Heat transfer correlation for two-component two-phase slug flow in horizontal pipes

Abstract

Two-component gas-liquid two-phase slug flow in horizontal pipes occurs frequently in many industrial applications. The flow and heat transfer characteristics are complicated due to the intermittent flow structures. In view of the importance of predicting the heat transfer characteristics of the slug flow, this present study aims at developing a semi-theoretical heat transfer correlation for two-component two-phase slug flow based on the concept of Reynolds and Chilton-Colburn analogies. Firstly, an extensive literature review on existing databases and correlations of heat transfer coefficient for two-component two-phase slug flow was conducted. More than 500 experimental data and 8 heat transfer correlations were collected. The comparison between collected database and correlations indicated that none of the correlations could estimate the whole database satisfactorily. The relationship between heat transfer and pressure drop was investigated theoretically and an improved semi-theoretical heat transfer correlation was developed based on Reynolds and Chilton-Colburn analogies and the collected experimental results from 16 sources. The comparison analysis demonstrated that the newly-developed correlation achieved an excellent predictive capability with a wide range of test conditions. The newly developed correlation demonstrated that 91.5% of the data was predicted within ±30% error with the mean absolute relative deviation of 14.0%. In addition, the extension of the new correlation to other horizontal two-phase flow regimes was discussed. The newly-developed semi-theoretical correlation would be useful for predicting heat transfer coefficient of two-component two-phase flow in horizontal pipes.