Statistical Moments Transport Model for the prediction of slug flow properties

•A new model is proposed for the evolution of slug length distributions.•Model is based on the direct transport of statistical moments.•Validation with six different experimental data sets.•Agreement with experimental data is generally better than existing models.•Computational cost is up to two ord...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of multiphase flow 2019-11, Vol.120, p.103086, Article 103086
Main Authors: Fagundes Netto, J.R., Gonçalves, G.F.N., Silva Freire, A.P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bubble distributions
Slug flow
Statistical moments
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•A new model is proposed for the evolution of slug length distributions.•Model is based on the direct transport of statistical moments.•Validation with six different experimental data sets.•Agreement with experimental data is generally better than existing models.•Computational cost is up to two orders of magnitude lower than alternatives. The present work introduces the Statistical Moments Transport (SMT) Model for a description of the mean and standard deviation values of bubble and liquid slug lengths in horizontal, inclined and vertical flows. The model considers gas depressurization and the interaction (coalescence) between long bubbles. Results are compared to three other theoretical approaches – unit cell, slug tracking and slug capturing models – and six different experimental data sets. The gain in computing time as compared to the slug tracking model even in relatively short pipes is of two orders of magnitude.
ISSN:0301-9322
1879-3533
DOI:10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2019.103086