Two-phase flow characteristics in multiple orifice valves

This work presents an experimental investigation on the characteristics of two-phase flow through multiple orifice valve (MOV), including frictional pressure drop and void fraction. Experiments were carried out using an MOV with three different sets of discs with throat thickness-diameter ratios (s/d) of 1.41, 1.66 and 2.21. Tests were run with air and water flow rates ranging between 1.0 and 3.0 m(3)/h, respectively. The two-phase flow patterns established for the experiment were bubbly and slug. Two-phase frictional multipliers, frictional pressure drop and void fraction were analyzed. The determined two-phase multipliers were compared against existing correlations for gas-liquid flows. None of the correlations tested proved capable of predicting the experimental results. The large discrepancy between predicted and measured values points at the role played by valve throat geometry and thickness-diameter ratio in the hydrodynamics of two-phase flow through MOVs. A modification to the constants in the two-phase multiplier equation used for pipe flow fitted the experimental data. A comparison between computed frictional pressure drop, calculated with the modified two-phase multiplier equation and measured pressure drop yielded better agreement, with less than 20% error. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.