DRAG FORCE IN DENSE GAS—PARTICLE TWO—PHASE FLOW

Numerical simulations of flow over a stationary particle in a dense gas-particle two-phase flow have been carried out for small Reynolds numbers (less than 100). In order to study the influence of the particles interaction on the drag force, three particle arrangements have been tested: a single particle, two particles placed in the flow direction and many particles located regularly in the flow field. The Navier-Stokes equations are discretized in the three-dimensional space using finite volume method. For the first and second cases, the numerical results agree reasonably well with the data in literature. For the third case, i.e., the multiparticle case, the influence of the particle volume fraction and Reynolds numbers on the drag force has been investigated. The results show that the computational values of the drag ratio agree approximately with the published results at higher Reynolds numbers (from 34.2 to 68.4), but there is a large difference between them at small Reynolds numbers. The project supported by the Special Funds for Major State Basis Research Projects in China (G19990222).     

Development of models correlating vibration excitation forces to dynamic characteristics of two-phase flow in a tube bundle

Recent experiments revealed significant quasi-periodic forces in both the drag and lift directions in a rotated triangular tube bundle subjected to two-phase cross-flow. The quasi-periodic drag forces were found to be related to the momentum flux fluctuations in the main flow path between the cylinders. The quasi-periodic lift forces, on the other hand, are mostly correlated to the oscillation in the wake of the cylinders. In this paper, we develop semi-analytical models for correlating vibration excitation forces to dynamic characteristics of two-phase flow in a rotated triangular tube bundle for a better understanding of the nature of vibration excitation forces. The relationships between the lift or drag forces and the dynamic characteristics of two-phase flow are established through fluid mechanics momentum equations. A model has been developed to correlate the void fraction fluctuation in the main flow path and the dynamic drag forces. A second model has been developed for correlating the oscillation in the wake of the cylinders and the dynamic lift forces. Although still preliminary, each model can predict the corresponding forces relatively well.     

Measurement of the liquid film thickness in micro tube slug flow

Slug flow is one of the representative flow regimes of two-phase flow in micro tubes. It is well known that the thin liquid film formed between the tube wall and the vapor bubble plays an important role in micro tube heat transfer. In the present study, experiments are carried out to clarify the effects of parameters that affect the formation of the thin liquid film in micro tube two-phase flow. Laser focus displacement meter is used to measure the thickness of the thin liquid film. Air, ethanol, water and FC-40 are used as working fluids. Circular tubes with five different diameters, D = 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 and 1.3 mm, are used. It is confirmed that the liquid film thickness is determined only by capillary number and the effect of inertia force is negligible at small capillary numbers. However, the effect of inertia force cannot be neglected as capillary number increases. At relatively high capillary numbers, liquid film thickness takes a minimum value against Reynolds number. The effects of bubble length, liquid slug length and gravity on the liquid film thickness are also investigated. Experimental correlation for the initial liquid film thickness based on capillary number, Reynolds number and Weber number is proposed.     

The influence of tube bundle geometry on cross-flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop

An experimental investigation was performed to compare the boiling heat transfer coefficients and two-phase pressure drops from a square inline and a staggered tube bundle having the same tube pitch-to-diameter ratio (P/D = 1.30) and from two square inline tube bundles having different pitch-to-diameter ratios (P/D = 1.30 and 1.70). Except at the highest heat fluxes the heat transfer coefficients generally were higher in the staggered tube bundle than in the inline tube bundle and higher in the larger P/D tube bundle than in the smaller. As the heat flux increased, the differences decreased. The differences were attributed to the tradeoff between nucleation and convection. The staggered tube bundle had higher pressure drops than the inline bundle except at low mass velocities; the larger pressure drop in the staggered bundle was attributed to the combination of a larger void fraction and a larger friction multiplier, with the frictional component dominating at higher mass velocities. Comparing the inline tube bundle pressure drops, it was concluded that the larger P/D bundle had a larger void fraction than the smaller P/D tube bundle; no conclusions could be drawn regarding the relative magnitude of the two-phase fraction multiplier.     

Hydrodynamics of two-phase flow in vertical up and down-flow across a horizontal tube bundle

Flow patterns, void fraction and friction pressure drop measurements were made for an adiabatic, vertical up-and-down, two-phase flow of air–water mixtures across a horizontal in-line, 5×20 tube bundle with a pitch-to-diameter ratio of 1.28. The flow patterns in the cross-flow zones were obtained and flow pattern maps were constructed. The data of average void fraction were less than the values predicted by a homogenous flow model and showed a strong mass velocity effect, but were well-correlated in terms of the Martinelli parameter X_tt and liquid-only Froude number Fr_LO. The two-phase friction multiplier data could be well-correlated with the Martinelli parameter.     

