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The characterization of two-phase flow in both vertical and horizontal pipes is important in oil/gas transportation. As the pipe orientation may change from well to well, it is also important to understand the characteristic responses expected of a two-phase mixture to a change in pipe inclination. This study concerns the changes in the void fraction, structure frequency and structure velocity that occur within an air–silicone oil mixture as a function of the pipe orientation. Experimental data were obtained from the combined use of electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) and wire mesh sensors (WMS), which allow the 3D visualization of the flow patterns. The reported experiments were performed on a 67 mm diameter pipe, in a flow loop, in which a pipe section may be inclined at angles of between −5 or 90° to the horizontal. For this study, the inclined pipe was either set at an angle of 0 or 90 to the horizontal, which correspond to a horizontal or vertical pipe setting, respectively. The results of flow development using the PDF of void fraction obtained at 3 measurement locations; ECT 1, ECT 2 and WMS at 4.4, 4.489 and 4.92 m, respectively, showed that the flow is fully developed and statistically stable for the vertical two-phase flow. While on the other hand, the flow is in rapid development for the horizontal two-phase flow scenario at same liquid and gas superficial velocities. The processed data reveal the differences in flow distribution produced by the pipe inclination. Within the vertical pipe configuration spherical cap bubbles, slug and churn two phase flow patterns were observed, whilst plug, slug and stratified wavy two-phase flows were identified in the horizontal configuration of the pipe. It is concluded that a plot of mixture superficial velocity against average void fraction may be used to provide a qualitative assessment of the flow patterns observed, regardless of pipe inclination. The two-phase flow variables that are concluded to significantly influence the distribution coefficient, C0, and drift velocity, VD, are the pipe orientation and flow patterns.

The transport of larger particles, defined as type D in the classification of Geldart (1973), by pneumatic conveying, is characterised by periodic structures, namely slugs. The frequency of these slugs in vertical pipes shows a trend similar to that seen for equivalent structures in gas-liquid flows. A simple equation has been derived to specify the apparent viscosity of the dense particle areas. From the non-dimensional relationship describing the frequency, its dependence on different variables can be identified. It can be inferred that pressure will not have a strong effect on frequency. There is a complication when the piping consists of a horizontal pipe followed by a bend and a vertical section. If there is slug flow in the horizontal pipe, the frequency in the vertical pipe could be the same as that in the horizontal section.

This paper investigates the unsteady hydrodynamic behaviour of slug flow occurring within an air–silicone oil mixture, within a horizontal 67 mm internal diameter pipe. A series of slug flow regime experiments were performed for a range of injected air superficial velocities (0.29–1.4 m s−1) and for liquid flows with superficial velocities of between 0.05–0.47 m s−1. A pair of Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) probes was used to determine: the slug translational velocities of the elongated bubbles and liquid slugs, the slug frequencies, the lengths of elongated bubbles and the liquid slugs, the void fractions within the elongated bubbles and liquid slugs. The pressure drop experienced along the pipe was measured using a differential pressure transducer cell (DP cell). A comparative analysis of the current experimental data and that previously published experimental confirms good agreement.

An experimental study of churn-annular flow behaviour and mean film fraction of an air–water mixture flowing through a vertical 180° return bend using an electrical conductance technique is reported. Measurements were made of film fraction using probes placed before, within the bend (45 o , 90 o , 135 o ) and after the bend. The bend, made of transparent acrylic resin, has a diameter of 127 mm and a curvature ratio ( R/D ) of 3. The superficial velocities of air ranged from 3.5 to 16.1 m/s and those for water from 0.02 to 0.2 m/s. Flow patterns were identified using the characteristic signatures of Probability Density Function (PDF) plots of the time series of mean film fraction. The average film fraction is identified to be higher in the straight pipes than in the bends. The study also identified that at low gas superficial velocity, the film fraction for the riser was generally greater than for the downcomer. For low liquid and higher gas flow rates, film break down occurs at the 45 o bend due to gravity drainage. The condition for which the liquid goes to the outside or inside of the bend are identified based on a modified form of Froude number based on published material. A comparison between the present work and that of Hills (1973) based on the mean film fraction showed same tendency.

