Estimation of Gas and Liquid Flow Rates in Gas-Liquid Two-Phase System

A new method of estimating gas and liquid flow rates is proposed for a gas-liquid two-phase flow system. The method involves measurement of pressure drops in horizontal and vertical flow channels, and calculation of flow rates by Lockhart-Martinelli correlation. The method does not require the insertion of sensing device into the flow channel and does not rely on previously calibrated correlations. Experiments are performed in slug, froth and annular flow regimes for an air-water system, and the usefulness of the proposed method is examined. The results reveal that gas and liquid flow rates can be estimated with the accuracies of 45% for gas phase and 37% for liquid phase with respect to mean values.© 2002 ASME