ISSN Online: 2377-424X
International Heat Transfer Conference 12
Experimental and theoretical study on the stratified flow regime of oil-water mixtures
Abstract
The present work is aimed at analyzing, both experimentally and theoretically, the fluid dynamic behavior of oil-water
systems flowing through horizontal ducts. The influence of different parameters on the pressure drop in oil-water
flows is evaluated, and the possibility to predict the flow patterns with the aid of dimensionless analysis is
investigated. Experimental tests are conducted on smooth, horizontal tubes of diameters ranging from 21 to 39 mm.
Tap water and Milpar oil are used, with a viscosity ratio of about 800 and a density ratio of about 0.8. Some peculiar behaviors of the pressure drop reduction as a function of the water volume fraction are observed. In particular, a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is identified, corresponding to a transition between the dispersed-stratified and the wavy-stratified flow patterns. Moreover, a previously undocumented flow regime and behavior is reported. Finally, a theoretical analysis based on the Froude number is proposed.