Stability analysis of inclined stratified two-phase gas-liquid flow

The present investigation involves the modeling of gas-liquid interface in a two-phase stratified flow through a horizontal or nearly-horizontal circular duct. The most complete and fundamental model used for these calculations is known as the one-dimensional two-fluid model. It is the most accurate of the two-phase models since it considers each phase independently and links both phases with six conservation equations. The mass and momentum balance equations are written in dimensionless form. The dimensionless mass and momentum balance equations are combined with the method of characteristics and an explicit method to simulate the flow. At first, the linear stability of the flow is investigated by disturbing the liquid flow with a small perturbation. An improved version of the one-dimensional two-fluid model for horizontal flows is developed as a set of non-linear hyperbolic governing equations. The importance of this research lies in obtaining a model that accounts for the effects of flow and geometrical conditions (such as liquid viscosity, surface tension). It is shown that, for positive values of the slope angle (upward inclination), the slug flow becomes more probable, whereas negative values of the slope angle (downward inclination) induce a more stable stratified flow.