Gas-liquid flow through horizontal tees of branching and impacting type

• Published in: AIChE journal Vol. 43; no. 7; pp. 1675 - 1683
• Main Authors: Hatziavramidis, Dimitri, Sun, Bing, Gidaspow, Dimitri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York American Institute of Chemical Engineers 01.07.1997; Wiley Subscription Services
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Flows in ducts, channels, nozzles, and conduits; Fluid dynamics; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Multiphase and particle-laden flows; Nonhomogeneous flows; Physics; Phase velocity; Pipe flow; Two-phase flow; Phase separation; Gas liquid flow; Numerical simulation; Conformal transformation; Branching pipe
• ISSN: 0001-1541; 1547-5905
• DOI: 10.1002/aic.690430704

In gas–liquid flows through tee junctions, because of the difference in inertia between the phases, the flowing mass fractions for an individual phase at the outlet sides differ from those at the inlet. This phase separation is an important consideration in delivering fluids and energy through pipe networks in the power and process industry. In this work, air–water and steam–water flows through branching and impacting tee junctions are considered. Under certain conditions (when the volumetric fraction of the liquid drops does not change appreciably and their bulk density is much higher than the gas density, and when the flow rates and/or the gas volumetric fraction are high), these flows can be approximated as irrotational flows of incompressible, inviscid fluids and are amenable to potential flow methods, for example, conformal mapping. For the general case of gas–liquid flows through a branching or impacting tee, a CFD code is utilized to conduct transient flow simulations. Predictions of phase separation for both types of tee junction agree well with experimental data.