Nonlinearwaves in a liquid film-gas flow system

The instability and regular nonlinear waves in the film of a heavy viscous liquid flowing along the wall of a round tube and interacting with a gas flow are investigated. The solutions for the wave film flows are numerically obtained in the regimes from free flow-down in a counter-current gas stream to cocurrent upward flow of the film and the gas at fairly large gas velocities. Continuous transition from the counter-current to the cocurrent flow via the state with a maximum amplitude of nonlinear waves and zero values of the liquid flow rate and the phase velocity is investigated. The Kapitsa-Shkadov method is used to reduce a boundary value problem to a system of evolutionary equations for the local values of the layer thickness and the liquid flow rate.     

Primary instabilities of liquid film flow sheared by turbulent gas stream

Evolution of excited waves on a viscous liquid film has been investigated experimentally for the annular gas–liquid flow in a vertical tube. For the first time the dispersion relations are obtained experimentally for linear waves on liquid film surface in the presence of turbulent gas flow. Both cocurrent and countercurrent flow regimes are investigated. As an example of comparison with theory, the experimental data are compared to the results of calculations based on the Benjamin quasi-laminar model for turbulent gas flow. The calculation results are found to be in good agreement with experiments for moderate values of film Reynolds number.     

Stability of a viscous subsonic swirl flow

The results of calculating the stability of a three-dimensional swirl flow of a viscous heat-conducting gas are presented. The stability characteristics are determined using the linear time-dependent theory of plane-parallel flow stability. The main undisturbed axisymmetric vortex flow was determined numerically using a quasi-cylindrical approximation for the complete set of Navier-Stokes equations. The circulation of the peripheral velocity in the cocurrent flow surrounding the viscous vortex core was assumed to be constant. In analyzing the stability, nonaxisymmetric perturbations in the shape of waves traveling along the vortex axis with both positive and negative wavenumbers were considered; in these two cases the perturbation rotation is either the same or opposite in sense to the rotation in the vortex core. Neutral stability curves are determined for various values of the swirling parameter and the cocurrent flow Mach number. Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 50–59, May–June, 1998.     

Mass transfer with gas desorption from the surface of a liquid film in the presence of a cocurrent flow

Results of a thcoretical and experimental study of dynamics and mass transfer during desorption of a gas from a liquid film in the presence of a cocurrent air flow are presented. The calculation model is based on solving integral momentum and diffusion relations for the gaseous and liquid phascs. Both laminar and turbulent regimes of the film flow are analyzed. The experimental study of mass transfer was conducted for carbon dioxide desorption from a water film. Criterial relations for mass transfer in the gaseous and liquid phases are obtained. The experiments showed that the heat-transfer coefficients for the case under study are one order of magnitude grcater than those for the flow of a smooth film. Possible mechanisms of such an appreciable intensification of the liquid-film mass transfer in a cocurrent gas flow are discussed. Kutateladze Institute of Thermal Physics, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 131–138, July–August, 2000.     

Large eddy simulation in a turbulent jet exhausting into a submerged space or a cocurrent flow

Results of large eddy simulations in a subsonic isothermal turbulent jet exhausting from a circular nozzle into a submerged space or a cocurrent flow are presented. The flow is described by space-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and by the RNG model of subgrid scale viscosity. Results computed for different values of the cocurrency parameter are compared with available results of numerical simulations and experimental data. The results obtained are found to agree well with measured data and to confirm the basic laws of variation of gas-dynamic and fluctuating parameters of submerged and cocurrent jets.     

Wave regimes of ascending flow of a thin layer of a viscous liquid in contact with a gas

