Experimental and numerical study on the pressure drop and flow pattern of liquid foam in a foam generator

Abstract

In the present study, a comprehensive analysis of the pressure drop, flow pattern, and foam structural properties of vertical upward two-phase flow in a Kenics static foam generator of a compressed air foam system was carried out. A liquid with an extremely low surface tension (16.5 mN/m) was used for making the foam. The effects of the number of elements (number of individual elements combined into the mixer), aspect ratio (the ratio of length to diameter of each element), and transition angle (transition angle between elements) of the Kenics mixers on the pressure loss during foam generation were studied in detail over a wide range of Reynolds numbers through experiments and numerical simulation. A new pressure drop correlation was successfully obtained by scaling analysis and the modified Lockhart–Martinelli correlation was proposed to describe the pressure drop during foam generation. Furthermore, the experimental results validated the proposed correlation and exhibited good reliability and predictive accuracy. Finally, four flow patterns for foam generation in vertical pipes that were different from the classical gas–liquid two-phase flow patterns were proposed, and the relationships among the pressure drop, flow pattern, and foam structural properties were explored. This research expands the study of foam generation in vertical tubes containing a built-in spiral structure with low flow resistance. It provides new insights and guidance for developing continuous foam manufacturing.