Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 14 (2003) 161168 www.elsevier.

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Intermittent ow parameters from void fraction analysis

M. Fossa , G. Guglielmini, A. Marchitto
` degli Studi di Genova, Via allOpera Pia 15a, 16145 Genova, Italy DITEC, Universita

Abstract Two-phase horizontal intermittent ow in straight pipes is experimentally investigated. A new procedure is proposed to characterize the ow through the statistical analysis of the instantaneous cross-sectional averaged void fraction obtained by means of ring impedance probes. The algorithm, based on the statistical analysis of the void fraction records, allows the main intermittent ow parameters, such as slug frequency and length, time average void fraction, minimum and average liquid lm height to be evaluated. The procedure is validated through ow visualizations, as obtained from a fast digital video camera. Experiments on air-water horizontal ows in 40 and 60 mm inner diameter pipes are performed. The operating conditions cover the 0.34.0 and 0.6-3.0 m/s gas and liquid supercial velocity ranges, respectively. An extensive comparison with literature data shows a general agreement with present measurement. The reliability of both the instrumentation and the signal analysis procedures allows new correlations for minimum and average liquid lm height in stratied regions to be proposed. Finally proper dimensionless numbers were applied to correlate frequency data in a wide range of supercial velocity values. 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The ow of two-phase mixtures is a common situation in such industrial plants as chemical reactors, power generation units, oil wells, and pipelines. As it is well known, the ow conguration and the gasliquid interactions in such systems are a complex function of the ow rates of the two phases, of their physical properties and of pipe geometry. Among the possible two-phase ow patterns, intermittent conditions are encountered for a wide range of gas and liquid supercial velocities. The intermittent ow in horizontal pipes can be described as the ow of liquid regions where the liquid bridges the whole pipe (plugs or slugs) separated by stratied ow regions. The repetitive structure of the ow introduces uctuations in the ow properties (pressure, void fraction) that must be accurately predicted in order to design pipelines and other two-phase ow industrial components. The general approach in predicting the intermittent behavior of gas-liquid systems is to dene a one-dimen-

Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-010-353-2198; fax: +39-010311870. E-mail address: mfossa@ditec.unige.it (M. Fossa).

sional model based on the assumption that the ow can be described as a sequence of similar slug units traveling at an assigned velocity. A slug ow model was rst proposed by Duckler and Hubbard [1]. Similar models were also derived by Nicholson et al. [2] and recently by Andreussi and co-workers [3,4]. Fabre et al. [5] proposed a multi-cell model based on a statistical distribution of the slug cell length. Irrespective of the slug model chosen, some preliminary information (closure relationships) is required to apply the model and to obtain predictions of the ow. These relationships concern the evaluation of such ow parameters as the gas fraction in the liquid slug body, the slug velocity, the frequency of the slug passage or the slug length. In particular, the knowledge of the last two parameters is crucial to accurately predict the behavior of the two-phase ow. An additional parameter, usually not available in terms of closed relationships, is the liquid height in the stratied regions. It can be easily demonstrated [6] that the knowledge of such parameter can be employed to successfully solve without iterations the intermittent ow model. In this work a new procedure is proposed to infer information on main ow parameters (slug frequency, slug length, time average void fraction, slug velocity) during the intermittent horizontal ow. The algorithm is

0955-5986/03/$ - see front matter 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0955-5986(03)00021-9

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Nomenclature a Time-average void fraction Void fraction at which the PDF goes to zero amax Low void fraction peak, void fraction in the slug body as High void fraction peak ast t Average slug residence time D Pipe inner diameter f Slug frequency = 1a Time-average liquid holdup H Liquid holdup at which the slug residence time is calculated HL,c HL,slug Threshold value for the slug counting Maximum liquid holdup recorded value Hmax Hs = 1as Liquid holdup in the slug body slug Average liquid holdup of the slug body as calculated by the algorithm H Hst = 1ast Average liquid holdup in the stratied region h Average liquid lm height Minimum liquid lm height hmin Slug length ls s Restriction area ratio St Strouhal number, St = fD / V SG VSG Supercial gas velocity Supercial liquid velocity VSL V M = V SL + V SG Mixture velocity Slug velocity Vt Slug velocity as calculated by Eq. (3) Vt,1 Slug velocity as calculated by Eq. (4) Vt,2 Liquid volume fraction, X L = V SL / V M XL

