Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

INTRODUCTION
Two-phase flow and heat transfer
Two-phase flows are commonly found in industrial processes and in ordinary life. The phases may of
course be solid, liquid, or gas.
Gas-liquid flow occurs in boiling and condensation operations, and inside many pipelines which
nominally carry oil or gas alone, but which actually carry a mixture of oil and gas.
Liquid-liquid flow (i.e. flow of two immiscible liquids) occurs, for example, in liquid-liquid extraction
processes. Gas-solid flow occurs in a fluidized bed and in the pneumatic conveying of solid particles.
Solid-liquid flow occurs during the flow of suspensions such a river bed sediments and coal-water
slurry. This book is concerned exclusively with gas-liquid flow, although some of the principles and
methods can be applied to other types of two-phase flow.
The first part of this topic deals with adiabatic flow, that is flow with no heat addition or removal. This
generally means that the gas and liquid flow rates are constant, although in high speed flow (as in
critical flow) partial vaporization of the liquid may occur even though there is no heat addition. The
remainder of the topic deals with heat transfer in two-phase situations: boiling and condensation. The
objective here is to identify the various types of heat transfer and to show that the heat transfer rate can
be calculated.

Engineering Applications of two-phase flow are rather numerous. A few types of two-phase flow
equipment maybe briefly classified as follows:
1. Pipeline
2. Vapor Generators
3. Vapor Condensers
4. Mass Transfer equipment
Many parameters are important in design and operation of two phase equipment. Among the
most important parameters of interest in two-phases systems are as follows:
1. Pressure drop 5. Flux limitations
2. Heat transfer coefficient 6. Mechanical problems
3. Mass transfer coefficient 7. Stability and control
4. Mean Phase content 8. System safety

Classification into regimes

• Flow regimes determine the macroscopic behavior of two phase flow.
• Different regimes are classified by visual observation.
• It can be difficult to specify with certainty, which regime a particular flow belongs to.
• Many different classifications exist in the literature.

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.

 Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

• Scientists don’t agree on a unique set of flow regimes.

• Classification can be useful, since different flow regimes affect parameters in different manner,
such as pressure drop.

Geometrical difference
The flow regimes can be divided into three main classes:
1. Regimes for horizontal flow in pipes, where the heavier phase (water) tends to be located close
to the bottom, because of gravity. In most cases the gas phase pushes the liquid phase along the
flow direction.
2. Regimes for vertical flow in pipes. The liquid phase tends to be on the pipe walls, forming a
stable or an unstable film. Flow velocity can be different and flow regimes form differently for
upward and downward flows.
3. Regimes for sloped pipes, which are not as well known. Here the slope angle is important as well
as the direction of the flow (upwards or downwards).

In two-phase flow, the cross-section average vapor (or gas) fraction is referred to as void fraction and
will be denoted by . If the cross-sectional area of the channel is A and the cross-sectional areas
occupied by the gas (or vapor) and liquid phases are Ag and Af respectively then the void fraction is
given by (note that in two phase flow notation similar to thermodynamics the subscript ‘g’ refers to gas
or vapor and ‘f’ refers to liquid state).

A𝑔 A𝑙
= , (1 − ) = (1)
A A

It should be pointed out that, at any instant of time, a given point within the channel may be occupied by
the liquid phase while an instant later it can be occupied by the gas phase, hence requiring a local time-
averaged void fraction. The mass flow rate is represented by W and the total mass flow rates Wg and Wf.
The volumetric flow rate of the individual phases is Qf and Qg and the mean velocity of phases is
denoted by u. It is also convenient to define a mass flow rate fraction, or mass quality x, which is quite
useful in boiling and condensation. The mass quality is defined as
W𝑔 W𝑙
x=W , (1 − x) = W , (2)
𝑔 +W𝑙 𝑔 +W𝑙
Mass velocity, G, is defined as the mass flow rate divided by the flow area
W 
G= =  = (3)
A 

From the definition of mass quality we get

Wg = GAx, Wl = GA(1 − x) (4)

The phase velocities are

Wg Wl
ug =  , ul = (5)
g Ag l Al

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.

 Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

Qg Ql
ug = , ul = (6)
Ag Al

Gx G(1−x)
ug =  , ul =  (1−) (7)
g l

The ratio of the vapor volumetric flow to the total one is referred to as volume quality,,

𝐐𝐠 𝐐𝐥
= , (𝟏 − ) = (8)
𝐐𝐠 +𝐐𝐟 𝐐𝐠 +𝐐𝐥

The volumetric flow rate divided by the flow area is called “volumetric flux” or “superficial velocity.”

Q Q𝑔 Ql
j= , jg = , jl = (9)
A A A

Replacing for the area from (1) and (6) we get

Qx
jg = ug  = j = (10a)
A

G(1−x)
jf = uf (1 − ) = j(1 − ) = (10b)
l

Gg = jg g = Gx, Gl = jl l = G (1 − x) (11)

G = Gg + Gl

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.