Effect of bubbles on the turbulence near the exit of a liquid jet

The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of bubbles on the turbulence levels of a water jet. Simultaneous measurements of the axial and radial velocity components were taken in a bubbly jet with a Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) and then compared to the velocities of a single phase jet at the same liquid flow rate. Mean bubble diameters ranged from 0.6 to 2 mm and the void fractions were up to about 20%. The liquid Reynolds numbers were from 5,000 to 10,000 approximately. The measurements extended to from an axial distance of 4–12 cm. It was observed that bubbles did not affect significantly the average velocity profiles in the jet. However bubbles increased the turbulence intensities in the core of the jet near the jet exit. The increase in turbulence intensities was more pronounced at lower Reynolds numbers and at higher void fractions.     

Measurement of virtual mass and drag coefficients of a disk oscillating sinusoidally in a two-phase mixture

This paper presents an experimental determination of the virtual mass and drag coefficients of a disk oscillating sinusoidally in a two-phase mixture of air flowing through stagnant water. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the importance of virtual mass on the transient response of an INEL-type drag-disk flow meter.The results indicate that for a given void fraction, the virtual mass coefficient increases, and the drag coefficient decreases, with increasing amplitude parameter. Also, for a given amplitude parameter, the virtual mass coefficient decreases, and the drag coefficient increases, with increasing void fraction.Based on the measured virtual mass coefficients, it was concluded that when an INEL-type drag-disk is used for the measurement of transient two-phase flows, virtual mass effects may be neglected in the analysis of its response without appreciable error.     

The flow past a sphere in a cylindrical tube: effects of intertia,shear-thinning and elasticity

Numerical solutions are presented for the flow past a sphere placed at the centreline of a cylindrical tube for Reynolds numbers ranging from 0 to 150, using a boundary element method. Fluids are modelled by a variety of constitutive equations including the Newtonian, the Carreau and the Phan-Thien-Tanner models. The influence of inertia, shear-thinning and fluid elasticity on the flow field, drag and the pressure drop force-drag ratio is examined. Some results are compared with available experimental data.     

Flow pattern and flow characteristics for counter-current two-phase flow in a vertical round tube with wire-coil inserts

Flow pattern, void fraction and slug rise velocity on counter-current two-phase flow in a vertical round tube with wire-coil inserts are experimentally studied. Flow pattern and slug rise velocity are measured visually with a video camera. The void fraction is measured by the quick-closing valve method. Four kinds of coils with different coil pitches and coil diameters are used as inserts. The presence of wire-coil inserts induces disturbance into gas and liquid flows so that the shape and motion of gas slug or bubbles in a wire-coil inserted tube are quite different from those observed in a smooth tube without insert. The bubbly flow occurs in the low gas superficial velocity region in the wire-coil inserted tube, while the slug or churn/annular flow only appears in the smooth tube without insert over the all test range. The measured slug rise velocity in the wire-coil inserted tube is higher than that in the smooth tube. With modified mean flow velocity calculated with core area, the slug rise velocity in wire-coil tube inserted is in good agreement with Nicklin's correlation. The void fraction in a wire-coil inserted tube is lower than that in a smooth tube in the range of high gas superficial velocities. By introducing a simple assumption on considering the effective flowing area, the measured void fractions in a wire-coil inserted tube are in relatively good agreement with the predicted result based on the drift flux model proposed by others with the correlation for slug rise velocity given by others when the coil pitch is dense.     

棱柱绕流流动的数值模拟

利用数值方法对长宽比为1／3, 1和3的棱柱绕流在雷诺数为100的非稳态流动特性进行了分析和研究。采用有限体积法对棱柱绕流的二维流动N-S方程进行离散求解,分析和研究了非稳态的棱柱绕流流场,升力系数,阻力系数和涡动特性,数值模拟的结果与相关文献的数据比较吻合。通过上述研究能够为了解棱柱绕流的非稳态流动特性提供有力的帮助。而对棱柱三维流动的模拟分析和对雷诺数的变化对棱柱流动特性的影响进行研究,将为掌握棱柱绕流的工程特性打下基础。     

Vortex shedding and fluidelastic instability in a normal square tube array excited by two-phase cross-flow

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the flow-induced vibration (FIV) response and fluidelastic stability threshold of a model heat exchanger tube bundle subjected to a cross-flow of refrigerant 11. The tube bundle consisted of a normal square array of 12 tubes with outer tube diameters of 7.11 mm and a pitch over diameter ratio of 1.485. The experiments were conducted in a flow-loop that was capable of generating single- and two-phase cross-flows over a variety of mass fluxes and void fractions. The primary intent of the research was to improve our understanding of the FIVs of heat exchanger tube arrays subjected to two-phase cross-flow. Of particular concern was the effect of array pattern geometry on fluidelastic instability. The experimental results are analysed and compared with existing data from the literature using various methods of parameter definition. Comparison of tube vibration response in liquid flow with previous results shows a similar occurrence of symmetric vortex shedding that validates the scale model approach in single-phase flow. It was found that the introduction of a small amount of bubbles in the flow disrupted the vortex shedding and thereby caused a significant reduction in streamwise vibration amplitude. The fluidelastic stability thresholds for the present array agree well with results from previous studies. Furthermore, a good collapse of the stability data from various investigations is obtained when the fluid density is defined using the slip model of Feenstra et al. and when an effective two-phase flow velocity is defined using the interfacial velocity model of Nakamura et al.     

