Slug Length Estimation for Gas-liquid Slug Flow in T-shaped Microdevices with Liquid Film

Abstract

To realize stable long-term operation of microdevices with gas-liquid slug flow, the slug lengths have to be monitored and controlled, because they influence mass transfer performance. In this study, an experimental investigation was carried out to analyze the gas-liquid slug flow in a T-shaped microdevice with a liquid film. The experimental result showed that the pressures in gas and liquid feeding tubes oscillate periodically along the formation of a pair of gas and liquid slugs. Then, the correlation equation between the liquid film thickness and the number of capillaries was identified on the basis of the experimental data. Based on these results, a method for estimating slug lengths and liquid film thickness from measurements of feed pressure and feed flowrate was developed. The developed method is non-invasive and does not affect slug formation or the manner of gas-liquid slug flow. Its effectiveness was assessed through an experimental case study, and the relative root mean square errors of estimated slug lengths were within 8.5%. The result show that the developed method can be applied to the monitoring of slug lengths.