Chemical Printed

inGreat

E,s#neering Science, Britain.

Vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 66S679,

1989. 0

@XS-2549/89 $3.00+0.00 1989 Per&mnon Press plc

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF TWO-PHASE FLOW SLIGHTLY INCLINED PIPES-I. FLOW PATTERNS

S. L. KOKAL
and J. F. STANISLAV University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N

IN

lN4

(Received 10 December 1987; acceptedfor

publication 1 August 1988)

Abstract-A series of oil-air two-phase flow experiments were conducted with a 25 m long acrylic pipe installed on au inclinable trestle. Three different pipe diameters (25.8, 51.2 and 76.3 mm) at seven angles (0, + 1, f 5 and f 9) were studied. The fluids used were air and a light oil of 858 kg/m3 density and 7 mPa s viscosity at an average temperature of 23C and pressure of 230-350 kPa. The data include Bow pattern observations and their transitions over a wide range of flow conditions. These data have been analyzed to test existing semi-theoretical models, and new improved models have been proposed.

INTRODUCTION During co-current gas-liquid flow in pipes; a variety of flow patterns can exist depending on the flow rates, fluid properties and system parameters. The gas-liquid flow behavior can change significantly from one flow pattern to another. Consequently, an understanding of any two-phase flow problem requires the knowledge of the flow pattern. The flow pattern determination is also the first step for developing twophase flow models to predict liquid holdup and pressure drop. Classification of flow patterns is somewhat arbitrary and depends to a large extent on the interpretation by individual researchers. Generally there is a gradual change of flow patterns with the flow rates rather than abrupt changes from one flow pattern to the other. Within the transitional zones, the flow behavior exhibits characteristics of the flow patterns on both sides of the transition. Since flow pattern determination is mostly based on visual observations, there is an element of subjectivity involved in delineating the individual flow regimes. Most of the available flow pattern maps are either for horizontal or vertical pipes with very limited work reported for inclined pipes. The common procedure has been to use the correlations developed for vertical pipes in off-vertical pipes and horizontal maps for pipes with small angles of inclination. This can give rise to large errors since some transitions are very sensitive to the angle of inclination. Gould et al. (1974) studied flow patterns in a pipe inclined at +45 as well as in horizontal and vertical positions. They plotted their results using liquid and
gas velocity numbers as proposed by Duns and Ros (1963). They defined three flow regimes corresponding to bubble (liquid continuous), intermittent (both

phases continuous) and annular (gas phase continuous). Mukherjee (1979) reported flow pattern maps for the entire range of pipe inclinations. Empirical correlations were proposed for the flow pattern transition boundaries. A similar approach was taken by Spedding and Nguyen (1980) who determined flow pattern maps for air-water data in a 4%mm pipe at angles both uphill and downhill. Weisman and Kang (1981) reported data for air-water and air-glycerol systems in slightly inclined pipes and a one-component (Freon) system for higher angles. Empirical equations were formulated for all transitions. Experiments were also conducted in horizontal and slightly inclined pipes with an air-water system by Barnea et al. (1980). A physical model for flow pattern transitions in inclined pipes was recently proposed by Barnea et al. (1982) (downward inclined pipes) and Barnea et al. (1985) (upward inclined pipes). These models are extensions of the previously developed models by Taitel and Dukler (1976) for horizontal and slightly inclined pipes and Taitel et al. (1980) for vertical upward flow. They compared the air-water experimental data with their model predictions. Recently Barnea (1986, 1987) proposed models to cover the entire range of pipe inclinations. Crawford et al. (1985) collected data for flow patterns in downward inclined pipes using liquid refrigerant and its vapor. They extended the correlations developed for horizontal and upward flow by Weisman et al. (1979) and Weisman and Kang (1981). An excellent summary of the work on flow patterns is given by Barnea and Taitel (1986) which lists 122 references. EXPERIMENTAL The experimental setup consisted of a 25 m long pipeline which was installed on an inclinable trestle and could be set at + 10 from the horizontal. The test section was constructed from lengths of smooth trans-

Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2L 2A6. Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

+ Present address: Petroleum Recovery Institute, 35 12 33rd

666

S. L. KOKAL

and J. F. STANISLAV

parent cast acrylic pipe flanged together at intervals allowance made for static pressure taps and capacitance type volume sensors. The pipeline is equipped with sfveral Validyne variable reluctance type differential pressure transducers and seven volume sensors. A detailed description of the apparatus is given by Kokal (1987).
with
FLOW PATTERN DESCRIPTIONS

bubbles which are normally much longer than one pipe diameter. The liquid slugs move at an average frequency with slug and bubble lengths varying in a stochastic manner. The intermittent flow regime has been divided into four distinct regimes depending on the gas holdup in the liquid slug.
Elongated bubble (EB). The EB flow pattern is a limiting case of intermittent flow with the liquid slugs free of entrained bubbles as shown in Fig. 1. The gas bubble is generally streamlined with a nose and a tail. The flow of the liquid beneath the bubble is similar to stratified smooth two-phase flow while the flow in the liquid slug is essentially laminar. The tail of the bubble sometimes breaks off from the main body of the bubble and is subsequently picked up by the next bubble. Elongated bubble with dispersed bubbles (EDB). As

