Interfacial behaviour in stratified and stratifying annular flows

This proposal addresses the subject of stratified flow and stratifying annular gas-liquid flows in horizontal and near-horizontal pipes. In stratified flow, the liquid phase flows in a smooth or wavy layer at the bottom of the pipe with the gas flowing above it. In stratifying annular flow there is a combination of a stratified layer at the bottom of the pipe coupled with a thin liquid film around the rest of the circumference. Such flows are immensely important in hydrocarbon recovery and in many other applications (for instance in condensation in horizontal tubes). The overall aim of the proposed work is to develop fundamental insight into the physical processes that determine droplet entrainment in turbulent gas flow over a liquid layer in pipes and channels, through a coordinated programme of numerical simulation and supporting experiments, supplemented by an analytical effort and by assessing the ways in which the outcomes of the work may best be exploited in industrial calculation methodologies. The proposed work will be integrated with a large collaborative effort with industrial partners, on Transient Multiphase Flow and Flow Assurance (TMF4).