How to solve a problem

How does a material behave? General transport equations Differential equation for class of problems Differential equations of motion in each direction Solution Velocity profile

Assumptions

Co-ordinate system Assumptions

Integration Boundary conditions

Manipulation Parameter values

How can dispersed phases be represented?

Multiphase flows are often described as being composed of a continuous phase and a dispersed phase (e.g. bubbles, drops, particles). The problem is being able to convert discontinuous distributions to continuous distributions so that they can be expressed using differential equations. This can be achieved by averaging over a volume (or sometimes over time or an ensemble of possible configurations).

Effects of averaging
Where d=mean particle separation l=size of averaging vol. L=length scale over which an averaged quantity changes significantly. dl and lL Often problem with determining a suitable averaging volume size in a multiphase flow as not possible to satisfy both inequalities.

Measures of the amount of each phase in a mixture

x - Mass fraction of the vapour phase (usually). In vapour/ liquid flows it is sometimes called quality. d - Volume fraction of the dispersed phase. f - Volume fraction of the continuous phase. Sometimes called voidage and denoted by. All the quantities are dimensionless and vary between 0 and 1. d+f=1

Eulerian Models
Treat both phases as continuous materials (continua) whose motion is governed by differential equations. Similar assumption as in single-phase fluid mechanics. Most simple and popular approach. Difficulties: Describing a disperse phase, such as particles, as continuous may be a difficult assumption to make. Length scale constraints Constitutive relations and interaction terms can be difficult to define.

Lagrangian models
e.g. DEM models Follow individual disperse elements and individually calculate interactions. Difficulties: Description of interactions can be difficult. Large computing power required. Often combined with an Eulerian model (e.g. for the continuous phase). Obtaining quantifiable outcomes

Homogeneous Flow Models

The dispersed and the continuous phases are combined together

and modelled as a new, continuous phases. The slip between the phases must be small i.e. ud~uf or the slip ratio ud/uf~1. Often true when f/d>10 or G2000kg/m2s. New combined mixture properties (e.g. , ) have to be defined.

Separated Flow Models

d f

Slip is allowed. The phases are modelled separately with a set of mass,
momentum, and energy equations for each phase. Terms are required to describe the interaction between the phases i.e. the exchange of mass, momentum and energy over the boundaries. Geometry (the structure of the flow) is still lost. Often called two-fluid models.

How to model a multiphase flow

1. Choose a model What detail of the flow is required? How many phases require modelling? What is the geometry of the flow? What is the relative motion between the different phases like?

How to model a multiphase flow (2)

2. Write down conservation equations Mass Momentum- what are the significant forces on the flow components? Is the flow unsteady? Energy- Required when there are significant variation in temperature or if there are important temperature related phenomena such as phase change.

How to model a multiphase flow (3)

3. Determine the constitutive relations These specify how the components of a flow behave and interact with one another. Can be very difficult to achieve and often they are flaky. Most difficult to describe are terms for friction and the interaction between the different phases.

Bubbly flow in a liquid

D

x G x z

Modelling of Friction Factor (1)

Constant Cf A convenient approximation that uses experiment and experience to determine a value for a particular situation e.g for high pressure boilers Cf=0.05 and for the flashing of water at low pressure Cf=0.008. However, this approach does not allow for the effect of voidage or Re type dependency, and pipes corrode, distort, and scale.

Modelling of Friction Factor (2)

Two-phase friction factor Correlations of Cf(Re) are obtained as for single-phase fluid mechanics using a mixture viscosity for the multiphase flow e.g. 1 x 1 x

where Re=GD/. Note that ceases to be a property, but depends on x. Other forms are available, but they are nearly all dubious, usually lacking in any form of physical meaning: there is no reason for a multiphase flow to behave like a Newtonian fluid.

Modelling of Friction Factor (3)

Two-phase multipliers Another approach is to compare the (unknown) two-phase pressure gradient with the (well-known) single-pressure gradient Two-phase pressure gradient

Single-phase pressure gradient

Two-phase multiplier 2

The multiplier can be based on the liquid (l) or the gas (g).

Different sorts of two-phase multipliers

l based on Gl

g based on Gg

lo based on G

go based on G

Martenelli Parameter
Parameter used to correlate experimental data based on known single-phase pressure drops.

dp dz l 2 = dp dz g
Based on flows of individual components in a twophase flow

Correlations using the Martenlli parameter

Data can be correlated by

2 2 g = 1 + C +
2

= 1+
2 l

dp dp dp dp = + C dz m dz l dz l dz g
Two-phase frictional pressure drop Liquid term Two-phase term

1/ 2

dp + dz g
Gas term

Values of C
Chisholm (1967)

Liquid Turb. Lam. Turb. Lam.

Gas Turb. Turb. Lam. Lam.

C 20 12 10 5