When gas-liquid mixtures flow in pipes, the two phases can distribute in a number of regimes depending on the gas-liquid spatial distribution. The flow is often chaotic and difficult to describe. The definitions of flow patterns have not been standardized and thus different researchers recognize different types of flow regimes (Taitel and Dukler, 1976, Barnea er al., 1980; Spedding and Nguyen, 1980). In this study all flow patterns were detected with volume sensor signature traces (Kokal, 1987). This method is considered objective and allows for correct identification of the flow pattern. The flow pattern map has been divided into three basic flow regions: the gas-dominated, intermittent and liquid-dominated flows.
Gus-duminuted StratzBed. Jrows

the mixture velocity is increased, dispersed bubbles start to appear at the leading edge of the slug. The appearance of dispersed bubbles in the slug is associated with the transition of the liquid in the slug from laminar to turbulent flow. The nose of the slug becomes a short turbulent mixing zone where the dispersed bubbles are generated. Slug (SL). SL flow is a continuation of the EDB flow regime with gas holdup in the liquid slug greater than 10%. The transition from EDB flow to SL flow occurs when Egs= 10%. This condition was generally found to correspond with V,,, = 1.5-2.4 m/s for all three pipe sizes. The turbulence level in the slug increases and the liquid layer beneath the gas bubble exhibits an interface similar to SW flow with small dispersed bubbles. The slug and bubble lengths were found to vary in a stochastic manner. Similar behavior was also observed for the slug frequency. Slug froth (SLF). The liquid in the slug and the film becomes very frothy due to the turbulence and intermixing. This regime was observed at high gas and iiquid flow rates and borders with the DBF Bow regime. The liquid in the slug has similar characteristics to the froth flow regime. The transition from SL flow to SLF flow takes place at V,,, ~4-5 m/s with E ,,%30%.
Liquid-dominated jlows

In this flow regime the liquid moves at the bottom of the pipe with the gas moving at the top without any intermixing between the two phases. At low gas and liquid velocities, the interface is smooth and the flow regime is called stratified smooth (SS). With an increase in the gas flow rate, the interface becomes wavy in nature and the flow regime is termed stratified wavy (SW). The interface has a rough appearance due to the occurrence of small waves and ripples on the liquid surface. Often, small bubbles are seen on the liquid surface as well. With an increase of the gas flow rate the liquid layer starts to climb the pipe wall and the interface becomes rougher. The small waves which move on the liquid surface are unsteady in nature; they appear in groups, move for a short distance and disappear. Eventually, at higher gas flow rates, the stratified flow pattern changes to the proto-slug and annular flow regimes.
Annular. Annular flow occurs at high gas flow rates and borders with the proto-slug and SW flow regimes. The liquid forms a thin film around the pipe wall. When the gas flow rate is relatively low, most of this liquid travels along the bottom of the pipe with a very rough surface. This type of flow is called annular wall (AW) flow. At even higher gas flow rates, some of the liquid breaks off from the film and forms a dispersed mist within the gas phase.

In this region the liquid is the dominant phase with gas dispersed in it.
Dispersed bubble (DB). The gas phase is dispcrscd as small discrete bubbles in a continuous liquid phase. At relatively low gas rates these bubbles are located near the top of the pipe due to buoyancy but at higher gas rates the bubbles are dispersed more uniformly. The bubble size varies from a few millimeters to a few centimeters in diameter. Dispersed froth (DBF). This regime is observed at high gas and liquid flow rates and the intermixing is so

Intermittent flow The intermittent flow regime was observed most frequently and was given special attention. It is the dominant flow regime in horizontal and upward inclined pipes and occurs to a limited extent in downward flow. It consists of liquid slugs and large gas

Two-phase flow in slightly inclined pipe-1

NAME ABBREV

667

SINGLE PHASE GAS SINGLE PHASE LIQUID

ELONGATED BUBBLE

(SPHG) (SPHLI (EB) (EDB) (SLI (SLF) 1 INTERMITTENT

ELONGATED BU66L E IND DISPERSED BUBBLES SLUG FLOW SLUG AND FROTH FLOW

PROTO -SLUG PROTO -SLUG FROTH FLOW

FLOW AND

(P S) (PSFI (WF) (DB) (DBF)

-I

WAVE FLOODING (DOWN HILL FLOW DISPERSED BUBBLE

TRLINSITIONS I

ONLY )

J 1 DISPERSED I BUBBLE

DISPERSED BUBBLE AND FROTH

DISPERSED BUBBLE TO (OB-I) -I INTERMITTENT TRANSITION ANNULAR WALL (Awl 1

ANNULAR MIST ( ROUGH LAYER OF UOUID ALSO (AM) COVERS ENTIRE PIPE WALL)

ANNULAR

14 I5 16 17

STRATIFIED

SMOOTH STRATIFIED AND STRATIFIED TRANSITIONS

STRATIFIED SMOOTH TO INTERMITTENT TRANSITION (*-) STRATIFIED WAVY

STRATIFIED WAVY TO INTERMITTENT TRANSITION

Fig. I. Flow regime descriptions.

high that it is impossible to detect which is the dispersed phase. The flow becomes frothy in nature (Fig. 1). This flow regime is associated with high pressure drops and is also referred to as churn flow by many observers. Transitions Stratified-intermittent (S-Z) transition. The transition from stratified to intermittent flow was difficult to locate in the 26 mm diameter pipe for horizontal flow. In this transition region extremely long bubbles are sometimes observed which are characterized by lengths several times the pipeline length. The liquid level rises until a solitary slug is formed and passes through the pipe and sweeps part of the liquid out; then the whole cycle is repeated. It was observed that the transition could be shifted by changing the liquid level in the separator relative to the pipe centerline. The stratified flow could be extended by keeping the liquid level in the separator below the pipe and the intermittent flow could be extended by increasing it over the pipe centerline. For horizontal flow the gas-liquid mixer at the inlet of the pipe also had some effect on the transition boundary. In the initial stages of the study, the phases

were mixed and transported to the inlet through a 5 m long flexible hose. This increased the intermittent flow region possibly due to the slugs existing in the hose which persisted along the entire length of the pipeline. Later, the gas-liquid mixer was replaced with the one shown in Fig. 2 which allowed mixing of the two phases immediately upstream of the pipe section. With the new mixer the stratification of the phases was enhanced. The horizontal S-l transition was also sensitive to slight deviations of the angle from the horizontal. These deviations could be due to flow induced vibrations, resetting of the trestle after calibration of the volume sensors (E, = 1) or the accuracy involved in the measurement of the angle itself ( + 0.03). It was therefore difficult to locate the S-I transition precisely. In inclined pipe flow, this transition was not affected by as many factors as for the horizontal case. In upward inclined pipes, stratified flow was observed to a very limited extent. A ney regime so far not reported in the literature was observed near the S-I transition and was denoted as wave flooding (WF). This flow regime was observed only for downhill flow and was characterized by transient liquid blockages or slugs which could remain

668

S.

