a concurrent downflow or upflow mode. Moreover, the new reactor concept exhibits a more flexible adjustment of pressure drop, liquid saturation, liquid residence time, and back‐mixing at constant flow rates. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 283–294, 2017     

低Reynolds数下水平管降膜滴状流动的实验研究

为了充分了解水平管降膜滴状流动现象,以水为实验流体,采用高速高清摄像仪对不同管距下水平管降膜滴状流动进行了可视化的实验研究。实验观察了低Reynolds数Re≤200、管间距s≤40 mm 范围内的管间滴状流动过程。根据流动形态的特征,将滴状流动划分为堆积滴状流、不完全滴状流、吊坠滴状流、完全滴状流和不完全回缩滴状流。依据实验结果,绘制了滴状流动形态分区图。提出了分离长度的概念,并讨论了流量对分离长度的影响。研究了低Reynolds数下液滴流动的滴落点间距与流量的关系。结果表明,滴状流的管间流动形态不仅受流量的影响,同时也受管间距的影响。分离长度随着Re的增大呈两段式线性增大。液滴流动的滴落点间距在Re≤100范围内随Re增大而减小,在100<Re≤200范围内趋于平稳。此外,分别建立了分离长度和滴落点间距与Re的关系式。     

Pressure drop in two phase cocurrent upward flow in packed beds: Air/non-newtonian liquid systems

New data on the two phase pressure drop for the concurrent upflow of air-liquid (Newtonian and non-Newtonian) mixtures through packed beds of spherical and non-spherical particles are presented. The results for single phase flows and for the air-Newtonian liquid mixtures have been used both to gauge the overall accuracy of the present experimental methods and to evaluate the validity of the predictive expressions available in the literature. The two phase pressure drop has been measured as a function of the liquid and gas flow rates, column diameter and the power law model constants. Depending upon a suitable combination of the gas and liquid fluxes and the power law index, the two phase pressure drop may be less than its value for the flow of liquid alone. A simple expression is proposed which correlates the present set of experiments (nearly 500 data points) with satisfactory levels of accuracy over the following ranges of conditions: 0.54 ≤ n ≤ 1; 0.001 ≤ Re_L^* ≤ 50; 3.7 ≤ Re_G ≤ 177 and 0.9 ≤χ (Lockhart-Martinelli parameter) ≤ 104.     

Sensor‐based flow pattern detection—gas–liquid–liquid upflow through a vertical pipe

Flow distribution during gas–liquid–liquid upflow through a vertical pipe is investigated. The optical probe technique has been adopted for an objective identification of flow patterns. The probability density function (PDF) analysis of the probe signals has been used to identify the range of existence of the different patterns. Dispersed and slug flow have been identified from the nature of the PDF, which is bimodal for slug flow and unimodal for dispersed flow. The water continuous, oil continuous, and emulsion type flow distributions are distinguished on the basis of the PDF moments. The method is particularly useful at high flow rates where visualization techniques fail. Based on this, a flow pattern detection algorithm has been presented. Two different representations of flow pattern maps have been suggested for gas–liquid–liquid three phase flow. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3362–3375, 2014     

Steady Two‐Dimensional Non‐Newtonian Flow Past an Array of Long Circular Cylinders up to Reynolds number 500: A Numerical Study

The free surface and zero vorticity cell models have been combined with the equations of motion to investigate numerically the steady flow of incompressible power‐law (shear‐thinning and shear‐thickening) fluids across banks of long cylinders. The equations of motion in the stream function/vorticity formulation have been solved numerically using a second order accurate finite difference method to obtain extensive information on the behaviour of the drag coefficient, surface vorticity distribution, streamlines and iso‐vorticity patterns, for high Reynolds numbers (Re = 50 500) and using a wide range of power‐law index (0.3 ≤ n ≤ 2.0), and porosity (0.4 ≤ e ≤0.9) values. The behaviour of the aforementioned parameters at low Reynolds numbers has also been investigated and validated using theoretical and numerical work from the literature. The results reported here enable extension of the limits of creeping flow behaviour up to Re = 50 for fluids with highly shear‐thickening characteristics under low porosity conditions.     

