Improved Drift Flux Void Fraction Model for Horizontal Gas-liquid Intermittent Flow

Drift Flux model is widely used in literature to predict void fraction in two-phase gas-liquid flow. Drift flux model has been used for all flow regimes. The distribution parameter implemented in the model is very crucial for the accuracy of the model. A new distribution parameter was developed in this paper as a function of two dimensionless parameters and flow regime (slug or plug). The new model showed a superior predicted void fraction accuracy over all available models in literature. In this paper, the influence of the flow regimes was implemented in the formulation of the drift flux model distribution parameter for the first time in literature. The drift velocity was found to be negligible in the horizontal configuration. The proposed model was validated using unbiased data from literature from different sources and for a wide range of liquid viscosity from water up to high viscosity oil (۶۰۰ cP) and pipe diameter from ۱۹ mm up to ۱۵۲ mm. The mean relative absolute error of the proposed model using all data bank is around ۱۶% while the least error model available in literature is around ۱۹%. Moreover, the most recent models of Rassame and Hibiki (۲۰۱۸) and Kong et al. (۲۰۱۸b) give ۳۳% and ۵۰%, respectively.

کلیدواژه ها:

Gas-liquid two-phase flow ، Void fraction ، Drift Flux ، Plug and Slug flow ، Horizontal configuration