Effect of additional periodic motion on gas-liquid two-phase secondary flow behavior in inclined pipes

Abstract

Secondary flow significantly changes the flow structure and increases flow resistance. The pipeline motion further contributes to the evolution of secondary flow. This study aims to elucidate the characteristics of two-phase secondary flow in inclined pipelines under additional periodic motion conditions. Based on the CFD technique, three-dimensional oscillating two-phase flow fields were simulated using the VOF model and dynamic mesh method. The focus was on four common flow patterns observed in inclined pipes, namely stratified flow, slug flow, turbulence flow, and transitional flow. The impact mechanisms of swaying, heaving, and coupling motion on the structural evolution, velocity profile, and relative intensity of secondary flow were analyzed. The results indicate that additional periodic motion exhibits a significant dominant behavior on secondary flow when the amplitude exceeds 1.0D. Heave motion has a more pronounced effect on the secondary flow structure. Additional periodic motion induces periodic evolution of secondary flow structure in stratified flow, with the evolution period aligning with the period of the additional motion. Under additional periodic motion, there is no one-to-one correspondence between secondary flow velocity and axial velocity. Additional motion significantly suppresses the axial velocity of slug flow. Furthermore, additional periodic motion significantly increases the relative intensity of secondary flow, exceeding 10%. When the amplitude is less than 1.5D, additional motion suppresses the relative intensity of secondary flow in turbulence flow and transitional flow.