L.

KOKAL

and J. F. STANISLAV I 260 mm I 220 mm

260 mm

25.8 mm. 51.2

mm

51.2

mm ACRYLIC
PIPE PIPE

OR 76.3 mm ACRYLIC
PIPE SECTION

Fig. 2. Gas-liquid inlet mixer. stationary for some time before draining off. Details of this flow regime are shown in Fig. 3. WF was observed at low gas and medium liquid velocities. It was found to be unstable and exhibited a hysteresis phenomenon. It was prominent in the 26mm pipe and was not observed at all in the 76-mm pipe. Strati$ed-annular (S-A) and intermittent-annular (Z-A) transitions. These transitions take place at high gas flow rates (V,, > 2-3 m/s). The transition region constitutes a wide band and consists of proto-slug flow (PS) at low liquid velocities and proto-slug froth flow (PSF) at higher liquid flow rates. These flow regimes are characterized by unsteady waves which are unable to bridge the pipe due to the insufficient supply of liquid. The waves move in a jerky manner at velocities lower than that of the gas. The PS and PSF regimes show characteristics of stratified, intermittent and annular flow regimes. regimes was observed at high liquid flow rates. The two different inlet mixers mentioned earlier affected the location of the I-DB transition boundary in the 26- and 51-mm pipes. This boundary also represents the limit for intermittent flow for which the slug translational velocity could not be measured using the volume sensor signature traces.
FLOW PATTERN DETECTION

Intermittent-dispersed
transition between the

bubble (I-DB) transition. The

intermittent and DB flow

The flow patterns described above were determined visually and by using the volume sensor traces. The use of visual observation for determining flow patterns has the disadvantage of being subjective and can lead to differences in the interpretation of flow patterns. The development of a simple quantitative means for the determination of flow patterns was therefore considered desirable. The volume sensors described in the Appendix were used for a quantitative identification of the flow patterns. The traces from the volume sensors were recorded using a Hewlett-Packard strip chart recorder. Each flow pattern had a characteristic trace

_O~SPERSED

BUBBLES

OIL

DRAINAGE

AIR

BUBBLE

STRATIFIED

WAVY FLOW

Fig. 3. Wave flooding phenomena in downhill flow.

Two-phase flow in slightly inclined pipes-I and some typical traces are shown in Fig. 4 for horizontal flow. Intermittent flow had the most distinctive trace [Fig. 4(a)-(d)]. For low gas flow rates, the EB flow regime was observed with liquid slugs free of entrained gas bubbles. A typical trace for the EB flow regime is shown in Fig. 4(a). It can be seen that the peak voltage (corresponding to liquid slugs) coincides with the V,,, (100% liquid) mark. EDB flow is characterized by the presence of dispersed bubbles in the liquid slug. A trace for the EDB flow regime is shown in Fig. 4(b) and the voltage peaks do not quite reach the V,,, mark due to the gas holdup in the slug. For SL flow the response is similar [Fig. 4(c)] except that the gas holdup in the slug is generally greater than 10%. PS and PSF make up the wide transition between the intermittent and annular flows and some typical traces are shown in Fig. 4(d) and (e). These are marked

669

by the stochastic semi-slugs moving on the liquid surface. The amplitude of the traces decrease and for annular flow these fluctuations become even smaller and random in nature [Fig. 4(f) and (g)]. The traces for DB flow are shown in Fig. 4(h) and(i). The fluctuations for DB flow (low V,) are random in nature with small amplitudes and high frequency but the average voltage is higher due to the higher average liquid holdup. This distinguishes the DB flow from PS where the fluctuations might be similar but occur at a lower average voltage. In DBF (high V+J, the fluctuations are random with higher amplitudes and lower frequencies. The SS flow [Fig. 4(j)] shows no fluctuations and the trace is a straight line. The SW flow [Fig. 4(k)] is observed at higher gas flow rates and is characterized by the small amplitudes of the traces. As the gas rate is increased further, the frequency of the fluctuations

Fig. 4. Flow regimes

from volume

sensor

traces.

670

S. L. KOKAL and J. F. STANISLAV Reynolds numbers:

increase. The distinction between the AW [Fig. 4(f)] and SW [Fig. 4(k)] flow regimes was difficult to make with the volume sensor traces. For this reason visual observations were used to distinguish between these flow patterns. In AW flow the liquid climbs the pipe wall whereas in SW flow the waves are on the liquid surface. The criteria set above were used to detect flow patterns and the results were compared with visual observations. The agreement was found to be good. The final flow pattern maps were based on visual observations and by using the volume sensor traces.
MODELING FLOW PAlTERN TRANSITIONS

The equivalent diameters D, and D, for the liquid and gas phases are defined as
D,2$
I

(9
4A,

D,=

S-I transition Taitel and Dukler (1976) proposed an analysis of the transition from stratified to intermittent flow. The analysis is based on the condition of equilibrium stratified flow (Fig. 5). A momentum balance on each phase yields - A, g - tlS, + ziSi - plA,g sin p = 0 (1)

S,+Si

(10)
by using the equa-

The friction factors are calculated tion of Chen (1979): i= Jf -4.010g E-_ 3.70550 5.0452 Re

-A,g-r,S,-riSi--p,A,gsin/3=0

(2)

where zl, 2, and zi are the liquid, gas and interfacial stresses, respectively. S, and S, are the tube perimeters in contact with the liquid and the gas phases, respectively, while Si is the interfacial perimeter. j? is considered positive for upward flow. Eliminating the pressure gradient dP/dx from eqs (1) and (2) gives

A simplified equation for the friction factor is also given by Chen (1984). The equations were transformed to dimensionless form using the reference quantities: D for length, 0 for area, and V,, and V,, for the liquid and gas velocities. Denoting the dimensionless variables by -, eq. (3) becomes

where X is the Lockhart-Martinelli

parameter:

The shear stresses are evaluated

as follows:

51 _hv:
2 and Y is defined as (14)

(6)
where I+ and vg are the in situ velocities, andS, and fe, the friction factors, are functions of the liquid and gas The parameter X can be easily calculated from the liquid and gas flow rates, fluid properties and tube diameter. The parameter Y represents a ratio of

Fig. 5. Stratified flow in pipes.

