Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

TWO-PHASE FLOW PATTERNS AND FLOW PATTERN MAPS

Flow patterns
The analysis of single phase flow is based on the classification of laminar or turbulent region. Although
such classification is also true for multi-phase flow but it is not adequate. In two-phase flow the
topology or geometry of the flow is also very important. For instance for the case of a heated tube in
which the liquid is vaporized the vapor generated can occupy the tube in a variety of configurations
known as flow patterns. The flow pattern (or regime) depends on the conditions of pressure, flow, heat
flux, channel geometry etc. Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish the difference between two flow
patterns, in fact some flows are considered as transition between two regimes.
As a result of buoyancy due to presence of gas or vapor in two phase flow, it is expected that the flow
pattern depends strongly on whether the channel is vertical or horizontal. The flow patterns for these two
geometries are considered separately.

Vertical Upwards Flow:

Typical flow patterns for vertical gas-liquid flows are shown on the next page. The regimes are:

I. Bubble Flow. In this flow the gas or vapor phase is distributed as discrete bubbles flowing in a
continuum of liquid.

II. Slug Flow. As the concentration of bubbles in the bubble flow increases, coalescence of bubbles
occurs and, progressively, the bubble diameter approaches that of the tube. The large, bullet-
shaped bubbles characteristic of slug or plug flow (the names are used interchangeably in vertical
flows) are then encountered. The liquid flow is contained in liquid slugs which separate
successive gas bubbles.

III. Churn flow. With further increases of gas flow rate, the velocity of the slug flow bubbles
increases and, ultimately, a breakdown of these bubbles occurs leading to a more or less chaotic
flow of gas through the liquid which is mainly displaced to the channel wall. Churn flow is an
unstable regime and often there is an oscillatory motion of the liquid in the tube.

IV. Annular Flow. In this case, the liquid flows on the wall of the tube as a film and the gas flows in
the center as a continuous core. Usually, there are waves present on the surface of the film and
the continuous break up of these waves leads to the entrainment of liquid phase as small droplets
into the gas core.

V. Wispy annular flow. As the liquid flow rate is increased, the droplet concentration in the gas
core of annular flow increases and, ultimately, droplet coalescence occurs leading to large lumps
or streaks (or wisps) of liquid occurring in the gas core. This regime is characteristics of high
mass velocity flows.

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.

 Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

Vertical Heated Channels:

In the case of formation of a two-phase mixture as a result of vapor generation in a vertical heated pipe,
because of the presence of a heat flux through the channel wall, the flow patterns are somewhat different
to those already described. The differences come about due to thermodynamic and hydrodynamic non-
equilibrium as well as the presence of radial temperature profiles in the channel.
Consider the single-phase liquid entering a heated tube. Initially the flow is heated to the saturation
temperature. At some position up the tube wall the wall temperature will exceed the saturation
temperature and vapor formation (bubbles appear on nucleation sites) will start on the walls. Vapor
bubbles grow from these sites finally detaching to form a bubbly flow. With the production of more
bubbles further up the tube, coalescence takes place to form slug flow. Further along the channel with
more vapor generation slug flow gives way to annular flow.
In the annular flow region formation will also take place as a result of evaporation at the liquid film-
vapor core interface. Increasing velocities in the vapor core will cause entrainment of the liquid in the
form of droplets. As a result of the evaporation and entrainment the liquid film will finally disappear and
dry out. Droplets will eventually evaporate until only single-phase vapor is present. This flow regime for
the heated vertical tube is shown below.

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.

 Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

Horizontal Flow Patterns:

In the horizontal two–phase flow the main complicating feature is that due to gravity acting on the liquid
phase, it is displaced towards the bottom of the channel. The generally accepted flow patterns are:

I. Bubble flow: In horizontal tubes, the bubbles tend to flow at the top of the tube. At higher
velocities of both vapor and liquid phases, usually the entire pipe cross-section contains bubbles.

II. Plug Flow: Again, similar to slug flow in vertical pipes, the characteristics bullet-shaped bubbles
occur, but they tend to move along in a position closer to the top of the tube.

III. Stratified flow: In this flow the gravitational separation is complete; liquid flows along the
bottom of the tube and gas along the top of the tube with a relatively smooth surface. This
regime occurs at very low liquid and vapor velocities.

IV. Wavy flow: As the gas velocity is increased in stratified flow, waves are formed on the gas-
liquid interface giving the “wavy flow” regime.