based on the statistical analysis of the instantaneous cross-sectional averaged void fraction obtained by means of ring impedance probes. The comparison between calculated parameters (by void fraction data) and measured ones (by digitalized images and cross correlation procedures) allowed the proposed method to be validated. The reliability of the instrumentation as well as of the signal analysis procedure allowed new correlations for minimum and average liquid lm height in stratied regions to be proposed. Furthermore, data reduction through proper dimensionless numbers was applied to correlate frequency data. Finally, an extensive comparison with available correlations was performed with reference to slug void fraction, slug length and velocity, and the analysis showed satisfactory agreement with present experimental data.

and allows pressure and void fraction measurements to be performed. A complete description of the plant is available in [7]. The study refers to air-water horizontal ows in 60 and 40 mm inner-diameter pipes. The operating conditions cover the V SG = 0.34.0 and V SL = 0.63.0 m/s gas and liquid supercial velocity ranges, respectively (reference pressure 1.11.4 bar, as measured 5 m downstream of the phase mixer). Intermittent ows (plug, slug) were observed. 2.1. Void fraction meter The measurement of the electrical impedance of the gasliquid or solidliquid mixture is a quite common technique to study the form and the extension of the phase interface close to a system of electrodes. When the extension of the measuring region covers the pipe cross section, the area average void fraction can be inferred once the relationship between the electrical impedance of the medium and the phase distribution is provided. Many studies have been carried out on impedance void meters; impedance probes able to produce information on the area average void fraction were employed by Asali et al. [8], Andreussi et al. [9], Tsochatzidis et al. [10], Costigan and Whalley [11].

2. Experimental apparatus The experimental apparatus consists of a horizontal test section where air and water can be mixed to generate the two-phase ow under bubble, stratied and intermittent ow regimes. The test section is about 12 m long

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The void fraction sensors adopted in this investigation consists of ring electrode pairs placed on the internal wall of the cylindrical test duct, ush to the pipe surface (Fig. 1). The metering device is that described by Fossa [12], which supplies a carrier 20 kHz a.c. signal to the measuring electrodes. At this frequency, measurements of both signal amplitude and phase shift demonstrated that the liquid (tap water) behaves as a resistive medium. The key elements of the impedance meter are an a.c. Wheatstone bridge, an instrumentation amplier, a sensitivity variable gain amplier and a precision rectier with cut-off frequency of 100 Hz. The d.c. output from the meter is read by a precision voltmeter. The overall uncertainty of the metering system (95% condence level) is 1.5% in the range of impedance values 100~2000 . As demonstrated, both theoretically and experimentally, by Andreussi et al. and as conrmed by the authors measurements, the probe response is affected by the probe geometry and even more by the ow pattern: as a consequence, at the same mean void fraction, the mixture impedance changes with the phase distribution. In order to overcome this problem, the probe geometry was chosen to produce a probe response quite insensible to the changes between the uniformly dispersed (bubble) regime and the stratied regime. Based on preliminary tests, the probe aspect ratios De/D and s/D (D pipe diameter, De electrode spacing, s electrode width) have been chosen equal to 0.34 and 0.071 respectively. The selection of the proper electrode aspect ratios also resulted in small measuring volumes as compared with holdup spatial uctuations. The calibration curve was obtained by means of the procedures described in detail in [12]. The assumption adopted here concerns the possibility to describe the structure of intermittent horizontal ows as if it were constituted of stratied regions separated by liquid regions where a few gas bubbles may be present. Fig. 1 shows the layout of the probes and Fig. 2 shows the calibration curve in terms of dimensionless conductance (i.e. referred to that of the pipe full of liquid). The data refer to the stratied and bubble ow congurations, different ring diameters but same aspect ratios.

Fig. 2. Calibration of the impedance probe according to the stratied and bubble phase distributions.

The test apparatus is equipped with several resistive probes at different locations from the mixer. Three probes were employed in the 60 mm pipe, located at z / D = 33, 100 and 160 respectively from the phase mixer. The 40 mm test pipe was equipped with four probes, at z / D = 95, 148, 151 and 255 respectively. The uncertainty analysis on void fraction measurement was performed elsewhere [13] and was found to be about 4%.

