Fundamentals of Multiphase Flow

Prof. G. Das
Department of Chemical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 10/19/21

 Multiphase flow
(CH62021)
By
Prof. Gargi Das

Marks distribution based on continuous Assessments:

 Attendance - 5 Marks
 Class Performance - 5 Marks
 Final test - 30 Marks
 Intermediate Assessment tests - 3 (Each test -20 Marks)
 CHAPTER – 1

INTRODUCTION
TO
MULTIPHASE FLOW

10/19/21
 Multiphase flow types

Gas

Boiling Fluidization
Condensation Pneumatic transport

Liquid Solid
Slurry transport, Food processing, Biotechnology

Liquid+ Liquid: Liquid extraction, Petroleum industry, chemical

reactors
Three phase flow: Oil+ water+ gas- Oil filled
Sand+ water+ gas - Stowing of mine voids
Four phase flow: Oil+ water+ gas+ solid – Oil exploration
 What is Multiphase flow ??

Simultaneous flow of two or more phases

Interface between the phases influenced by their relative motion

•Free fall of a pebble in pond

•Bubble rising in quiescent liquid
•Liquid flowing through a packed bed
•Liquid flowing through a fluidized bed
•Gas and liquid flowing through a packed bed
•Emptying of tube - ??
The Phenomenon of Liquid Draining in the Mesoscale

Partially closed top (Water, D=12.5 Partially closed top (Water,

Closed top (Water, D=12.5 mm, n=0) D=12.5 mm, n=1)
mm, n=3)

Department Of Chemical Engineering

10/19/21
 Familiar examples of gas-liquid flow

10/19/21
10/19/21
 Most common occurrence in industry
-Two-phase flow
Types of two-phase flow
a) Gas – liquid flow – boiling, condensation as well as adiabatic flow.
common in power and process industries, refrigeration, air-
conditioning and cryogenic applications.
 b) Gas–solid flow – pneumatic conveying, combustion of pulverized
fuel, flow in a cyclone separators
c) Liquid–solid flow – slurry transportation, food processing as well as
in various processes in biotechnology.
d) Liquid–liquid flow – petroleum industries, liquid-liquid extraction
and chemical reactors
10/19/21
10/19/21
10/19/21
10/19/21
 Chemical Processes

Transport process Reacting systems

(heat, mass and momentum transfer)

Distillation Absorption Adsorption Extraction etc.

Purpose Steps involved

Mixing of two phases
All these
Enrichment Maintaining droplets/
usually
bubbles/ films of dispersed
Separation involve two
phase
or more
Reaction Subsequent separation of
phases
the phases from each other
Aditionally – Solvent recovery,
raffinate clearup etc.
 Important applications
• Power system:

BWR,PWR,liquid metal fast breeder, nuclear reactor,

conventional power plants with boilers & evaporators, L/S
propellant rockets etc.

• Heat transfer system

Heat exchanger, evaporators, condensers, spray cooling
towers, dryers, refrigerators, electronic cooling system, direct
contact heat exchangers.

• Process system:

Extraction & distillation units, fluidised bed, chemical reactor,

desalination system, emulsifier, atomizer, scrubber, absorber,
stirred reactor, homogeniser.
10/19/21
 Important applications – contd…
• Transport systems
Air lift pump,pipeline transport of gas & oil mixtures, pipeline
transport of slurries, pneumatic conveyors etc.

• Information system
Super fluidity of liquid He conducting/charged liquid film.

• Lubrication system
Two phase flow lubrication, bearing cooling by cryogenics

• Environmental control
Air conditioner, Refrigerator, cooler, Dust collector, sewage
treatment plant, Air pollution control

10/19/21
 Important applications – contd..

• Geo-Meteorological phenomena

Ocean waves transport by wind & motion of rain droplets

• Biological systems
Cardiovascular system, respiratory system, Bronchus flow,
Nasal cavity flow.