Two-phase flow in slightly inclined pipes-1 gravity and pressure forces. In the above equations,& and f,, are the single-phase liquid and gas friction factors based on the superficial velocities. The interfacial friction factor, J, is calculated using the Ellis and Gay (1959) correlation: fi= L3Re,-0.57. (15) and dA,/dS;, = Jl -(21;, - 1)2.

671

(25)

The basic difference between the approach taken here and that of Taitel and Dukler (1976) is the way the friction factors are calculated. In this study, eq. (11) was used for calculating the gas and liquid friction factors, and eq. (15) for the interfacial friction factor. Taitel and Dukler (1976) assumed that fi =fe All dimensionless quantities are functions of h, = hJD as follows: ;I,=0.25[n-cos- ;1,=0.25[cos(2h,-1)+(23;,-l)Jl-(2h,-1)2] (16) (2X,- 1) -(2h,S,=7r-coS-1(2ht-l) S,=cos-1(2h,-l) si = Jl - (2T;,- 1)2 -&=A/A, -Q = A/A, l)Jl-(2h,l)] (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) w

The variables in eq. (23) are the superficial gas velocity and the liquid level I$. The S-I transition is thus determined by three dimensionless groups, X, Y and Fr. For fixed Y, the transition is defined by X and Fr only. Thus, for a given superficial gas velocity, eqs (12) and (23) are solved simultaneously for V,, and 5,. The transition boundary calculated in terms of Vsl and Vsse is plotted in Figs 7-9 for the different angles and pipe sizes. I-DB transition

The three variables in eq. (12) are the liquid level, I&, and the parameters X and Y [eqs (13) and (14)]. If X and Y are specified, eq. (12) can be solved for A,. Based on the Kelvin-Helmholtz stability theory, Taitel and Dukler (1976) proposed a criterion for transition from stratified to intermittent flow regime and is given by

For horizontal and slightly inclined pipe flow, Taitel and Dukler (1976) suggested that the transition from intermittent to DB flow regime takes place when the turbulence in the liquid overcomes the buoyant forces. A slightly different approach is considered here. A fully DB flow is shown in Fig. 6. Two dominant forces act on the bubble: a buoyant force which tends to lift the bubble to the upper part of the pipe and a turbulent force which tends to disperse it in the liquid. It is assumed that these two forces are approximately equal for the transition from intermittent to DB flow. The turbulent forces acting on the bubble are estimated from Levich (1962):

where vis the radial velocity fluctuation which can be estimated using the friction velocity u,: (py =
u* =
I

Fr=(l

-%I[ d;,dA,]
c_

(23)

0
A
-

112

(27)

where Fr is a modified

Froude
112

number given by

wheref, is the liquid phase friction factor. The buoyant forces acting on the bubble are (24)

v,,
J&l cos P

(28)

BUBBLES

Fig. 6. Dispersed bubble flow.

672

S. L. KOKAL

and J. F. STANISLAV

At the transition F,>F, substituting of eqs (26)(28) into eq. (29) yields (29)

inchned pipes:

E+
b
where V, is the bubble rise velocity given by Zuber and Findlay (1965) and others: v*=c,v,+ v, (35)

v <
1

_____

8 (PI-Ppg)g=JsB
3 PI fi db

1
l/2

(30)

For liquids of low viscosity a simple equation developed by Davidson and Schuler (1960) for the stable bubble diameter, d,, is $= I.,,,(% I&) 12 9-S/?. (31)

Substituting eq. (3 l), with I+ = VJE, into eq. (30) gives

and g = 9.8 1 m/s

112

go23vo.4 w

(32)

The validity of eq. (31) is limited to bubble formation in a stagnant pool of liquid. At the I-DB transition the bubbles are generally confined to the upper part of the tube especially at low gas rates. This means that the buoyancy force is higher than the turbulent dispersive forces. For these reasons, and to obtain a good fit, the coefficient 4.56&i in eq. (32) was replaced with a coefficient of 0.8 and the inequality removed. The final transition criterion becomes Do.8 V0.4
JB
l/Z

where C, is the flow distribution parameter and I,,is the drift velocity or terminal rise velocity. The value of C, is taken as 1.2 based on theoretical as well as experimental results (Zuber and Findlay, 1965; Wallis, 1969). Hasan and Kabir (1986) have also shown that this value is independent of the angle of inclination (except for stagnant liquid). On the other hand, the drift velocity, V,,, is affected by the angle inclination and depends on the Eotvos number, Eo[gD(p, - pg)/e], and the inverse viscosity number, 1966; NfCD3s(prP,P~/PJ PM-ski, Wallis, 1969). The effect of the inclination on the drift velocity is given by Hasan and Kabir (1986) as V,,=VJ~~(l+sir~/?)i.~ (36)

(33)

Equation (33) represents a criterion for the transition from the intermittent to the DB flow regime.
I-A transition

where Vds is the drift velocity in a pipe with an inclination of B. For the range of angles considered in this study, the effect of inclination is small and therefore V,, was used for all angles. Moreover, the values of Vd is small and hence the effect of its variation with inclination angle is negligible. Wallis (1969) shows that for Nf> 300 and Eo> 100 the drift velocity is given by v,=o.345 [oD(p:;p3 I. (37)

