Gas–liquid mass transfer of aqueous Taylor flow in monoliths

The gas–liquid mass transfer of a monolith operating in the Taylor flow regime is presented. Mass transfer measurements are compared with a literature model derived for single capillaries. The comparison resulted in a prediction of the unit cell length (gasbubble+liquidslug). Independent measurements of the liquid slug length showed that the predicted unit cell length is close to the measured ones. This leads to the conclusion that mass transfer models for single capillaries may indeed be used for monoliths. Additionally, it is shown that the liquid slug length may also be estimated from pressure drop measurements.     

地形起伏管路气液两相段塞流模型研究

段塞流是气液两相流动中的一种常见流型,由于地形原因,管路多处于起伏状态,而目前国内外对起伏诱发的气液两相管路段塞流研究尚不成熟。针对实际气液两相管路中频繁出现的地形起伏段塞流,首先利用历史数据对现有段塞流模型的适用性进行了比较,建立了地形起伏状态下段塞流的液塞追踪修正模型,最后利用FLUENT软件进行了模拟,研究了管路起伏诱发状况对段塞流段塞分布、拐角处持液率、液塞长度和压降的影响,并将模拟压降与计算压降进行对比,结果表明建立的模型具有一定的精度,对于实际的地形起伏诱发段塞流管道的安全高效运行有一定的指导意义。     

Hydrodynamics of an external-loop gas-lift system with restrictions located in the downcomer

Experiments were conducted to study the fluid dynamics in the case that slug flow occurs in the riser of an external-loop gas-lift system with a restriction section located in the downcomer. Complex fluctuation behaviors of the liquid circulation velocity and the wall shear stress in the riser were observed and discussed. Based on the slug flow hydrodynamic behaviors and the balance of momentum and pressure drop over the circulating loop, a model was developed to predict the main parameters of the system: the liquid circulation velocity, the void fraction, the length and velocities of Taylor bubbles and liquid slugs. The predicted results of these parameters were compared with the experimental data and a good agreement was obtained.     

Slug flow characteristics of gas–miscible liquids in a rectangular microchannel with cross and T-shaped junctions

The slug flow of an inert gas and two miscible liquids in microchannels has found its applications in the preparation of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) by the liquid flow-focusing together with Taylor bubbles in microchannel systems, synthesis of metal nanoparticles or colloid silica in microreactors and enhancement of micro-mixing by interaction using gas bubbles in microfluidic devices. In this work, the flow characteristics of the slug flow generated by nitrogen gas and two miscible liquids (the aqueous surfactant solution and acetone or ethanol) flowing in a rectangular microchannel were investigated experimentally by using the high-speed optical imaging method. The microchannel system has a straight main channel for introducing one of the miscible liquids, a cross-junction for injecting of the other miscible liquid, and a T-junction for feeding the gas phase. The pressure drops were measured and images of Taylor bubbles and slug units at various velocities were obtained, from which other flow parameters were determined. Correlations for the velocity and length of Taylor bubbles, the bubble nose length, the bubble tail length, the liquid slug length, the maximum and minimum thicknesses of the liquid films around bubbles, as well as the pressure drop, were proposed. The calculated values of these parameters by using the correlations were compared with the experimental data. The results showed that the proposed correlations are in a good or reasonable agreement with experimental data and then expected to be available in the estimation of the slug flow parameters of the inert gas and two miscible liquids in rectangular microchannels.     

Bubble lengths in the gas–liquid Taylor flow in microchannels

Experimental results of measurements of the bubble and slug lengths in Taylor (slug) flow are presented. The experiments were carried out using 3 different straight microchannels (microreactor with square cross-section made of polydimethyloxosilane (PDMS); microreactor with circular cross-section made of glass; microreactor with rectangular cross-section made of polyethylene terephthalate modified by glycol (PETg)) and 4 different liquids (water, ethanol propanol and heptane). The results have been compared with the available literature correlations. It is concluded, that the values obtained from the correlation proposed by Laborie et al. [Laborie, S., Cabassud, C., Durant-Bourlier, L., Laine, J.M., 1999. Characterization of gas–liquid two-phase flow inside capillaries. Chem Eng Sci 54, 5723–5735] do not agree with the results of measurements, while the agreement of these results with the predictions obtained using the correlation proposed by Qian and Lawal [Qian, D., Lawal, A., 2006. Numerical study on gas and liquid slugs for Taylor flow in a T-junction microchannel. Chem Eng Sci 61, 7609–7625] is good. New, corrected values of the pre-exponential constant and the exponents in the Qian and Lawal [Qian, D., Lawal, A., 2006. Numerical study on gas and liquid slugs for Taylor flow in a T-junction microchannel. Chem Eng Sci 61, 7609–7625] correlation are proposed.     