The flow of a liquid in thin layers is one of the hydrodynamic problems of chemistry and heat engineering. The large surface area of films and their small thickness make it possible to accelerate thermal, diffusive, and chemical processes at the gas-liquid boundary.Theoretical studies of liquid flow in a vertical descending thin layer are presented in [1–4]. In this paper we study ascending wave flows of a liquid in a thin vertical layer in contact with a gas, i.e., flows in the direction opposite the action of the force due to gravity, with account for the action of the gas on the liquid surface. Such motions are encountered when oil is extracted from strata that are saturated with gas. At some distance from the stratum the oil and gas separate: the gas travels at high velocity inside the pipe, occupying a considerable portion of the pipe, and the liquid is displaced toward the pipe walls, forming a thin film. In certain cases a wave-like interface develops between the oil and gas that travels with a velocity greater than that of the liquid but less than the average gas velocity. Similar phenomena are observed in high velocity mass exchangers.We examine the effect of the gas for both laminar and turbulent flow.Studies that neglect the effect of the gas flow on the liquid show that for waves on the film surface whose lengths are considerably longer than the average thickness of the layer, the liquid motion in the film is described by boundary layer equations in which account is taken of the mass force, i.e., the force due to gravity. With some approximation, we can assume that in accounting for the effect of the gas on the liquid the liquid flow is described by these same equations.     

The prediction of stratified two-phase flow with a two-equation model of turbulence

A two-equation model is applied to a stratified two-phase flow system to predict turbulent transport mechanisms in both phases.In the present analysis, the effects of interfacial waves on the flow field are formulated in terms of boundary conditions for the gas-liquid interface. For the gas phase, the wavy interface has such flow separation effects as a rough surface in a single-phase flow. While for the liquid phase, the waves generate turbulant energy which is transported progressively toward a lower wall region. The analytical results are in good agreement with available data regarding pressure drop, holdup and velocity profiles.     

Co-current stratified gas–liquid downflow—Influence of the liquid flow field on interfacial structure

The transition from smooth to wavy stratified flow is studied for various pipe inclination angles with the aim to contribute to the realistic modeling and simulation of long distance two-phase pipe flow. The influence of the liquid flow field on interfacial structure is studied through local axial velocity measurements in the liquid phase in conjunction with other liquid layer characterization experiments. Observations based on fast-video recordings, are used to identify the main patterns of wave evolution. Liquid layer thickness time records are acquired using a parallel wire conductance technique from which mean layer thickness, RMS and power spectra of the fluctuations, as well as wave celerities are calculated. Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) is employed to investigate the flow structure in the thin liquid layer both with and without interfacial shear induced by a co-current gas flow. The results reveal the influence of the liquid flow field development on the interfacial structure. In particular, the new data of axial velocity profiles and liquid layer characteristics suggest that the onset of the interfacial waves is strongly affected by the liquid flow structure, possibly by the laminar to turbulent transition within the layer.     

Interaction of a gas-droplet turbulent jet with a cocurrent high-velocity high-temperature gas flow

A mathematical model and a method for calculating a gas-droplet turbulent jet with allowance for velocity nonequilibrium and virtual mass of the condensed phase during turbulent fluctuations and also heat and mass transfer within the three-temperature scheme are developed. Methodical calculations are performed. The results of these calculations are in reasonable agreement with available experimental data. The structure of the gas-droplet jet in a cocurrent high-velocity high-temperature gas flow is studied by numerical methods. The ratio of intensities of heat and mass transfer between the phases and turbulent diffusion transfers of substances is found to be different at the initial, transitional, and basic segments of the jet. This difference is responsible for the nonmonotonic axial distribution of vapor density and the lines of the halved mass flow of the condensed phase. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 85–94, May–June, 2008.     

Calculation of single phase pressure drop in heat exchangers considering the change of fluid properties along the flow path

The cost-optimized design of heat exchangers requires a fast but reliable calculation of pressure drop which makes a major contribution to running costs. For cocurrent and counter-current flow a simple approximating calculation method is presented, taking into account the variation of the fluid properties along the flow path. For any practical case reliable results are obtained only by calculating both the pressure drop and the local overall heat transfer coefficient at least at two points of the heat exchanger. In the special case of a gas in a turbulent flow and when, as usual, the major resistance to heat transfer is caused by the gas, it is sufficient to calculate only the pressure drop and at one point only. Pressure drops calculated exactly or by the proposed approximation compare well.     