釜内螺旋半圆管夹套内流体湍流流动特性

采用实验和数值模拟方法对安装在反应釜内壁侧的螺旋半圆管夹套中流体的湍流流动特性进行了研究. 无量纲曲率d=0.133、无量纲螺距t=0.127的夹套中流体湍流速度场的实测与模拟结果吻合较好. 基于正交螺旋坐标系,给出了夹套内流体的速度场,包括平均轴向速度、二次流速度及二次流函数分布. 研究了平均雷诺数Re、d及t对速度场及流动阻力的影响. 结果表明,充分发展湍流条件下,釜内螺旋半圆管夹套横截面上,平均轴向速度最大值的位置有2个,二次流为恒定的4涡结构. 随Re和d增加,2对二次涡的强度及湍流流动阻力fRe均增加. 相对于釜外螺旋半圆管夹套,在0.05≤d≤0.1, 10000≤Re≤18000的范围内,釜内螺旋半圆管夹套中的湍流流动阻力fRe提高了2.13%~7.72%.     

三维内微肋管内凝结流型分区及分层波状流换热关联式

引　言水平管内的受迫对流膜状凝结广泛用于化学工业及制冷与空调的冷凝设备中 .对于冷凝器的设计 ,确定管内膜状凝结换热系数是至关重要的 .众所周知 ,水平管内受迫对流凝结在流动方向汽液两相流动会出现不同的流型 ,对于不同的流型 ,对应的换热机理和换热系数也各不相同 .因此 ,首先需要区分管内受迫对流换热的流型 ,在此基础上再针对不同的流型对其凝结换热过程进行研究 .对于整个凝结换热过程 ,通常是根据汽液两相流在不同流型时的流动及换热特征将凝结过程划分为不同的流型区域 ,并得到相应的流型转变的判据 ,然后通过实验对不同的流型…     

Effects of the gas/solids distributor on the local and overall solids distribution in a downer reactor

In the last few years, the downer has been proposed as a new reactor for gas/solids reactions. Compared to state-of-the-art riser reactors, the cocurrent downflow of gas and solids should lead to a more uniform flow structure, close to plug flow. Experimental studies showed, that the gas/solids distributor at the top of the reactor is significantly influencing the flow pattern in a downer reactor. Local information about the solids concentration is indispensable for a thorough characterization of the flow structure in gas/solids flows. To obtain this information, x-ray computed tomography has been used for the experimental investigations.     

Pressure drop for single and two‐phase flow of non‐newtonian liquids in helical coils

New experimental results on pressure loss for the single and two‐phase gas‐liquid flow with non‐Newtonian liquids in helical coils are reported. For a constant value of the curvature ratio, the value of the helix angle of the coils is varied from 2.56° to 9.37°. For single phase flow, the effect of helix angle on pressure loss is found to be negligible in laminar flow regime but pressure loss increases with the increasing value of helix angle in turbulent flow conditions. On the other hand, for the two‐phase flow, the well‐known Lockhart‐Martinelli method correlates the present results for all values of helix angle (2.56‐9.37°) satisfactorily under turbulent/laminar and turbulent/turbulent conditions over the following ranges of variables as: 0.57 ≤ n′ ≤ 1; Re′ < 4000; Re_l < 4000; Re_g < 8000; 8 ≤ x ≤ 1000 and 0.2 ≤ De′ ≤ 1000.     

Three‐component solids velocity measurements in the outlet section of a riser

Coincident (simultaneous) three‐component particle velocity measurements performed using two laser Doppler anemometry probes at the outlet section of a 9 m high cylindrical riser are for the first time presented for dilute flow conditions. Near the blinded extension of the T‐outlet a solids vortex is formed. Particle downflow along the riser wall opposite the outlet tube is observed, which is restricted to higher riser heights at higher gas flow rates. Increased velocity fluctuations are observed in the solids vortex and downflow region as well as at heights corresponding to the outlet tube. Contrary to the rest of the riser, in the downflow region time and ensemble velocity averages are not equal. Given the local bending of the streamlines, axial momentum transforms to radial and azimuthal momentum giving rise to the corresponding shear stresses. Turbulence intensity values indicate the edges of the downflow region. © 2016 The Authors AIChE Journal published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 3575–3584, 2016     

