Flow Pattern and Pipe Orientation Independent Semi-Empirical Void Fraction Correlation for a Gas-Liquid Two Phase Flow Based on the Concept of Drift Flux Model

Abstract

A flow pattern and pipe orientation independent void fraction correlation is proposed in the present study. The correlation is based on the concept of drift flux model and proposes two separate expressions to model distribution parameter and drift velocity. The distribution parameter is expressed as a function of pipe orientation, phase superficial velocities and the void fraction in implicit form, while the drift velocity parameter is modeled as a function of fluid thermo physical properties, pipe orientation and void fraction. The drift velocity equation proposed by Zukoski [1] is extended for downward inclined pipe orientations. The performance of the proposed void fraction correlation is verified against void fraction data set of 5928 data points including the data for fifteen pipe diameters and eight different fluid combinations. The superiority of the proposed correlation is also illustrated by comparing it against the top performing correlations in horizontal, vertical upward and vertical downward pipe orientations and the predictions of the Woldesemayat and Ghajar [2] and Chexal et al. [3] correlations for incline pipe orientations.