V. Slug flow: In this flow regime, large frothy slugs are formed (for instance by growth of the
waves in the wavy flow) and are transported rapidly along the channel. In some areas, these slugs
occupy the whole of the cross section of the channel and, in other cases; they are in the form of a
very large surge wave on the thick liquid film at the bottom of the channel. In both cases, liquid
is deposited at the top of the channel and gradually drains downwards between the slugs.

VI. Annular flow: In horizontal tubes, annular flow occurs at high gas flow rates. As in vertical
flows there is usually some entrainment of the liquid phase as droplets in the gas core and, as a
result of the gravitational effects, the film at the bottom of the tube is often much thicker than the
film at the top.

The flow patterns in a horizontal tube are shown below:

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.

 Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

Horizontal Heated Channels:

As a result of thermodynamic and hydrodynamic non-equilibrium as well as asymmetric phase
distribution and stratification the flow patterns in a heated channel are again somewhat different.
Consider the flow of a liquid below saturation temperature entering a horizontal tube with uniform wall
heating. The pipe can be the evaporator tube of the boiler or a horizontal tubular element of a heat
exchanger. A schematic of the flow patterns in this case is given below.

Because of the heat transfer there is a possibility of intermittent drying and rewetting of the vapor
surface of the tube in slug and wavy flow and the progressive drying out over long tube lengths of the
upper circumference of the tube wall in annular flow. It should be mentioned that for higher inlet liquid
velocities the influence of gravity is less obvious and the phase distribution becomes more symmetrical
and the flow patterns become closer to those observed in vertical flow.

Flow Pattern Maps

Flow pattern maps are an attempt, on a two-dimensional graph, to separate the space into areas
corresponding to the various flow patterns. Simple flow pattern maps use the same axes for all flow
patterns and transitions. Complex maps use different axes for different transitions. Examples of some
common, useful flow pattern maps are the follows.

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.

 Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

1. The Baker map for horizontal flow (see Fig. below). This map was first suggested by Baker
(1954), and was subsequently modified by Scott (1963). The axes are Gg/  and Gl  where
𝑔𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
𝐺𝑔 = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑥 𝑜𝑓 𝑔𝑎𝑠 =
𝑡𝑢𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 − 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎
𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
𝐺𝑙 = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑥 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑑 =
𝑡𝑢𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 − 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎

Baker map for horizontal flow in a tube.

𝑔 𝑙 1/2
=( )
𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
1/3
𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 µ𝑙 
= ( [ 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 ])
 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑙

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.

 Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

2. The Hewitt and Roberts {1969) map for vertical upflow in a tube from observations on low
pressure air-water and high pressure steam-water flow in small diameter tubes (10 – 30 mm).
Their results represented in the form of superficial momentum fluxes of the liquid (𝑙 𝑗𝑙2 ) and
vapor (𝑔 𝑗𝑔2 ) is given as follows:

The superficial momentum fluxes can be expresses in terms of the maa velocity (G) and the
vapor quality (x)
[𝐺(1−𝑥)]2 [𝐺𝑥]2
𝑙 𝑗𝑙2 = 𝑙
; 𝑔 𝑗𝑔2 = 𝑔

In addition to the mass there are also several expressions based on analytical and experimental
studies for the prediction of flow transitions. Taitel and Dukler have proposed the following
equation for the transition from bubbly to slug flow.

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.

 Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer

𝑗𝑙 [𝑔(𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑔 )𝜎]
= 2.34 − 1.07 1/2
𝑗𝑔 𝑗𝑔 𝜌 𝑙
Where  is the surface tension.

Slug flow is usually associated with the volumetric qualities () of less than 0.80 – 0.85. The
transition from slug to churn flow according to Porteus is represented by the following
0.50
𝑗 = 0.105𝜌𝑔−0.50 [𝑔𝐷(𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑔 )]
Where D is the diameter of the pipe.Taitel and Dukler indicate that for values of 𝑗/(𝑔𝐷)0.50
larger than 50 this transition is at a value of  = 0.86.

For the transition of churn to annular flow Wallis suggests the following criterion
−0.50
𝑗𝑔 𝜌𝑔0.50 [𝑔𝐷(𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑔 )] = 0.90
Wallis for the annular flow-wispy flow transition at high liquid flow rates proposes that
𝜌𝑙
𝑗𝑔 = [7 + 0.06 ] 𝑗𝑙
𝜌𝑔

Example: Consider a vertical boiler tube of 25.4 mm I.D. with a system pressure of 70 bars.
What flow patterns would occur for a mass velocity of 500 kg/m2s and mass quality of 1, 10 and
50%. How would the patterns change if mass velocity quadrupled?

Instructor: Leonel L. Pabilona, D.Eng.