A Robust Asymptotically Based Modeling Approach for Two-Phase Flows

A simple semitheoretical method for calculating two-phase frictional pressure gradient in horizontal circular pipes using asymptotic analysis to develop a robust compact model is presented. Two-phase frictional pressure gradient is expressed in terms of the asymptotic single-phase frictional pressure gradients for liquid and gas flowing alone. The proposed model can be transformed into either a two-phase frictional multiplier for liquid flowing alone (ϕl2) or two-phase frictional multiplier for gas flowing alone (ϕg2) as a function of the Lockhart-Martinelli parameter, X. Single-phase friction factors are calculated using the Churchill model which allows for prediction over the full range of laminar-transition-turbulent regions and allows for pipe roughness effects. The proposed model is compared against published data to show the asymptotic behavior. Comparison with other existing correlations for two-phase frictional pressure gradient such as the Chisholm correlation, the Friedel correlation, and the Müller-Steinhagen and Heck correlation, is also presented. Comparison with experimental data for both ϕl and ϕl versus X is also presented. At the end of the paper, the present asymptotic model is also extended to minichannels and microchannels