When gas/liquid mixtures flow around a bend they are subjected to forces additional to those encountered in a straight pipe. The behaviour of the flows at the inlet and outlet of the bend depends on the orientation of the pipes. Air/silicone oil flows around a 90° bend have been investigated using advanced instrumentation: Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT), Wire Mesh Sensor Tomography (WMS) and high-speed video. The first two provide time and cross-sectionally resolved data on void fraction. ECT probes were mounted 10 diameters upstream of the bend whilst WMS was positioned either immediately upstream or immediately downstream of the bend. The downstream pipe was maintained horizontal whilst the upstream pipe was mounted either vertically or horizontally. The bend ( R / D =2.3) was made of transparent acrylic resin. From an analysis of the output from the tomography equipment, flow patterns were identified using both the reconstructed images as well as the characteristic signatures of Probability Density Function (PDF) plots of the time series of cross-sectionally averaged void fraction as suggested by Costigan and Whalley (1996). The superficial velocities of the air ranged from 0.05 to 4.73 m/s and for the silicone oil from 0.05 to 0.38 m/s. Bubble/spherical cap, slug, unstable slug and churn flows were observed before the bend for the vertical pipe and plug, slug, stratified wavy and annular flows when the pipe was horizontal. Bubble, stratified wavy, slug, semi-annular and annular flows are seen after the bend for the vertical 90° bend whilst for the horizontal 90° bend, the flow patterns remained the same as before the bend. Flow patterns for the vertical and horizontal 90° bends are shown on the diagram of the gas superficial velocity versus liquid superficial velocity. These results are confirmed by the high-speed videos taken around the bend. A previously proposed criterion, to determine stratification after the bend, based on a modified Froude number have been shown to be valid for a liquid different from that tested in the original paper.

The phase distribution of a gas–liquid flow through a 1 mm T junction has been studied. Gas superficial velocities of 2.5 and 4.9 m/s and liquid superficial velocities 0.09–0.42 m/s were investigated. Increasing the liquid superficial velocity was shown to decrease the liquid taken off at the side arm. Increasing the gas superficial velocity was found to affect the phase split by increasing the fractional liquid taken off. It was noticed that pressure has no influence in the phase split when it was increased from 0.13 to 0.18 MPa. From examination of data from different pipe sizes, it was seen that the 1 mm T-junction shared similar split characteristics as those observed for larger diameter junctions. Finally, the gas–liquid flow pattern through the junction was observed to be slug for a range of gas and liquid superficial velocities.

A wire-mesh sensor has been employed to study air/water and air/silicone oil two-phase flow in a vertical pipe of 67 mm diameter and 6 m length. The sensor was operated with a conductivity-measuring electronics for air/water flow and a permittivity-measuring one for air/silicone oil flow. The experimental setup enabled a direct comparison of both two-phase flow types for the given pipe geometry and volumetric flow rates of the flow constituents. The data have been interrogated at a number of levels. The time series of cross-sectionally averaged void fraction was used to determine characteristics in amplitude and frequency space. In a more three-dimensional examination, radial gas volume fraction profiles and bubble size distributions were processed from the wire-mesh sensor data and compared for both flow types. Information from time series and bubble size distribution data was used to identify flow patterns for each of the flow rates studied.

A twin-plane electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) system has been employed to monitor the flow rate of fine coal transported by air in a 36.8 mm diameter pipe at mass fluxes of 1680 kg/m2 s. The mean mass flow rate was obtained to be within

Within industrial applications it is rare to operate wholly under steady-state conditions and there will always be at least one time-dependent parameter. Such transients, in flowrate or pressure, can occur over a short time period, in the order of seconds or minutes, or evolve over a more substantial time period of hours, or even days. The longer this time frame, the less severe impact the transient will have on the operation of equipment. If the flowrate is subjected to a sudden change, any equipment must be either capable of responding quickly to adapt to the variation or be able to absorb the change without adversely affecting the overall system performance. Examples of general transient situations, involve plant shutdown and start-up, changes in flowrates in response to planned operating conditions, like bringing another oil well on line, and emergency situations. Baker et al. [2007. Controlling the phase separation of gas–liquid flows at horizontal T-junctions. American Institute of Chemical Engineers Journal 53, 1908–1915] suggested a novel development of T-junctions for compact phase separation applications based correctly on steady-state observations. However, since it must be expected that transients are an unavoidable problem within industry, this shortfall in knowledge has to be a concern and a probable reason why T-junctions are not used in situations where they could be advantageous. A survey of available literature shows that very little work has been conducted under transient flow conditions. As such, this initial study provides insight into the complex mechanisms and dynamics that occur when transient two-phase flows enter a specific T-junction separator.

