Multiphase flow

Sketch of multiphase flow in an oil pipe, where the continuous phase is the liquid (blue) carrying smaller particles. Gas (white) and oil particles (black) are in a disperse phase.

In fluid mechanics, multiphase flow is the simultaneous flow of materials with two or more thermodynamic phases.[1] Virtually all processing technologies from cavitating pumps and turbines to paper-making and the construction of plastics involve some form of multiphase flow. It is also prevalent in many natural phenomena.[2]

These phases may consist of one chemical component (e.g. flow of water and water vapour), or several different chemical components (e.g. flow of oil and water).[3] A phase is classified as continuous if it occupies a continually connected region of space (as opposed to disperse if the phase occupies disconnected regions of space). The continuous phase may be either gaseous or a liquid. The disperse phase can consist of a solid, liquid or gas.[4]

Two general topologies can be identified: disperse flows and separated flows. The former consists of finite particles, drops or bubbles distributed within a continuous phase, whereas the latter consists of two or more continuous streams of fluids separated by interfaces.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Brennen, Christopher E. (2005). Fundamentals of Multiphase Flows (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 20. ISBN 0521-848040. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  3. ^ Coulson and Richardson's Chemical Engineering, Elsevier, 2017, pp. ii, doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-101096-9.09001-4, ISBN 9780081010969
  4. ^ Wörner, Martin (2003). A compact introduction to the numerical modeling of multiphase flows. FZKA. OCLC 1068970515.