Experimental study of the aerodynamic characteristics of a low-aspect-ratio flat plate array in a configuration of interest for a tidal energy converter

Wind tunnel experiments were conducted for the flow around a single flat plate and through an array of three parallel flat plates at different angles of incidence to compare their lift and drag coefficients for several values of the Reynolds number around 10⁵ and for three aspect ratio values. The selected cascade configuration is of interest for a particular type of tidal hydrokinetic energy converter. The main differences in the lift and drag forces are discussed, finding that for a plate in a cascade the maximum lift coefficient takes place at a quite different angle of attack, depending on the aspect ratio. The optimal conditions for extracting power from a tidal current are analyzed.     

Fluidelastic instability study in a rotated triangular tube array subject to two-phase cross-flow. Part I: Fluid force measurements and time delay extraction

Fluidelastic instability is a key issue in steam generator tube bundles subjected to cross-flow. The extension to two-phase flow of the existing theoretical models, developed and tested mostly for single phase flow, is investigated in this paper. The time delay is one of the key parameter for modeling fluidelastic instability, especially the damping controlled mechanism. The direct measurement of the time delay between the tube motion and the fluid force faces certain difficulties in two-phase flow since the high turbulence due to the interaction of the two components of the flow may increase the randomness of the measured force. To overcome this difficulty, an innovative method for extracting the time delay inherent to the quasi-steady model for fluidelastic instability is proposed in this study.Firstly, experimental measurements of unsteady and quasi-static fluid forces (in the lift direction) acting on a tube subjected to air–water two-phase flow were conducted. The unsteady fluid forces were measured by exciting the tube using a linear motor. These forces were measured for a wide range of void fractions, flow velocities and excitation frequencies. The experimental results showed that the unsteady fluid forces could be represented as single valued function of the reduced flow velocity. It was also found that for a given frequency, the unsteady fluid force phase was weakly dependent on the void fraction for the range of flow velocities considered.The time delay was determined by equating the unsteady fluid forces with the quasi-steady forces. The results given by this innovative method of measuring the time delay in two-phase flow were consistent with theoretical expectations. The time delay could be expressed as a linear function of the convection time and the time delay parameter was determined for void fractions ranging from 60% to 90%.     

The analysis of two-dimensional two-phase flow in horizontal heated tube bundles using drift flux model

This paper presents the experimental study and numerical simulation of two-dimensional two-phase flow in horizontal heated tube bundles. In the experiments, two advanced measuring systems with a single-fibre optical probe and a tri-fibre-optical-probe were developed to measure respectively the local void fraction and vapor bubble velocities among the heated tube bundles. In accordance with the internal circulation characteristics of two-phase flow in the tube bundles, a mathematical model of two-dimensional two-phase low Reynolds number turbulent flow based on the modified drift flux model and the numerical simulation method to analyze the two-phase flow structures have been developed. The modified drift flux model in which both the acceleration by gravity and the acceleration of the average volumetric flow are taken into account for the calculation of the drift velocities enables its application to the analysis of multi-dimensional two-phase flow. In the analysis the distributions of the vapor-phase velocity, liquid-phase velocity and void fraction were numerically obtained by using the modified drift flux model and conventional drift flux model respectively and compared with the experimental results. The numerical analysis results by using the modified drift flux model agree reasonably well with the experimental investigation. It is confirmed that the modified drift flux model has the capability of correctly simulating the two-dimensional two-phase flow. Received on 3 September 1998     

Effect of mass transfer on flow across a staggered tube bundle

Over a range of Reynolds numbers from 0·6 × 10⁵ to 1·75 × 10⁵ tests were made on a seven rows deep tube bank. These tests were made using a specially instrumented porous cylinder which could be located in any position within the bank. Mass transfer through the porous surface simulating the condensation process in a surface condenser, was applied, and its effect on local parameters investigated. The distribution of static pressure and skin friction was determined around tubes in different rows in the bank. From these measurements, the pressure drag and friction drag were estimated. The total pressure drop across the bank was also measured.

Results showed that, for typical steam condenser loadings, the contribution of the pressure drag to the total drag does not change appreciably with suction. However, the skin friction contribution does change considerably with suction.     

