Bubbly flow. In contrast to the bubbly flow in vertical channel, the bubbly flow in horizontal channel is strongly influenced by gravitational force. Thermal Engineering
Bubbly Flow – Vertical Tubes
In the bubbly flow, the liquid flow rate is high enough to break up the gas into bubbles, but it is not high enough to cause the bubbles to become mixed well within the liquid phase. The bubbles vary widely in size and shape, but most commonly they are nearly spherical and are much smaller than the diameter of the tube.
Sketches of flow regimes for two-phase flow in a vertical pipe. Source: Weisman, J. Two-phase flow patterns. Chapter 15 in Handbook of Fluids in Motion, Cheremisinoff N.P., Gupta R. 1983, Ann Arbor Science Publishers.
The vertical flow regime map of Hewitt and Roberts (1969) for flow in a 3.2cm diameter tube, validated for both air/water flow at atmospheric pressure and steam/water flow at high pressure. Source: Brennen, C.E., Fundamentals of Multiphase Flows, Cambridge University Press, 2005, ISBN 0521 848040
Bubbly Flow – Horizontal Tubes
In contrast to the bubbly flow in vertical channel, the bubbly flow in horizontal channel is strongly influenced by gravitational force. Due to the buoyancy, bubbles are dispersed in the liquid with a higher concentration in the upper half of the channel. This regime typically occurs at higher flow rates, because at lower flow rates the gravitational force tends to drain the liquid annulus toward the bottom of the channel, resulting in stratified flow.
Sketches of flow regimes for two-phase flow in a horizontal pipe. Source: Weisman, J. Two-phase flow patterns. Chapter 15 in Handbook of Fluids in Motion, Cheremisinoff N.P., Gupta R. 1983, Ann Arbor Science Publishers.
A flow regime map for the flow of an air/water mixture in a horizontal, 2.5cm diameter pipe at 25◦C and 1bar. Solid lines and points are experimental observations of the transition conditions while the hatched zones represent theoretical predictions. Source: Mandhane, J.M., Gregory, G.A. and Aziz, K.A. (1974). A flow pattern map for gas-liquid flow in horizontal pipes. Int. J. Multiphase Flow
References:
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See also:
Two-phase Flow
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