As described in the previous section, the liquid holdup in the slug decreases as the gas superficial velocity is increased in the intermittent flow regime. A stable slug is maintained when there is sufficient liquid in the film ahead to sustain it. When there is insufficient liquid, the slug becomes an unsteady wave which is swept around the wall resulting in PS and PSF. These flows make up a wide transitional region between the intermittent and annular flow regimes. The PS is also classified by many as wavy annular flow and it has characteristics of both intermittent and annular flow. The average liquid holdup, E,, is typically around 0.25 at this transition which is the limiting value for stable slug flow. It is suggested that for liquid holdups less than this value, the transition to wavy annular flow takes place. Based on bubble rise theory and experimental results, numerous authors (Armand, 1946; Griffith and Wallis, 1961; Nicklin et al., 1962; Hughmark, 1965; Zuber and Findlay, 1965; Bonnecaze et al., 1971; Dukler and Hubbard, 1975; Spedding and Chen, 1984, 1986; Hasan and Kabir, 1986) have proposed an expression for gas holdup in horizontal as well as

The minimum values of Eo and Nfwere calculated to be 180 and 1600, respectively, for the fluids used in this study. With E,=0.25, eqs (34), (35) and (37) give the necessary criterion for the transition from intermittent to annular flow regime: I,= where C, ~2.98 [ gD;lp,)] . (39) 10.36V,,+ C, (38)

Equation (38) locates the I-A boundary approximately since the transition between intermittent and wavy annular flow is a gradual one and it is difficult to distinguish between a highly aerated slug and wavy annular flow (proto-slug) with roll waves.
EB-EDB transition

EB flow is a limiting case of SL with the liquid slug free of any dispersed bubbles. A method for estimating the liquid holdup in the slug was recently proposed by Barnea and Brauner (1985). They suggested that the gas is dispersed in the liquid slug in the form of dispersed bubbles.

Two-phase flow in slightly inclined pipes-1 The gas holdup in the slug can be estimated from a balance between the turbulent dispersive forces and buoyant coalescence forces. These forces also determine the location of the I-DB transition. When coalescence forces are high, the small dispersed bubbles agglomerate into elongated bubbIes with aerated slugs. On the other hand, high turbulent forces will cause transition to dispersed bubble flow. At the I-DB transition, the two forces are equal. A point on the I-DB transition is represented by certain values of V,, and I+,.The gas holdup at this point can be estimated by using eq. (34). This is the maximum holdup that the liquid slug can accommodate as dispersed bubbles at a given turbulence level which depends on the mixture velocity V,,,( = V, + VW). Starting at this point on the I-DB transition and increasing Vss, while keeping V,,,constant, will cause a transition to the intermittent flow regime. The velocity of the liquid in the slug, V,, is equal to the mixture velocity based on continuity requirements. Therefore, for a given mixture velocity, the turbulent forces within the slug are the same as in the DB flow at the I-DB transition. Consequently the slug will sustain the same gas holdup as it does at the I-DB boundary with a mixture velocity V,,, which can be easily calculated using eq. (34). The EB-EDB transition can be predicted for the limiting case when E,,+ 1 which corresponds to E,+ 1 or E,-+O at the I-DB boundary. Barnea and Brauner (1985) used the criterion for the I-DB transition

673

proposed by Taitel and Dukler (1976) and calculated the gas holdup (E,) using the no-slip flow condition at the transition In this work the I-DB transition was predicted using eq. (33) and the gas holdup was calculated using eq. (34). To estimate the EB-EDB transition, a point is located on the I-DB transition for E,,-+O using eqs (33) and (34). Theoretically this will correspond to a value of Vs, = 0 but the transitions were calculated for a small value of V,, =O.OOl m/s (E, x 0.001). EDB-SL transition. In the EDB flow regime the gas holdup in the slug (E& is greater than zero but less than 0.1. The EDB-SL transition is predicted in a similar manner as the EEEDB transition with E,=O.l at the I-DB transition using eqs (33) and (34).

RESULTS

0.1 0.01

0.01

. E
__>..-,+-c-y
xXx* .**.

The experimental data and theoretical results are plotted on flow pattern maps using superficial gas and liquid velocities as coordinates. Figures 7-9 present the results for the three pipe diameters at different inclinations. The solid curves represent theoretical results while the dotted curves are the experimentally determined boundaries. The points represent experimental data. The predictions of Taitel and Dukler (1976) model using the rough pipe friction factor (Taitel, 1977) are also shown on these maps.

xxx
1x1

.+.*

I.

xx

,...
..

.:+*
. .

...

**

..n.

B=

-~*~
lo x30

0.1

Fig.

7.

Flow pattern map for 25.8-mm pipe.

674

S. L. KOKAL

and J. F. STANISLAV

0.0

001 0.1

x)

2
>
0.1 aol

0.01

lo *
2 p 0.1 0.01 1

__-________-___-___--___--. . mmlIrTi!l
1 10 luo .._.. 8= +I

. ..__ ..._. .: . .+. 1 1

.(...

... l .

w-i
._

II*

..!

x=

. . ..--Ii
. . . .

_-;;

_,x

t;

.:. .
, . -

l .++xx * *: .

;. ,

l
1

,.:.

. . . .
1.1 . . .

LaA \+r :*i

:=I l;
* * ;. ] j.

4 .:.
.:. .:*

.
.

1. .

;.

.:. .:.

; ; R

:.

P=

Oi i :
1 x)

@=

$).:

0.1

loo

0.01 0.1

loo 0.01 0.1

lo

100

0.0

0.1

10

I33

Fig. 8. Flow pattern map for 51.2-mm pipe.

