Flow physics of upward cocurrent gas-liquid annular flow in a vertical small diameter tube

摘要

In this paper, a steady RNG k-ε model, in conjunction with enhanced wall treatment method, was applied to the gas core in order to simulate the flow physics of annular two-phase flow. The model incorporated a physical model of wave characteristics and included the liquid entrainment influence on the flow. Based on the simulation results, flow features in the gas core were quantitatively presented and a model of the liquid entrainment mechanism was proposed. In addition, a parametric study was conducted to determine the impact of changing wave velocity, pressure, and gravitational force on the liquid film flow. The results were validated using a large set of experimental data at normal and microgravity conditions. Also, the law of the wall was applied to previously-collected experimental data. Analysis yielded different flow features of the liquid film at microgravity and normal gravity conditions.