Exchange flows of two immiscible Newtonian liquids in a vertical tube: From falling drops to falling slugs

Abstract

We present an experimental study of buoyancy-driven flows of two immiscible Newtonian liquids in a vertical tube where initially the heavier and more viscous one is placed on the top of the lighter one. Flow visualization was performed using a digital camera, and inversion velocities were determined through image analysis. The influence of the governing parameters on the speed and flow regime was examined for pairs of liquids with small density differences. Two different flow regimes were observed, namely, falling drops and falling slugs. In the first regime, spherical and ellipsoidal drops are obtained, depending on the ratio between the drop and tube diameters. The falling slug regime is a core-annular flow pattern above a critical value of interfacial tension, while no flow is noticed below this critical value. The experimental results are in good agreement with model predictions from the literature. Indeed, the results showed that terminal velocity can be estimated by empirical correlations for falling spheres.