Experimental study of vortex emission behind bluff obstacles in a gas liquid vertical two-phase flow

Vortex emission behind cylinders with trapezoidal cross section was experimentally studied in air-water vertical two-phase flows (liquid velocities vary from 45 cm/s to 2 m/s inside a 15 cm ID pipe); the void fraction ranged from 0 to 25%. The measurements were performed at room pressure and temperature. Two flow regimes were observed. For void fraction smaller than 10% vortex emission remained stable and its frequency sharply defined. However, the rms amplitude of the associated pressure fluctuations strongly decreased. These results were explained by bubble trapping inside the vortex cores. This effect was verified experimentally and analyzed using optical fiber probe measurements. Above a 10% void fraction, vortex emission became erratic. Its spectrum became broader but could be identified up to 25% void fraction.     

Numerical simulation of circulation in gas-liquid column reactors: isothermal, bubbly, laminar flow

The gas-liquid flow inside a circular, isothermal column reactor with a vertical axis has been studied using numerical simulations. The flow is assumed to be in the laminar, bubbly flow regime which is characterized by a suspension of discrete air bubbles in a continuous liquid phase such as glycerol water. The mathematical formulation is based on the conservation of mass and momentum principle for the liquid phase. The gas velocity distribution is calculated via an empirically prescribed relative velocity as a function of void fraction. The interface viscous drag forces are prescribed empirically. For some cases a profile shape is assumed for the void ratio distribution. The influence of various profile shapes is investigated. The results are compared with those where the void ratio distribution is calculated from the conservation of mass equation. The mathematical model has been implemented by modifying a readily available computer code for single-phase newtonian fluid flows. The numerical discretization is based on a finite volume approach. The predictions show a good agreement with measurements. The circulation pattern seems not to be so sensitive to the actual shape of the void fraction profiles, but the inlet distribution of it is important. A significantly different flow pattern results when the void fraction distribution is calculated from the transport equation, as compared to those with a priori prescribed profiles. When the void fraction is uniformly distributed over the whole distributor plate, no circulation is observed. Calculations also show that even the two-phase systems with a few discrete bubbles can be simulated successfully by a continuum model.     

An experimental study on the effects of uniform injection through one perforated surface of a square cylinder on some aerodynamic parameters

It is well known that injection/suction (transpiration) through a perforated surface is an efficient way of influencing the characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer. Injection application creates a thicker boundary layer on a flat plate and it thus decreases drag. In aeronautical applications, suction is frequently used to delay boundary layer separation. This paper presents an experimental study on the effects of uniform injection through one perforated surface of a square cylinder on the pressure distribution and drag coefficient in a two-dimensional turbulent flow. For this purpose, surface pressure measurements around a square cylinder have been performed at three different Reynolds numbers in a wind tunnel. The parameters taken into account were injection rate, position of perforated surface (i.e., front, top, and rear), and pressure coefficient and drag coefficient. The results show that variation in pressure coefficient around the square cylinder and drag coefficient were influenced by the position of perforated surface and by injection rate.     

Numerical simulation of streamwise fluidelastic instability of tube bundles subjected to two-phase cross flow

This work aims to develop and validate a numerical model to simulate the flow-structure interaction in tube bundles subjected to two-phase flow. The model utilizes a mixture multiphase module in which a drift flux formulation is used to account for the slip between the phases. Two methods of numerical flow-structure interaction are used to predict the onset of fluidelastic instability (FEI) in the streamwise direction for a two-phase air–water flow mixture in parallel triangular tube bundles. These models are the hybrid analytical-flow field model and the direct numerical flow/structure coupling model. This work investigates the effects of void fractions in the range of 20% to 80% and several pitch-to-diameter ratios (P/D) in the range of 1.3 to 1.7. The results of the fluidelastic forces and the stability threshold are validated against the experimental data available in the literature and show an excellent agreement. The streamwise FEI threshold shows a significant dependency on the pitch-to-diameter ratio while the void fraction exhibits a lesser effect. Generally, the stability threshold increases as the pitch-to-diameter ratio increases. The model that was developed paves the way for devising of more reliable prediction tools for FEI in steam generators.     

Finite element simulations of incompressible flow past a heated/cooled sphere

This paper reports numerical simulation of the flow past a heated/cooled sphere. A Galerkin finite element method is used to solve the 3D incompressible Boussinesq equations in primitive variable form. Numerical simulations of flow around the sphere for a range of Grashof numbers and moderate Reynolds numbers, were conducted. The drag coefficient for adiabatic flow shows good agreement with standard correlations over the range of the Reynolds numbers investigated. It is shown that the drag can vary considerably with heating of the sphere and that computational fluid dynamics methods can be used to derive constitutive laws for macroscopic momentum and heat exchange in multiphase flow. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.