Numerical analysis of swirling turbulent droplet-laden flow and heat transfer in a sudden pipe expansion

The effect of swirling intensity on the structure and heat transfer of a turbulent gas–droplet flow after a sudden pipe expansion has been numerically simulated. Air is used as the carrier phase, and water, ethanol, and acetone are used as the dispersed phase. The Eulerian approach is applied to simulate the dynamics and heat transfer in the dispersed phase. The gas phase is described by a system of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, taking into account the effect of droplets on mean transport and turbulent characteristics in the carrier phase. Gas phase turbulence is predicted using the second-moment closure. A swirling droplet-laden flow is characterized by an increase in the number of small particles on the pipe axis due to their accumulation in the zone of flow recirculation and the action of the turbulent migration (turbophoresis) force. A rapid dispersion of fine droplets over the pipe cross-section is observed without swirling. With an increase in swirling intensity, a significant reduction in the length of the separation region occurs. The swirling of a two-phase flow with liquid droplets leads to an increase in the level of turbulence for all three types of liquid droplets investigated in this work due to their intensive evaporation. It is shown that the addition of droplets leads to a significant increase in heat transfer in comparison with a single-phase swirling flow. The greatest effect of flow swirling on heat transfer intensification in a two-phase gas-droplet flow is obtained for the droplets of ethanol and water and smallest effect is for the acetone droplets.     

Numerical modeling of a two-dimensional vertical turbulent two-phase jet

The results of numerically modeling two-dimensional two-phase flow of the “gas-solid particles” type in a vertical turbulent jet are presented for three cases of its configuration, namely, descending, ascending, and without account of gravity. Both flow phases are modeled on the basis of the Navier-Stokes equations averaged within the framework of the Reynolds approximation and closed by an extended k-? turbulence model. The averaged two-phase flow parameters (particle and gas velocities, particle concentration, turbulent kinetic energy, and its dissipation) are described using the model of mutually-penetrating continua. The model developed allows for both the direct effect of turbulence on the motion of disperse-phase particles and the inverse effect of the particles on turbulence leading to either an increase or a decrease in the turbulent kinetic energy of the gas. The model takes account for gravity, viscous drag, and the Saffman lift. The system of equations is solved using a difference method. The calculated results are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental data which confirms the effect of solid particles on the mean and turbulent characteristics of gas jets.     

Simultaneous heat and mass transfer inside a vertical tube in evaporating a heated falling alcohols liquid film into a stream of dry air

A numerical study of the evaporation in mixed convection of a pure alcohol liquid film: ethanol and methanol was investigated. It is a turbulent liquid film falling on the internal face of a vertical tube. A laminar flow of dry air enters the vertical tube at constant temperature in the downward direction. The wall of the tube is subjected to a constant and uniform heat flux. The model solves the coupled parabolic governing equations in both phases including turbulent liquid film together with the boundary and interfacial conditions. The systems of equations obtained by using an implicit finite difference method are solved by TDMA method. A Van Driest model is adopted to simulate the turbulent liquid film flow. The influence of the inlet liquid flow, Reynolds number in the gas flow and the wall heat flux on the intensity of heat and mass transfers are examined. A comparison between the results obtained for studied alcohols and water in the same conditions is made.     

Eulerian–Lagrangian 3-D simulations of unsteady two-phase gas–liquid flow in a rectangular column by considering bubble interactions

This work discusses the development of a three-dimensional Eulerian–Lagrangian CFD model for a gas–liquid flow in a rectangular column. The model resolves the time-dependent, three-dimensional motion of small gas bubbles in a liquid to simulate the dynamic characteristics of the oscillating bubble plume. Our model incorporates drag, gravity, buoyancy, lift, pressure gradient and virtual mass forces acting on a bubble rising in a liquid, and accounts for two-way momentum coupling between the phases. We use MUSIG model that provides a framework in which the population balance method together with the break up and coalescence models can be incorporated into three-dimensional CFD calculations. We use turbulent flow to describe liquid flow field. The standard κ–ε of turbulence is selected for calculating the properties of turbulent flow. The effect of aspect ratio of the column on the flow pattern, liquid velocity and gas hold-up profiles is discussed.     

Numerical calculations of supersonic underexpanded jets in a cocurrent flow with the use of parabolized Navier-Stokes equations

Results of a numerical study of three-dimensional supersonic jets propagating in a cocurrent flow are described. Averaged parabolized Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically on the basis of a developed scheme, which allows calculations in supersonic and subsonic flow regions to be performed in a single manner. A jet flow with a cocurrent flow Mach number 0.05 ⩽ M_∞ ⩽ 7.00 is studied, and its effect on the structure of the mixing layer is demonstrated. The calculated results are compared with available experimental and numerical data. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 54–63, May–June, 2008.     

