Liquid film parameter measurement based on thermal distribution sensor in horizontal annular flow

Abstract

Liquid film is an important carrier of mass and heat transfer in annular flow, and the parameter detection of which plays an important role in the energy metering of natural gas production processes and the safe and reliable operation of cooling and heating systems. In this paper, a liquid film velocity equation is derived based on the analysis of the heat balance equation between the liquid film and tube wall. According to the constant power principle, the thermal distributed flow measurement sensor is designed by using the multi-physical field coupling simulation technique According to the momentum balance equation of the Laurinat model, considering the pump mechanism of the disturbance wave and using magnitude comparison and stress balance, a liquid film thickness circumferential distribution model in the horizontal annular flow is proposed. Utilizing the model and designed sensor, the liquid film thickness of four locations (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°) measurements are obtained for 64 horizontal annular flow conditions. Laboratory results indicate that the mean absolute percent error of the model is 32.66% and the 82.81% relative error is within the ±30% error band.

Numerical and experimental investigation on droplet entrainment mechanism and closed equations of two-fluid model

“…Annular flow is an important flow pattern of wet gas and has the wide range of gas and liquid flow rates, so it is commonly present in various gasliquid mixed transportation pipeline. The typical feature of horizontal gas-liquid annular flow is that liquid flows tightly against the pipe wall and gas core accompanied by entrained droplets flows rapidly in the center of pipe [3]. Affected by gravity, the circumferential liquid film thickness distribution is uneven with the thickest bottom liquid film thickness and the thinnest top liquid film thickness [4].…”