10/19/21
Applications

Micro-Chip Devices

Miniature Heat Exchangers

Pharmaceutical Bio Reactors

Reactors
 Incentive to study Multiphase Flow

• Need for optimum design

• Prediction of operational limits or diagnose faults

in less fortunate situations

• Safety of plant operation

10/19/21
 RECAPITULATION OF SINGLE
PHASE HYDRODYNAMICS
Single-phase pressure drop for flow of an incompressible flow through
an inclined pipe

 dp  P W du
     w   g sin  
 dz  A A dz
10/19/21
  dp  P W du
     w   g sin  
 dz  A A dz
In Two-phase flows

dp S S d
10/19/21

dz
  W 1 1   W 2 2  TP g sin  
A A dz

1u12   2u22 
  dp  P W du
  
 w    g sin  
 dz  A A dz

In Two-phase flows
dp S1 S2 d
  W 1  W 2  TP g sin    G1u1  G2u2 
dz A A dz
 TP
to be replaced by and M  1v
M

• No obvious relationship between the wall shear stress in single and

two-phase flow
i
• Information needed about the interfacial shear stress
• Moreover, S includes S1, S2 and Si
• Estimate of void fraction necessary
• A includes A1 and A2
 1 and 2 are the two-phases
 By convention, 2 is dispersed phase/lighter phase
10/19/21
1 is continuous/heavier phase
  dp  P W du
     w   g sin  
 dz  A A dz
In Two-phase flows
dp S1 S2 d
  W 1  W 2  TP g sin    G1u1  G2u2 
dz A A dz
 TP
to be replaced by and M  1v
M

• No obvious relationship between the wall shear stress in single and

two-phase flow
i
• Information needed about the interfacial shear stress
• Moreover, S includes S1, S2 and Si
• Estimate of void fraction necessary
• A includes A1 and A2
 1 and 2 are the two-phases
 By convention, 2 is dispersed phase/lighter phase
10/19/21
1 is continuous/heavier phase
  dp  P W du
     w   g sin  
 dz  A A dz
Laminar
Single phase flow
Turbulent
Two-phase flow:
Variety of distribution depending on

 Flow geometry (size and shape) and orientation (vertical,

horizontal and inclined)

 Flow direction in a vertical or inclined flows (up or down)

 Phase flow rates and properties (density, viscosity, interfacial

tension, wettability )
 
10/19/21
In Two-phase flows
When two phases homogenously mixed
 dp  S WTP duTP
     wTP  TP g sin  
 dz  A A dz
When two phases flow in separate layers

 dp   S1 S2 
      w1   w 2    2   1    1  g sin 
 dz   A A 
d  W1u1 W2u2 
   
dz  A A 
10/19/21
An analysis of two-phase requires an accurate knowledge of -

a)Distribution of the two phases

b)In-situ composition, which has no direct relationship with the

inlet composition and varies with phase physical properties, their
flow rates and interfacial distribution.
For gas-liquid flows in-situ composition commonly expressed as :

void fraction 
or liquid hold up HL  1
10/19/21
 Difficulties in analysis of two phase flows

• Distribution of the two phases cannot be manipulated by

control of input parameters.

• Slip between phases

Implies different in-situ and inlet

composition

varies with phase physical properties, their

flow rates and interfacial distribution.

10/19/21
 Hydrodynamics manifolds more complex
compared to single phase flow
• Existence of multiple, deformable and moving
interfaces

• Multi scale physics of the flow phenomena

• Significant discontinuities of fluid properties and

complicated flow field near interface

• Compressibility of the gas phase (For gas-liquid and

vapor liquid flows)

• Different wall interactions for different fluids 10/19/21

 Typical Bubbles

Taylor bubble in a

(a) circular pipe; (b) square pipe;

and
(c) Ring bubble in large diameter
tank

(a) (c)

(b)
 Taylor bubbles in different annuli

(a) circle-circle (b) circle-square (c) square- (d) square-

circle square
Taylor bubble in concentric annulus
Some interesting observation!

What happens if the radius of the inner cylinder of the annulus becomes
negligibly small?

Our theory predicts that the angle of wrap exceeds 360°.

In other words, one expects a bubble with overlapping bubble edges.

Experimental observation supports this!

Overlapping of bubble edge in
annuli with negligible inner
radius