An experimental study of air-water Taylor flow and mass transfer inside square microchannels

Flow and mass transfer properties under air-water Taylor flow have been investigated in two square microchannels with hydraulic diameters of 400 and 200 μm. Experimental data on Taylor bubble velocity, pressure drop and liquid side volumetric mass transfer coefficient (k_La) have been presented. It was shown that the measured Taylor bubble velocity in square microchannels could be well interpreted based upon an approximate measurement of the liquid film profile therein. Then, the obtained two-phase frictional pressure drop values in both microchannels were found to be significantly higher than the predictions of the correlation proposed by Kreutzer et al. [2005b. Inertial and interfacial effects on pressure drop of Taylor flow in capillaries. A.I.Ch.E. Journal 51, 2428-2440] when the liquid slug was very short, which can be explained by the inadequacy of their correlation to describe the excess pressure drop caused by the strong inner circulation in such short liquid slugs. An appropriate modification has been made to this correlation in order to improve its applicability in microchannels. Finally, the experimental (k_La) values in the microchannel with hydraulic diameter of 400 μm were found to be in poor agreement with those predicted by the existing correlations proposed for capillaries with diameters of several millimeters. The observed deviation was mainly due to the fact that mass transfer experiments in this microchannel actually corresponded to the case of short film contact time and rather poor mixing between the liquid film and the liquid slug, which was not in accordance with mass transfer assumptions associated with these correlations. A new empirical correlation has been proposed to describe mass transfer data in this microchannel.     

Experimental study and CFD modelling of a two-phase slug flow for an airlift tubular membrane

The aim of the present study was to develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to study the effect of slug flow on the surface shear stress in a vertical tubular membrane. The model was validated using: (1) surface shear stresses, measured using an electrochemical shear probe and (2) gas slug (Taylor bubble) rising velocities, measured using a high speed camera. The length of the gas slugs and, therefore, the duration of a shear event, was observed to vary substantially due to the coalescing of gas slugs as they travelled up the tube. However, the magnitude of the peak surface shear stress during a shear event was not observed to vary significantly. The experimental conditions significantly affected the extent to which the gas slugs coalesced. More coalescing between gas slugs was typically observed for the experiments performed with higher gas flow rates and lower liquid flow rates. Therefore, the results imply that the frequency of shear events decreases at higher gas flow rates and lower liquid flow rates.Shear stress histograms (SSH) were used as a simple approach to compare the different experimental conditions investigated. All conditions resulted in bi-modal distributions: a positive surface shear peak, caused by the liquid slug, and a negative shear peak caused by the gas slugs. At high gas flow rates and at low liquid flow rates, the frequency of the shear stresses in both the negative and positive peaks were more evenly distributed. For all cases, increasing the liquid flow rate and decreasing the gas flow rate tends to result in a predominant positive peak. These results are of importance since conditions that promote evenly distributed positive and negative peaks, are likely to promote better fouling control in membrane system. At high liquid and low gas flow rates, the frequencies obtained numerically and experimentally were found to be similar, deviating by less than approximately 10%. However, at high gas and low liquid flow rates, the differences were slightly higher, exceeding 20%. Under these conditions, the CFD model simulations over predicted the shear stresses induced by gas slugs. Nonetheless, the results indicate that the CFD model was able to accurately simulate shear stresses induced by gas slugs for conditions of high liquid and low gas flow rates.     

