Distributions of pressure, velocity, and void fraction for one-dimensional gas-liquid bubbly flow in horizontal pipes

A homogeneous model for prediction of the longitudinal distributions of pressure, velocity, and void fraction for two-phase bubbly flow in horizontal pipes is presented. The mixture flow is described by a system of two nondimensional ordinary differential equations that can be integrated numerically to yield the distributions of the flow variables along the pipe. The viscosity of the two-phase mixture is assumed to vary with the void fraction according to a polynomial form. Experimental data were obtained for a range of air-water bubbly flow in a horizontal pipe. Prediction of pressure distributions along the pipe compares favorably with experimental data, while prediction of void fraction distributions can be achieved with moderate accuracy. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2953226] Keywords: bubbly flow, homogeneous model void fraction, pressure distribution, mixture viscosity