0.0 lo

0.0

P >m
0.1 0.01

0.01 0.1

__--___--7 1% lI?icl
0.1 1 lo loo

___--- __--.

: .; .*.

rrrti .rri
;

Ii

..i .:7

rttri:
..*.
..*+i

II

.I

-:::;

p=1-

73 L
lo

.a. . ...+-

*;

..*.,.

. . .
. .

B=ts.

:I, :I
1

lo0

oat

0.1

l0

loo 0.0

0.1

lo

100

2 >m
0.1

Fig. 9. Flow pattern map for 76.3-mm pipe.

Two-phase flow in slightly inclined pipes-1

Horizontal

675

The horizontal flow patterns are shown in Figs 7-9 for the three pipe sizes. The S-I transition was found to be very sensitive to slight deviations of the angle from the horizontal. A number of factors affect this transition as discussed earlier. Since the accuracy in the pipe inclination was limited to +0.03, three curves were plotted for the horizontal S-I transition at + 0.03, 0 and - 0.03. The I-A transition [eq. (38)] predictions compare well with the experimental results. This transition is located at higher gas velocities-for the larger diameter pipes due to the effect of diameter on the drift or rise velocity [eq. (37)]. The I-A transition is valid outside the range of stable stratified flow. The transition from intermittent to annular flow is a gradual one as the flow exhibits various flow regime characteristics in the transition region. The I-DB transition [eq. (33)] shows a good agreement with the experimental transition. It should be noted that the validity of eq. (31) is limited to gas bubbles rising in a stagnant pool of liquid and the movement of the continuous phase has some effect on the bubble size. Also for high gas holdups, the bubbles coalesce and are not uniform in size. Nevertheless, the criterion [eq. (3311 predicts the transition rather well. This boundary is shifted to higher liquid velocities for the larger pipe sizes which was confirmed experimentally. Only limited data points could be taken for this transition in the 51-mm pipe and no data points were taken for the 76-mm pipe due to the oil pump capacity. The theoretical EB-EDB transition is also shown in Figs 7-9 using the criterion given in the previous section. This transition is obtained for slugs free of dispersed bubbles and corresponds to a constant value of V,,, for E,,+O. The EDB-SL transition is also shown for a constant value of V,,, at EgS =O.l. The predictions compare very well with the experimental data. The results of the Taitel and Dukler (1976) model are also presented for comparison with the experimental data. The predictions for the S-I and I-A transitions show a good agreement with the data. Equation (38) reduces to the criterion proposed by Taitel and Dukler for the horizontal case. The Taitel and Dukler theory overpredicts the I-DB transition in terms of the superficial liquid velocity. This has also been confirmed by Barnea et al. (1980). Taitel and Dukler did not differentiate between the EB, EDB or SL flow regimes and considered them as the intermittent flow regime. The effect of pipe diameter on the different transitions is shown in Fig. 10 for the horizontal case. The curves represent theoretical predictions. The S-I transition is quite sensitive to the pipe diameter and the ST flow region expands with the pipe size. The I-DB transition is also affected by the pipe diameter and is located at higher liquid velocities for the large pipes. This is because a higher turbulence level is required to produce DB flow in the larger pipe diameters. The I-A

Fig. 10. Effect of pipe diameter on transition boundaries in a horizontal pipe. transition is relatively insensitive to the pipe size. This has also been confirmed by Taitel and Dukler (1976) and Spedding and Chen (1981).
EfSect of inclination

The uphill-flow regimes were found to be similar to the horizontal-flow regimes except that very limited stratified flow was observed for uphill flows. The downhill-flow regimes on the other hand were found to be very different and more complex. The major difference was the substantial expansion of the stratified flow region between the horizontal and - 1. The stratified region further expanded with an increase in the angle but the expansion was less rapid than that between the horizontal and - 1. This is clearly seen in Fig. 11. For downward stratified flow the surface of

Above Iines
3elow

I-NT

STRATIFIED Pipe Diameter = 25.8 lines

0.01

Superficial gas Lcity

a.1

Vsp m/s

100

Fig. 11. Effect of pipe inclination on stratified-intermittent transition.

676

S. L.

KOKAL

and J. F.

STANISLAV

the liquid was never smooth and became progressively more wavy in nature as the S-I transition was approached. The intermittent region shrunk in size as the angle of inclination was increased in downhill flow. The S-I boundary was most sensitive to the inclination angle. In downward flow the liquid moves faster with low holdups due to gravity and therefore transition to intermittent flow takes place at higher gas and liquid flow rates. On the other hand, upward inchnations cause the liquid to move slower with higher liquid holdups and prevents stratification. Figure 11 shows the effect of inclination on the I-S transition for the 26-mm pipe. The flow pattern results are shown in Figs 7-9 for the various inclination angles. The agreement between theory and experimental data is very good. The I-S transition in downhill flow is correctly predicted by the criterion given by eq. (23). As noted, this transition is very sensitive to pipe inclination. The I-DB and I-A transitions are relatively insensitive to the angle of inclination. The inclination angle will have some effect on the I-A transition because the bubble rise velocity, V,,, depends on the angle of inclination. For the angles considered in this study, however, this effect is negligible. On the other hand, the I-A and I-DB transitions are sensitive to the pipe diameter. The Taitel and Dukler theory predicts the I-S boundary well, but the I-DB and I-A transitions predictions are not satisfactory. For the I-A tran-

sition, the Taitel and Dukler theory shows a significant effect on the pipe inclination especially for uphill flow which was not observed experimentally. Similar disagreement with experimental data was reported by Barnea et al. (1980). The present theory predicts this transition very well. To test the validity of the model equations with data from other sources, the data of Shoham (1982) were selected and the results are plotted in Fig. 12. There is a slight improvement over the Taitel and Dukler (1976) results for the S-I and I-DB transitions. The I-A transition is not very well predicted by the new models. The reason for this is the way annular flow is distinguished by Shoham (1982). The PS and PSF flow regimes have been included in the.annular flow regime while Shoham (1982) presumably has included these in the intermittent flow regime. To distinguish between the annular and intermittent flow regimes by a single curve on a V,, vs V,, plot is rather ambiguous because the transition between these two flow regimes occurs over a wide range of gas and liquid flow rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Unique experimental data have been collected for the flow patterns and their transitions over a wide range of gas and liquid flow rates. The data on flow patterns were compared with the Taitel and Dukler (1976) flow pattern map. While this theory predicts the S-1 transition correctly, it fails to predict the other

Fig. 12. Flow pattern map for 25mm

pipe with data of Shoham (1982).