Heat transfer in well-characterised Taylor flow

The flow and heat transfer behaviours of gas–liquid, non-boiling, Taylor flow in the vertical upward direction were studied experimentally using a 2.00 mm diameter channel. Nitrogen and water at atmospheric pressure were employed as the working fluids. Three circular T-junction mixers with different diameters were used to generate gas bubbles and liquid slugs of different lengths (1–220d) with controlled mixture velocities (0.11<U_TP<0.53 m s^?1, 200<Re_TP<1100) and homogeneous void fractions (0.03<β<0.90). High-speed visualization of adiabatic flow and heat transfer rate determination for constant wall heat flux conditions were performed. The heat transfer enhancement brought about by Taylor flow is found to be larger with shorter slugs and higher mixture velocities. An enhancement up to 3.2-fold over the liquid-only flow was observed. Based on the experimental data, a correlation between the apparent slug Nusselt number (Nu_L?) with a Graetz number, where the characteristic length is that of the slug, is proposed.     

Film and slug behaviour in intermittent slug–annular microchannel flows

Whilst there are numerous experimental, theoretical and computational studies of Taylor flow in microchannels, the intermittent slug–annular regime has largely been neglected. In this paper time-resolved micro-PIV data are collected and used to study the flow characteristics of a gas–liquid system for flow regimes spanning Taylor to annular flow. The experimental work used a 1.73 mm diameter channel with water and nitrogen as the working fluids, for gas and liquid superficial velocity ranges of 0.35–8.65 m s^?1 (40<Re_G<1000) and 0.071–0.18 m s^?1 (120<Re_L<300), respectively. Time-averaged velocity profiles were obtained in the liquid film surrounding the gas bubbles (or the gas core in the pseudo-annular flow regime) and in the liquid slugs (which changed from regular slugs to annular rings as the gas superficial velocity was increased). These data showed that the velocity in the liquid film relaxed back to an equilibrium value following the passage of each liquid slug or annular ring. In contrast rather flat velocity profiles were observed in the liquid slug. Based on a simple representation of the flow structure, average gas holdups were estimated using independent experimental data obtained by the micro-PIV technique and by direct observation of the flow structure. A phenomenological model of intermittent slug flow, based on the representation of the flow structure as a train of slugs and bubbles moving over a liquid film, is used to interpret the experimental data. The modelling work highlights the different behaviour of the limiting cases of slug and annular flow, in terms of the gas–liquid interfacial shear and its influence on the pressure field.     

CFD Simulation of hydrodynamics of air sparging in a vertical tubular membrane

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the hydrodynamics of slug flow which is generated by air sparging in a vertical tubular membrane has been investigated. The results of simulation have been reported in the form of parameters such as shape, velocity profile, surface shear stresses and gas slug (Taylor bubble) rising velocities, and evaluated with experimental data which were presented in previous articles. This study showed that CFD modeling is able to accurately simulate the shape and velocity field around the gas slugs. Also the shear stress induced by slug flow passage and rising velocity of gas slugs for high-velocity liquid and low-velocity gas fit appropriately to values in reference data. Simulation results for gas slug rising velocity showed about 0.35–9% error in the different conditions investigated in respect to experimental data.     

Influence of orientation upon the hydrodynamics of gas-liquid flow for square channels in monolith supports

Monoliths are being used increasingly as catalyst supports for two-phase gas-liquid reactions, yet substantial differences in the mass transfer performance between different configurations have not been thoroughly explained using either mass transfer or hydrodynamic arguments. In this paper, investigations of the differences in hydrodynamics between up-flow and down-flow have been made in a single channel using square glass capillaries of either 1.5 or 2 mm section. The fluids used were either water or 30%_v/v isopropanol/water mixture and air. Predictive flow maps are presented for down-flow: annular, Taylor (slug) flow, bubbly and churn flow were observed. In the Taylor flow regime, slug velocities and lengths measured using an optoelectronic technique were found to be in good agreement with the drift flux model [Zuber, N., Findlay, J.A., 1965. Average volumetric concentration in two-phase flow systems. Journal of Heat Transfer 87, 453-468]. Non-zero drift velocities were obtained. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to investigate the velocity fields within the liquid slugs. For short slugs (slug length less than the tube hydraulic diameter), a flow is developed where the axial velocity component is only a function of position in the tube cross-section. The velocity profile is relatively flat, with the maximum observed velocity at the axis of the tube, V_max, being 0.8-1 times the bubble velocity, V_B. For long slugs, the axial velocity component depends on both the axial position and the position in the tube cross-section. Close to parabolic profiles are developed with V_max/V_B≈1.1-1.7. The location of the centre of the recirculation vortices produced in long slugs was found to be closer to the tube centre in down-flow compared with up-flow. Recirculation times in up-flow were 3 times faster: this has implications for the models used to predict rates of mass transfer and residence time distribution.     

