Incorporated Flow Patterns Into a Model of Two-Phase Heterogeneous Mixture Flow in Microchannels

Abstract

In the two-phase or multiphase flow of such heterogeneous mixture like gas-liquid many more independent parameters are involved, thereby making this process more complicated and less transparent for understanding, mathematical modeling and simulating or calculating of such parameter like the length pressure gradient. In two-phase flow, there is a very complicated and random phenomenon of flow patterns, which needs to be quantitatively and accurately incorporated. Unfortunately, nowadays, a method of how to measure flow patterns is not available. And, also there is a need for mathematical models with quantitatively incorporated flow patterns in full range of flow. It is understandable that in all such cases any reasonable attempt to define and incorporate quantitatively this phenomenon in mathematical model will be beneficial. Recognizing these challenges this paper will present an approach to incorporate flow pattern phenomenon into the two-phase flow model by (1) developing a mathematical model for pressure losses in two-phase flow based on in-situ parameters, (2) developing and defining a flow pattern coefficient, which incorporates the flow pattern phenomena, and (3) present the developed mathematical model with the incorporation of flow patterns, which demonstrated significant increase of accuracy of calculations based on conducted experimental research on air-water twophase mixture flow in a horizontal square microchannel.