Effects of Liquid Velocity on Pressure Gradient, Slip and Interfacial Friction Factor in Annular Flow in Horizontal Pipe

Abstract

Experimental investigations on annular flow behaviour in two-phase (air/water) flow in horizontal pipe were conducted using 2-inch (0.0504m) with a total length of 28.68m closed loop system. The emphasis from the experiments were on pressure gradient, slip and interfacial friction factor in annular flow. For interfacial friction factor, the entrainment, gas quality, the droplets and slip mixture density values were obtained through the experimental results which were substituted to determine it. In all, effects of liquid velocity were felt, as increase in superficial liquid velocity, increases the interfacial friction factor and pressure gradient in annular flow in horizontal pipes. More so, increase in superficial gas velocity, reduces the interfacial friction factor. Thus, interfacial friction factor decreases with increases in superficial gas velocity, while the pressure gradient increases with increase in superficial liquid velocity. The lower the superficial liquid velocity, the higher the slip but the lower the pressure gradient. Likewise, the lower the superficial liquid velocity, the more ripple waves obtained while the higher the superficial liquid velocity, the more disturbance waves in annular flow in horizontal pipe from the experiments.