Two-phase flow in slightly inclined pipes-1 boundaries satisfactorily. Improved models were developed for these transitions. The flow regimes were found to be very sensitive to the inclination angle. The major effect of inclination was observed for the S-I transition. For the horizontal pipe, even a small deviation (_tO.O3) could significantly affect the location of this transition. Uphill-flow regimes were predominantly intermittent while downward flow was dominated by stratified flow. The I-A and I-DB transitions were relatively insensitive to the inclination angle. Pipe diameter had a distinct effect on all transition boundaries. The gas-liquid inlet mixer can affect the location of the transition boundaries. Entrance effects were observed for some range of gas and liquid flow rates. The models developed for the flow regime transitions (S-I, I-DB and I-A) predict the boundaries correctly for the entire range of flow variables, pipe diameter and system variables.

677

v,
V 1,,,,

=r

average translational velocity of the slug and bubble, m/s volume sensor voltage corresponding to singlephase liquid flow, V Lockhart-Martinelli parameter [eq. (13)] parameter [eq. (14)) angle of inclination, o pipe roughness, m film geometry parameter, o gas viscosity, Pa s liquid viscosity, Pa s gas density, kg/m3 liquid density, kg/m3 gas shear at pipe wall, N/m2 interfacial shear stress between gas and liquid, N/m2 liquid shear stress at pipe wall [eq. (4)], N/m2 REFERENCES

NOTATION cross-sectional area of the pipe, m2 cross-sectional area of pipe for gas, mz cross-sectional area of pipe for liquid, mz film distribution parameter constant for eq. (38) defined by eq. (39) bubble diameter in DB flow [eq. (31)-J, m pipe diameter, m equivalent diameter for gas phase [eq. (lo)], m equivalent diameter for liquid phase [eq. (911,m average in situ gas fraction in pipe average in situ gas fraction in the slug average in situ liquid fraction in the pipe average in situ liquid fraction in the slug gas phase friction factor based on Ree [eq. (S)] interfacial frictio? factor [eq. (15)] liquid friction factor based on Re, [eq. (7)] gas phase friction factor based on superficial velocity liquid phase friction factor based on superficial velocity modified Froude number [eq. (24)] buoyant forces in DB flow [eq. (28)], N turbulent forces in DB flow [eq. (26)], N acceleration due to gravity, m/s2 liquid depth in pipe, m gas phase Reynolds number [eq. (S)] liquid phase Reynolds number [eq. (7)] gas wetted perimeter with pipe waI1[eq. (19)]. m interface wetted perimeter between gas and liquid [eq. (20)], m liquid wetted perimeter with pipe wall, m friction velocity [eq. (27)], m/s in situ gas velocity (= VJE&, m/s in situ liquid velocity (= VJE,), m/s radial velocity fluctuation [eq. (27)], m/s bubble rise velocity [eq. (35)], m/s drift velocity [eq. (37)], m/s drift velocity [eq. (3611, m/s superficial gas velocity, m/s superficial liquid velocity, m/s

Armand, A. A., 1946, The resistance duringthe movementof two-phasesystemsin horizontal pipes.Zzv.V.T.Z. 1, 1623. Bamea, D., 1986, Transition from annular flow and from dispersed bubble flow-unified models for the whole range of pipe inclinations Znt. J. Multiphase Flow 12, 733-744. Bamea, D., 1987,A unified mode1 for predicting flow-pattern transitions for the whole range of DiDe inclinations. Znt. J. Multiphase Flow 13, 1-12. - Bamea D. and Brauner N.. 1985. Holdup of liquid slug in two phase intermittent Row. Znt. J. M&+&e Flow-11, 43-49. Bamea, D., Shoham, 0. and Taitel Y., 1980, Flow pattern transitions for gas-liquid flow in horizontal and inclined pipes: comparison of experimental data with theory. Znt. J. Multiphase Flow 6, 217-225. Bamea. D., Shoham, 0. and Taitel Y.. 1982, Flow pattern transition for downward inclined two phase flow: horizontal to vertical. Chem. Engng Sci. 37, 735-740. Bamea, D., Shoham, 0. and Taitel Y., 1985, Gas liquid flow in inclined tubes; flow pattern transitions for upward flow. Chem. Enmo Sci. 40, 131-136. Bamea, D. a&-Taitel Y:, 1986,Flow pattern transition in two phase gas-liquid flows, in Encyclopedia of Fluid Mechanics (Edited by N. Cheremisinoff), Vol. 3, pp. 403-474. Bonnecaze, R. H., Erskine, W. and Greskovich E. .I., 1971, Holdup and pressure drop for two-phase slug Row in inclined pipeline. A.1.Ch.E. .Z. 17, 1109-I 113. Chen, J. i -J., 1984, A simple explicit formula for the estimation of pipe friction factor. Proc. Znstn civ. Engrs Part 2, Technical Note 400, 77, 49-55. Chen, N. H., 1979, An explicitequationfor friction factor in pipe. Znd. Engng Chem. Fundam. l&296-297. Crawford, T. J., Weinberger, C. B. and Weisman, J., 1985, Two-phase flow patterns and void fractions in downward flow, Part.1: steady state flow patterns. Znt. J. Multiphase Flow 11,761-782. Davidson, J. F. and Schuler, 0. G., 1960, Bubble formation at an orifice in an inviscid liquid. Trans. Znstn them. Engrs 38, 335342. Dukler, A. E. and Hubbard, M. G., 1975, A model for gas-liquid slug flow in horizontal and near horizontal tubes. Ind. Engng Chem. Fundam. 14,337-347. Duns, H., Jr. and Ros, N. C. J., 1963, Vertical flow of gas and liquid mixtures from boreholes, in Proceedings of the 6th World Petroleum Congress, Section 2, Paper 22, Frankfurt. Ellis, S. R. M. and Gay, B., 1959,The parallel flow of two fluid streams: interfacial shear and fluid-fluid interaction. Trans. Instn them. Engrs 37,206. Gould, T. L., Tek, M. R. and Kaltz, D. L., 1974, Two-phase flow through vertical inclined or curved pipe. J. Petrol. Technol. 26, 914-926.