3. Analysis The adopted procedure is based on the statistical analysis of the void fraction records, which allows the and the void time-average cross sectional void fraction a probability density function (PDF) to be inferred (Fig. 3). As it is well known, the intermittent ow is associated with a twin-peaked PDF [14], where the low void fraction peak is pertinent to slug passage and the high void fraction peak is associated with the stratied phase regions. As a rst step from PDF analysis, the following parameters can be determined: aS, that corresponds to the low void fraction peak; ast, at which the maximum of the right peak occurs; amax, where the PDF goes to zero. The average liquid lm height (h) and minimum liquid level (hmin) in the stratied regions have been calculated from ast and amax values, respectively, by means of simple trigonometric considerations and the assumption of absence of gas inside the liquid layer. The second step consists in the slug counting. Referring to the liquid holdup, the number of slugs during the observing period was obtained and a residence time ti

Fig. 1.

Layout of void fraction probes; D e = 0.34 D; s = 0.071 D.

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HL,c

0.7 if H 0.7 0.7 if H

(2)

= 1a represents the time-average liquid where H holdup, H S = 1a S is the average liquid holdup of the liquid slug body obtained from PDF analysis, and Hmax is the maximum liquid holdup recorded value. From the slug counting, the average residence time and the slug frequency f were obtained. t The slug velocity Vt is calculated from the phase continuity equation as a function of the liquid supercial velocity VSL, of the gas supercial velocity VSG and of their sum, the mixture velocity VM: Vt,1 slugVM VSLH slug H 1a (3)

Fig. 3.

Void fraction PDF for ow parameter evaluation.

slug is the average liquid holdup in the slug body where H as calculated on the basis of counted liquid slugs. Neglecting the amount of gas present in the liquid slug, Eq. (3) becomes: Vt,2 VSG VSG . 1H a (4)

was associated with the ith individual slug (Fig. 4). To this aim two threshold values have been introduced. These values are the minimum liquid holdup HL,slug (slugs that do not achieve HL,slug are considered travelling waves and discarded from counting) and the cut liquid holdup HL,c according to which the residence times are calculated. In particular the above relationships were introduced, based on a preliminary sensitivity analysis: HL,slug MAX (0.8 Hmax, HS) (1)

Worthwhile noticing, both equations give very similar results, at least in the range of the operating conditions here considered. Finally the slug average length ls is inferred by means of the slug velocity and the slug average residence time according to the relationship: Vt l s t 4. Procedure validation In order to validate the procedure, a digital video camera was used to obtain ow visualizations and to get direct measurements of the slug length and of the slug residence time. The camera was located at the end of the pipe, so that shootings could be synchronized with the signal of the impedance probe located in the fully developed region of the pipe (z / D = 255, 40 mm i.d. pipe). An impedance probe was placed just before the ow visualization section in order to record the liquid holdup time traces of the travelling slugs. As an example, Fig. 5 shows a video frame compared with the corresponding liquid holdup signal as picked up by the impedance sensor. The comparisons were carried out in terms of individual slug length (lsi). The calculated values were obtained by means of Eq. (5), from the individual residence time i and from the average velocity Vt inferred by the procedure described above (Eqs. (3) and (4)). The ow conditions considered for validation cover the full range of the supercial velocities investigated. As can be observed in Fig. 6, the procedure revealed good reconstruction capability, with maximum (5)

Fig. 4. Typical liquid holdup time traces and thresholds for slug identication.

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Fig. 5. Slug photograph (a), ltered image (b) and corresponding holdup time trace (c).

5. Results and discussion 5.1. Slug frequency The results concerning slug frequency are reported in Fig. 7. Data refer to straight pipe ow, with reference to the measurements collected at z / D = 255 for the 40 mm inner diameter pipe and z / D = 160 for the 60 mm one. Data are plotted in terms of the Strouhal number, dened as (fD/VSG), against the liquid volume fraction XL, as suggested by Azzopardi [16]. The gure also con-

Fig. 6. Comparison between measured and computed slug length values for straight pipe (lled symbols) and for pipe with restriction (empty symbols); D = 40 mm.

errors concerning calculated values and direct visualization of about 15%. Finally, it can be observed that Fig. 6 also contains data collected along a pipe tted out with an orice restriction [15] located about 100 diameters upstream the measuring location: even though the ow cannot be dened as fully developed, the procedure seems still reliable to provide information of the ow. Further conrmation of procedure reliability came from direct measurement of slug velocity, as obtained from void record comparisons of a pair of probes (cf. section 5.2).