A simple mechanism of bubble and slug formation in Taylor flow in microchannels

A simple mechanism is proposed to explain and predict the bubble and slug lengths in Taylor (slug) flow in microchannels. The results obtained using the proposed approach are in good agreement with a correlation based on numerical experiments [Qian, D. and Lawal, A., 2006, Numerical study on gas and liquid slugs for Taylor flow in a T-junction microchannel. Chem Eng Sci, 80: 7609–7625] and available experimental data.     

Slug flow of air—water mixtures in a horizontal pipe: Determination of liquid holdup by γ-ray absorption

Two-phase pressure gradients and time-averaged values of liquid holdup have been measured for the co-current flow of air and water in a 42 mm bore horizontal pipeline. The majority of the data corresponded to the slug flow region, where rapid fluctuations in both wall pressure and holdup were observed. Instantaneous values of liquid holdup were also recorded by rapid scanning of a vertical cross-section of the pipe using the γ-ray absorption method, which enabled probability density functions (PDF) and power spectral densities (PSD) of holdup to be determined. From these functions, values of average film and slug holdups, average slug length and average slug frequency were estimated. These measurements facilitated the use of the Hubbard—Dukler slug flow model for two-phase pressure drop prediction which compared favourably with the Lockhart—Martinelli correlation over the X-parameter range 2–30.     

水平管内气液段塞流液塞长度发展规律的实验和模拟研究

In petroleum industry, the slug flow is a fre-quently encountered flow regime in multiphase flowpipeline. For pipeline designers, the liquid slug lengthdistribution is important for the proper design ofdownstream facilities, such as slug catcher and sepa-ration system. However, for its transient and unsteadynature, it is a great challenge for engineers to correctlypredict the flow parameters of slug flow, especiallythe maximum liquid slug length. The unit cell model for slug flow in horizontal…     

IMPROVED HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL OF TWO-PHASE SLUG FLOW IN VERTICAL TUBES

Merits of the Fernandes model(Fernandes et al.1983)for two-phase slug flow in verticaltubes are reviewed in this paper.While predicting many macroscopic parameters of slug flow in verti-cal tubes,it fails to present correctly the trend that the average voidage in liquid slugs increases asthe rising velocity of Taylor bubbles is increased.It is also desirable to extend its application toelectrolyte systems, and to churn flow conditions.Based on the diagnostic analysis,the model equa-tion for gas entrainment by falling liquid film is reformulated and the influence of surface tension isalso accounted for.Development of the falling liquid film is recognized in the revised model in or-der to suit the case of short Taylor bubbles as well.The modified model predicts the variation of av-erage voidage in liquid slugs in good agreement with available experimental data.     

CFD approaches for the simulation of hydrodynamics and heat transfer in Taylor flow

Previous studies on heat and mass transfer in the Taylor flow regime in microchannels have shown the transport (heat/mass) rates to be dependent on the length of the liquid slug. In order to understand the effect of slug length on transport rates and to have a one-to-one comparison with experimental data, a computational approach is required to simulate flows with liquid slugs and bubbles of controlled lengths.Here we describe and benchmark two approaches. The first, and conceptually simplest, is to generate bubbles and slugs in a long tube using a time-dependent boundary condition. In the second method, the flow and heat transfer in a single unit cell, consisting of a bubble surrounded by liquid slugs, is solved in a frame of reference moving with the bubble velocity. Both methods were implemented in ANSYS-Fluent.Simulations for a two-phase (liquid-only) Reynolds number of 713, Capillary number of 0.004 and void fraction of 0.366 for nitrogen-water flow were performed to compare the two techniques. There was a very large difference between the required computational mesh sizes and times for the two methods, with a wall clock time of 38 h on a single processor for the moving domain compared with 1460 h using four processors for the stationary domain approach. In addition, for a constant wall heat flux boundary condition, even with 14 bubbles present in a long tube thermal development was not achieved. The hydrodynamic and heat transfer results obtained from the two approaches were found to be very similar to each other and with results from our earlier verification and validation studies, giving a high degree of confidence in the implementation of both methods.     