678

S. L. KOKAL

and J. F. STANISLAV Wallis, G. B., 1969, One Dimensional Two Phase Flow. McGraw-Hill, New York. Weisman, J., Duncan, D., Gibson, J. and Crawford, T., 1979, Effect of fluid properties and pipe diameter on two-phase flow pattern in horizontal lines. Int. J. Multiphase Flow 5, 437-462. Weisman, J. and Kang, S. Y., 1981, Flow pattern transition in vertical and upwardly inclined lines. Int. J. Multiphase Flow 7, 271-291. Zuber, N. and Findlay, J. A., 1965, Average volumetric concentration in two-phase flow systems. .r. Heat Transfer 87, 453-468. Zukoski, E. E., 1966, Influence of viscosity, surface tension and inclination angle on motion of long bubbles in closed tubes. J. Fluid Mech. 25, 821-837.

Griffith, P. and Wallis, G. B., 1961, Two-phase slug flow. J. Heat Transfer 83, 307-320. Hasan, A. R. and Kabir, C. S., 1986, Predicting multiphase flow behavior in a deviated .well. SPE paper 15449 presented at the 61st Annual Technical Meeting, New Orleans, LA. Hughmark, G. A., 1965, Holdup and heat transfer in horizontal slug gas-liquid flow. Chem. Engng Sci. 20, 1007-1010. Kokal, S. L., 1987, An experimental study of two phase flow in inclined pipes. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary. Levich, V. G., 1962, Physiochemical Hydrodynamics. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliff, NJ. Mukherjee, H., 1979, An experimental study of inclined twophase flow. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK. Nicklin, D. J., Wilkes, J. 0. and Davidson, J. F., 1962, Twophase flow in vertical tubes Trans. Instn them. Engrs 40, 6149. Shoham. O., 1982, Flow pattern transition and characterization in gas-liquid two phase flow in inclined pipes. Ph.D. Thesis, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv. Spedding, P. L. and Chen, J. J. J., 1981, A simplified method of determining flow pattern transition of two phase flow in a horizontal pipe. Int. J. Multiphase Flow 7, 729-731. Spedding P. L. and Chen, J. J. J., 1984, Holdup in two-phase flow. Int. J. Multiphase Flow 10,307-339. Spedding, P. L. and Chen, J. J. J., 1986, Holdup in multiphase flow, in Encyclopedia of Fluid Mechanics (Edited by N. Cheremisinoff), Vol. 3, Chap. 18, pp. 493-531. Spedding, P. L. and Nguyen, V. T.. 1980, Regime maps for air-water two-phase flow. Chem. Engng Sci. 35, 779-793. Taitel, Y., Barnea, D. and Dukler, A. E., 1980. Modeling flow pattern transitions for steady upward gas-liquid flow in vertical tubes. A.I.Ch.E. J. 26, 345-354. Taitel, Y. and Dukler, A. E., 1976, A model for prediction of flow regime in horizontal and near horizontal gas-liquid Row. A.1.Ch.E. J. 22, 47-55.

APPENDTX: CAPACITANCE

VOLUME

SENSORS

The in situ liquid fraction or holdup was measured using a capacitance type volume sensor originally designed and fabricated by Gregory and Mattar (1973) and used successfully by Agrawal(l971) and Singh(1982) for air-oil studies. A similar device was also used successfully by Mukherjee (1979). A continuous measurement of the liquid holdup can be made with the volume sensors by making use of the two different dielectric constants of air and oil. The sensor behaves as a parallel-plate capacitor for which the capacitance varies linearly with the dielectric of the material flowing through the sensor volume and follows a simple relationship: C=aK, where C =capacitance of the volume sensor, K, constant of the mixture flowing through the a = proportionality constant (device-dependent). The mixture dielectric constant, K,, is the volumetric fraction weighted dielectric constants (At) = dielectric sensor, and sum of the of the fluid

Table Al.

Volume

sensor dimensions Electrode width W 10 25 47 Number of spirals 2 1 1

fipc
ID d 25.8 51.2 76.3

Flange OD D 100 133 164

Sensor length

Total length

I
146 177 192 in mm.

L
171 216 227

Pitch P 70 154 168

+ All dimensions

Fig. Al.

Capacitance

volume

sensor details.

Two-phase phases inside the pipe and is given by K, = E,K, +(l

- E,)K,

flow in slightly inclined pipes--I

679

(AZ)

where K, and K, are the dielectric constants for the liquid and gas phases, respectively. The volume sensors consist of a shielded pair of helical capacitor plates wrapped around the outside of the acrylic pipe wall. A typical volume sensor is shown in Fig. Al. The helical plate design was chosen because it was found to be

insensitive to the distribution of the two phases within the sensor volume. The design also resulted in a convenient linear calibration curve. Due to the temperature dependence of the dielectric constants, a small temperature correction is required if the experiments are conducted at a temperature different from the calibration temperature. Since the experiments were performed inside the building, the temperature fluctuations were small. The pertinent design details for the volume sensors are given by Gregory and Mattar (1973).