Characteristics of Gas–Liquid Two-Phase flow in rectangular narrow slits with varying cross sections driven by large pressure drop

Abstract

Pressure pipelines and vessels inevitably contain some defects. Under the most unfavorable load combinations, these defects may gradually develop into through-wall cracks. High-pressure subcooled fluid leaks through these cracks, and two-phase gas–liquid flow often occurs within the cracks. In this study, natural through-wall cracks were replaced with narrow rectangular slits with varying cross sections. Experiments were conducted to investigate the variation patterns of gas–liquid two-phase leakage flow rates and pressure drops. The study focused on four types of rectangular narrow slits with varying cross sections, a width of 28 mm, a length of 80 mm, and a gap gradually ranging from 0.134 to 0.334 mm. The liquid-phase mass flow rate ranged from 150 to 700 kg/h, whereas the gas-phase mass flow rate varied from 0 to 20 kg/h. A one-dimensional homogeneous flow model was established by coupling two-phase velocity of speed calculations. This calibrated model was then used to predict pressure drops and flow parameters for gas–liquid two-phase flow in narrow rectangular slits with varying cross sections. The experimental data were analyzed to determine the two-phase leakage characteristics of different test pieces. The results show that the inlet–outlet pressure drop and flow quality are key factors affecting the two-phase leakage flow rate. The frictional pressure drop constitutes a major part of the total pressure drop along the flow path in different test pieces. Compared with the acceleration pressure drop in the expanding slit, that in the constricting slit is higher, with an increase of approximately 32 %. Among several commonly used empirical formulas for calculating two-phase viscosity, the McAdams and Dukler empirical correlations were found to be less suitable for high-velocity two-phase flows. In contrast, the Cicchitti empirical correlation provides better predictions, with a mean absolute deviation (MAD) and mean relative deviation (MRD) of no more than 8 %. The viscosity of the gas-phase medium affects the two-phase flow characteristics in narrow slits, which should be considered in practical engineering applications.