Turbulent boundary layer heat transfer for a constant property particle-laden gas flow

Solution of a turbulent boundary layer for a constant property, particle-laden gas flow is obtained by a differential method. A dimensionless analysis shows importance of an interaction parameter in increasing heat flux. Boundary layer analysis is done in usual manner by transforming partial differential equations and solution is started at the leading edge by Runge-Kutta method. Velocity and temperature profiles at downstream planes for gas and particles are calculated by an implicit finite-difference iterative procedure, and numerical results are compared with available experimental data.     

The Riemann problem for a hyperbolic model of two-phase flow in conservative form

This article is to continue the present author's work (International Journal of Computational Fluid Dynamics (2009) 23 (9), 623–641) on studying the structure of solutions of the Riemann problem for a system of three conservation laws governing two-phase flows. While existing solutions are limited and found quite recently for the Baer and Nunziato equations, this article presents the first instance of an exact solution of the Riemann problem for two-phase flow in gas–liquid mixture. To demonstrate the structure of the solution, we use a hyperbolic conservative model with mechanical equilibrium and without velocity equilibrium. The Riemann problem solution for the model equations comprises a set of elementary waves, rarefaction and discontinuous waves of various types. In particular, such a solution treats both the wave structure and the intermediate states of the two-phase gas–liquid mixture. The resulting exact Riemann solver is fully non-linear, direct and complete. On this basis then, we use locally the exact Riemann solver for the two-phase flow in gas–liquid mixture within the framework of finite volume upwind Godunov methods. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed solver, we consider a series of test problems selected from the open literature and compare the exact and numerical results by using upwind Godunov methods, showing excellent oscillation-free results in two-phase fluid flow problems.     

Flooding in two-phase counter-current flows: Numerical investigation of the gas–liquid wavy interface using the Navier–Stokes equations

This paper is devoted to a theoretical analysis of counter-current gas–liquid wavy film flow between vertical plates. We consider two-dimensional nonlinear waves on the interface over a wide variation of parameters. We use the Navier–Stokes equations in their full statement to describe the liquid phase hydrodynamics. For the gas phase equations, we use the Benjamin-Miles approach where the liquid phase is a small disturbance for the turbulent gas flow. We find a region of the superficial velocity where we have two solutions at one set of the problem parameters and where the flooding takes place. We calculate the flooding dependences on the gas/liquid physical properties, on the liquid Reynolds number and on the distance between the plates. These computations allow us to present the correlation for the onset of flooding that based on the fundamental equations and principles.     

Interfacial instability in turbulent flow over a liquid film in a channel

We revisit the stability of a deformable interface that separates a fully-developed turbulent gas flow from a thin layer of laminar liquid. Although this problem has received considerable attention previously, a model that requires no fitting parameters and that uses a base-state profile that has been validated against experiments is, as yet, unavailable. Furthermore, the significance of wave-induced perturbations in turbulent stresses remains unclear. To address these outstanding issues, we investigate this problem and introduce a turbulent base-state velocity that requires specification of a flow rate or a pressure drop only; no adjustable parameters are necessary. This base state is validated extensively against available experimental data as well as the results of direct numerical simulations. In addition, the effect of perturbations in the turbulent stress distributions is investigated, and demonstrated to be small for cases wherein the liquid layer is thin. The detailed modelling of the liquid layer also elicits two unstable modes, ‘interfacial’ and ‘internal’, with the former being the more dominant of the two. We show that it is possible for interfacial roughness to reduce the growth rate of the interfacial mode in relation to that of the internal one, promoting the latter, to the status of most dangerous mode. Additionally, we introduce an approximate measure to distinguish between ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ waves, the latter being the case for ‘critical-layer’-induced instabilities; we demonstrate that for the parameter ranges studied, the large majority of the waves are ‘slow’. Finally, comparisons of our linear stability predictions are made with experimental data in terms of critical parameters for onset of wave-formation, wave speeds and wavelengths; these yield agreement within the bounds of experimental error.