垂直上升管中油水两相流流型表征

在含水率 5 1%～ 91%、油水两相流总流量 10～ 6 0m³·d^-1范围内 ,对垂直上升油水两相流流动工况的电导波动信号进行了分形及混沌时间序列分析 .当含水率为 6 0 .5 %～ 91%时 ,所提取的分形维数及吸引子相关维分别在 1.0 0 6～ 1.6 31及 4.30～ 6 .77之间 ;当含水率为 5 1%或 5 1.5 %时 ,所提取的分形维数及吸引子相关维分别在 1.17～ 1.75 8及 5 .46～ 7.0 5之间 ,且分形维数及混沌吸引子相关维数随总流量呈不规则突变 ,并与复杂功率谱特征及流型图上的过渡流型相对应 ,表明了分形维数及混沌吸引子相关维数对油水两相流流型变化具有敏感的“指示器”特性     

Liquid holdup in gas-liquid cocurrent downflow through packed beds

The average in situ volume fraction of the liquid phase for gas-liquid cocurrent downflow through packed beds is correlated to the input volume fraction of the liquid and the bed geometry. The range of operation is delineated into a high-interaction regime and a low-interaction regime based on the influence of the gas rate on the liquid holdup. Experimental data of the present investigation using air-water and air-CMC solutions, as well as that reported in literature covering a wide range in variables, are considered in the development of correlations for total and dynamic liquid holdup.     

Flow pattern of the phases and liquid saturation in gas-liquid concurrent downflow through packed beds

Flow pattern was visually observed for non-foaming and foaming Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids under concurrent downflow with air in packed beds using different configurations of column geometry and packins. Flow maps delineating the different flow regions were presented based on the present study as well as that of earlier investigations. The total and dynamic liquid saturation were experimentally measured and correlations were presented in terms of (i) the Lockhart-Martinelli parameter, χ, and (ii) the flow variables.     

Vertical two-phase flow part I. Flow pattern correlations

Two-phase gas-liquid flow has been investigated in a 1-inch internal diameter vertical tube coil containing two risers and a downcomer all connected by “U” bends. Flow pattern data were obtained in the three vertical tubes, each 17.30 ft. long, for five different air-liquid systems at about 25 psia over flow ranges of 0–700 lb_m air/min-ft² and 140–25300 lb_m liquid/min-ft². Liquid phase viscosities ranged from 1 to 12 cp. A flow pattern classification with six regimes including coring-bubble, bubbly-slug, falling film, falling bubbly-film, froth and annular flow regimes was established for downflow. Flow patterns in the bends were also classified. Data from the present investigation were used to formulate an empirical flow pattern graphical correlation for both upflow and downflow which is based upon the coordinates (R_v)^1/2 and Fr_TP/A, where R_v is the delivered gas-to-liquid volume ratio, Fr_TP is the mixture Froude number, and A = μ_s/(S_L^σ_s³)^1/4 in which μ_s, S_L, σ_s are specific viscosity, specific density and specific surface tension respectively of the liquid with reference to water. The correlation was satisfactorily tested with independent literature data for upflow systems, including air-water, steam-water at various pressures, nitrogen-mercury and air-heptane, and data from flowing gas-oil wells. No independent literature data appear to be available for testing the correlation for downflow systems, but it is anticipated that the correlation will prove to be generally applicable. The coring phenomenon in downward bubble flow was examined by means of high speed motion photography and is explained by the development of a lift force on a bubble.     

An experimental study of double-to-single-loop transition in stirred vessels

The velocity characteristics of the flows in a fully baffled vessel of diameter T = 290 mm stirred by a Rushton impeller of diameter D = T/3 were investigated by means of laser-Doppler anemometry measurements. The effects of clearance and rotational speed on the flow patterns in the vessel were studied. It was found that at impeller clearances from the bottom of the vessel (C) around 0.2 T the characteristic double-loop flow pattern undergoes a transition to a single-loop one with the impeller stream direction becoming partly axial and being inclined at around 25 to 30° to the horizontal. The impeller stream inclination varied with radial distance from the impeller, as well as with angular position between blades (blade angle). Impeller speed was found to have no effect on the flow pattern or the mean velocities and turbulence levels normalized by V_tip for C/T > 0.20 or C/T ≤ 0.15. The flow structure measured with C = 0.15T is described in detail and the implications of the data for fluid mixing in stirred vessels are discussed.