用统计方法研究未充分发展弹状流动

在一内径19 mm、长2 m的垂直有机玻璃管内,采用自制的电导探针对未充分发展的气-液二相弹状流中的弹状气泡上升速度、液塞上升速度、弹状气泡长度和液塞长度进行了测量。得到了各自随表观气速或表观液速的变化规律。结果表明:在未充分发展的弹状流状态下,弹状气泡的上升速度略高于液塞的上升速度:弹状气泡长度随表观气速的增大而增大,随表观液速的增大而减小。文章对弹状气泡长度进行了统计分析。未充分发展弹状流中弹状气泡长度符合正态分布律。     

整体式床层中液体分布与气-液传质的关系

With a particular focus on the connection between liquid flow distribution and gas-liquid mass transfer in monolithic beds in the Taylor flow regime, hydrodynamic and gas-liquid mass transfer experiments were carried out in a column with a monolithic bed of cell density of 50 cpsi with two different distributors (nozzle and packed bed distributors). Liquid saturation in individual channels was measured by using self-made micro-conductivity probes. A mal-distribution factor was used to evaluate uniform degree of phase distribution in monoliths. Overall bed pressure drop and mass transfer coefficients were measured. For liquid flow distribution and gas-liquid mass transfer, it is found that the superficial liquid velocity is a crucial factor and the packed bed distributor is better than the nozzle distributor. A semi-theoretical analysis using single channel models shows that the packed bed distributor always yields shorter and uniformly distributed liquid slugs compared to the nozzle distributor, which in turn ensures a better mass transfer performance. A bed scale mass transfer model is proposed by employing the single channel models in individual channels and incorporating effects of non-uniform liquid distribution along the bed cross-section. The model predicts the overall gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient with a relative error within ±30%.     

The effect of gas diffusion layer compression on gas bypass and water slug motion in parallel gas flow channels

Water slugs form in the gas flow channels of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) which hinder reactant transport to the catalyst layer. We report a study correlating video images of slug formation and motion with pressure/flow measurements in parallel gas flow channels. Slugs move when the differential gas pressure exceeds the force to advance the contact lines of the slug with the channel walls. Water slugs can divert the gas flow through the gas diffusion layer (GDL) beneath the ribs to adjacent channels. The flow diversion can cause slugs to stop moving. Slug size and motion has been correlated with in situ GDL permeabilities as functions of GDL compression. Compression reduces the GDL permeability under the ribs much more than the GDL permeability under the channel. A model is presented to describe the spatio‐temporal location of slugs in a PEMFC flow field. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 355–367, 2015     

The role of surface tension in microgravity slug flow

In the analysis of slug flow under gravity conditions surface tension is usually neglected. The liquid slug is treated as a homogeneous mixture and the liquid film adjacent to the wall, in the Taylor bubble zone behind the slug, is treated using the one-dimensional approach (channel flow theory). Although the use of the one-dimensional approach is not accurate, especially close to the bubble cap, it is considered as a valid approximation and it yields reasonable results for the modeling of pressure drop, bubble length and void fraction in slug flow. Since for the case of microgravity flow, surface tension is expected to be a dominant force that should not be overlooked, one may be tempted to use the same procedure for the analysis of slug flow under microgravity conditions with the surface tension included (this can be done also for non-microgravity conditions). In this work, it is shown that the inclusion of the surface tension in the one-dimensional approach for the film analysis leads to erroneous and unacceptable results near the bubble cap that cannot be used even as an approximation. It is also shown that far away from the cap the solution with and without the surface tension is practically the same. Thus, a simplified model for slug flow in microgravity is suggested that assumes a spherical shape of the bubbles at the nose that is matched with the conventional one-dimensional viscous solution far downstream. In this procedure the effect of surface tension at the nose is in fact taken into account indirectly by the imposition of a spherical cap. That is, the assumption that the bubble nose behaves similar to the behavior of small size bubbles that are controlled by surface tension.