Analysis of Correlations for the Prediction of the Entrainment Fraction of Droplets in Gas-liquid Annular Flows

Abstract

In gas-liquid flows, droplets that detach from the liquid film lining the internal walls of a pipe and merge with the gas flowing through the pipe follow an annular flow pattern. This work analyzes correlations for estimating the entrainment fraction of such droplets contained in the literature by comparing their predictions with experimental data also from the literature. The results of this comparative study demonstrate that the analyzed correlations do not accurately reproduce experimental conditions. This is due to the complexity of this flow phenomenon and its arduous mathematical modeling. The methods used in the development of each correlation also impose operational limitations, and this parameter is difficult to measure satisfactorily on either a laboratory or industrial scale.