Time-varying, circumferentially local liquid film thickness data have been collected on a 38 mm internal diameter pipe at inclinations of 0 ∘ , 30 ∘ , 45 ∘ , 60 ∘ and 85 ∘ from the horizontal using flush-mounted and parallel wire conductance probes. Analysis of these data permits time-averaged thicknesses, probability density functions, and power spectral densities to be determined. Results show that the distribution of the liquid film is not symmetrical with thicker films on the lower part of the pipe, which are dominated by large disturbance waves. Moreover, as the inclination angle deviates from horizontal, the film thickness distribution becomes systematically less asymmetric. The probability density functions show a strong narrow peak where the liquid film is less disturbed by the presence of waves. The power spectra show that a large portion of wave energy at the bottom is carried by waves of frequency ⩽ 12 Hz . There is no influence of liquid velocity on the shape of the spectra. However, the dominant frequency appears to decrease with increasing liquid flow rate. The frequency of the disturbance waves at the bottom decreases with increasing inclination. Moreover, the spectra tend to flatten out with increasing inclination, due to the more uniform distribution of energy among waves of a broad frequency range.

A versatile image analysis system which can be used to quantify the mixing pattern of a two-fluid/phase system has been developed. This visualisation technique, light absorption imaging (LAI), is based on the absorption of light by dyed fluids. In the context of this paper, the technique is applied to supercritical water hydrothermal synthesis (SWHS), which is used in the production of nano-particulate metal oxides. This case study was carried out in an attempt to highlight potential process pitfalls and to optimise overall reactor design. However, the versatility of this LAI technique makes the scope of possible applications much wider. The SWHS process for the production of metal oxide nano-particulates is a relatively new and promising development. A key aspect that requires fundamental research is the phase interaction or ‘mixing mechanism’ within these continuous reactors. The manner in which the supercritical water stream interacts with the cold metal salt stream is of paramount importance since it will inevitably affect the quality and quantity of product as well as highlighting any potential fundamental flaws in a design of the reactor.

Wave-plate mist eliminators are among the most effective devices to separate liquid from the gas. Liquid separation efficiency in these devices is largely dependent on the gas superficial velocity. However, the upper limit of gas throughput is restricted by the re-entrainment of the deposited liquid from the separator surfaces into the gas stream. There is some knowledge available of re-entrainment phenomena in vertical wave-plate separators. This paper presents experiments that have enabled the mechanisms of entrainment to be identified and the boundaries for air and liquid rates at which entrainment starts for horizontal wave-plate separators to be characterised. It is supported by modelling using an extension of earlier work.

Venturi scrubbers are high efficiency gas cleaners in which suspended particles are removed from gas streams by drops formed by liquid atomisation, usually in the Venturi throat. The size of the drops formed are of fundamental importance to the performance of the equipment, both in terms of pressure drop and dust removal efficiency. In this study, drop sizes in a cylindrical laboratory-scale Venturi scrubber were measured using a laser diffraction technique. Gas velocity and liquid to gas ratios varied from 50 to 90m/s and 0.5 to 2.0l/m3, respectively. Water was injected using two different arrangements: either as jets in the throat or as a flim just upstream of the convergence. Drop size measurements were performed at three positions in the case of jet injection: two located along the throat, and the last one at the end of the diffuser. The present data shows that the Sauter mean diameter of the spray can be well correlated by the equation of Boll et al. (J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc. 24 (1974) 932). Drop size distributions are satisfactorily represented by a Rosin–Rammler function. This paper also provides a simple method for calculating the parameters of the Rosin–Rammler function. As a result of this work, drop sizes in Venturi scrubbers can be estimated with much higher accuracy.

A model is presented to predict the flow split of horizontal air-water annular flow at a T-junction with a side arm at an arbitrary inclination to the horizontal. The distribution of the film thickness and film flow rate around the circumference of the inlet pipe is predicted and the results implemented in a model to determine the flow split at a T-junction. Under certain conditions, an abrupt increase in the amount of liquid extracted into the side arm is observed due to liquid coming to rest in the main pipe. A method is presented to include this phenomenon taking into account the distribution of film flow rate. Predictions are shown to be in good agreement with available flow split data taken at normal and reduced T-junctions with main pipe diameters of 0.032 and 0.038 m with horizontal, vertically upward and vertically downward side arms.

A comprehensive model which incorporates the important phenomena in the flow of gas and scrubbing liquid through venturis is shown to predict reasonably the split of liquid between drops and film on the venturi walls. The model is used to predict how the fraction of liquid which travels as a film on the walls (and hence is not available for gas cleaning) varies with gas and liquid flow rates and throat diameter.