Fig. 7. Slug frequency data reduction and comparison with some other authors measurements.

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tains data collected by Hanratty and Woods [17], Gregory and Scott [18], Heywood and Richardson [19], Fan et al. [20], and Crowley et al. [21]. It can be observed that the data reduction criterion successfully applies to a wide range of literature data and that frequency values are effectively correlated (standard error 0.0177) by the following empirical formula, whose constants were inferred from present measurements: A 0.044 AXL fD B 1.71. St VSG 1 BXL C(XL)2 C 0.70 5.2. Slug velocity Fig. 8 shows slug velocity values as calculated according to the two different assumptions about aeration of the slugs (i.e. Eqs. (3) and (4)), and values calculated by cross-correlating the signals from two probes located 1.73 m apart. The gure also shows some values obtained from correlations reported in [18,22], that seem to be in satisfactory agreement with experimental data. Worthwhile noticing, if the slug velocity function is linearized against the mixture velocity, the slope C0 and the intercept u0 are found to be 1.24 and 0.15 respectively. 5.3. Liquid level in the stratied region Fig. 9 refers to the minimum liquid level in the stratied region between slugs as measured either in the 40 mm pipe or the 60 mm one. Data were made dimen-

(6)

Fig. 9. Predicted and measured minimum liquid levels (D = 40 mm) and comparison with literature data.

sionless through the pipe inner diameter D and correlated by the authors with an empirical formula (7), which holds in the 0.63.0 and 0.34.0 m/s liquid and gas supercial velocity ranges respectively. hmin 0.16 0.33XL. D (7)

It can be observed that the formula ts quite well (within 20% condence bounds) either authors data or literature data collected by Ruder et al. [23] and by Andreussi et al. [3], as deduced from holdup values. Fig. 10 shows the relationship found between the

Fig. 8. Comparison between experimental and calculated slug velocity values.

Fig. 10. Ratio between the minimum and the average liquid levels and best t line as a function of the gas supercial velocity.

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Fig. 11. Dimensionless slug length with standard deviation data (D = 40 mm). Fig. 13. Void fraction in the slug body as a function of supercial gas velocity.

minimum lm level hmin and the average lm level h (i.e. the most probable, which corresponds to ast, cf. Fig. 3). It can be observed that the level ratio decreases as the gas velocity increases and that the liquid supercial velocity does not signicantly affect the parameter. 5.4. Slug length In Figs. 11 and 12 the slug length is plotted against the gas supercial velocity with the liquid supercial velocity as a parameter. As clearly reported in literature ([1], [24], [25]), slug length values are almost independent of uid ow rates. Furthermore slug length values show scatters having standard deviations up to 60% of the average value.

5.5. Void fraction in the slug Figs. 13 and 14 depict the void fraction in the slug body as a function of the supercial gas velocity and the mixture velocity for different pipes (D = 40 mm, D = 60 mm). Fig. 14 gives the comparison with the correlations proposed by Andreussi and Bendiksen [26]. Data are plotted either in terms of supercial gas velocity or mixture velocity: it is interesting to notice that the gures do not clarify the big issue concerning the inception of slug aeration, which is related to the traditional

Fig. 12. Dimensionless slug length with standard deviation data (D = 60 mm).

Fig. 14. city.

Void fraction in the slug body as a function of mixture velo-

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distinction between plug and slug. From Fig. 14, the inception seems to start at constant mixture velocity (around 2 m/s) while data concerning the larger pipe (Fig. 13, D = 60 mm) show that start of aeration occurs roughly at constant gas supercial velocity (around 0.8 m/s).

6. Conclusions A new procedure has been proposed to infer information on the behavior of intermittent horizontal ows. The procedure is based on the statistical analysis of the instantaneous cross-sectional averaged void fraction and allows the main ow parameters (slug frequency, slug length, lm liquid level, slug aeration) to be evaluated. Direct measurements and extensive comparisons with available data conrmed the reliability of the proposed method. The main result from model application is a proposal of two empirical correlations for slug frequency and minimum and average liquid lm levels in stratied regions which quite well agree with authors data and literature values.

Acknowledgements This study was funded through the MIUR grant COFIN 2001094741.

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