Multiphase Flow for Industry Applications

A special issue of Fluids (ISSN 2311-5521).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 8175

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro 22541, Brazil
Interests: rheometry; non-newtonian fluid mechanics; displacement flows; fluid visualization
School of Computing, Engineering, and Digital Technology, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BX, UK
Interests: multiphase flow; microbubble technology; heat transfer; aerodynamics; thermal energy storage
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue of Fluids aims to highlight the latest developments, challenges, and innovative solutions in the multidisciplinary field of multiphase flow within industrial applications. Multiphase flow refers to the simultaneous flow of two or more phases (such as gas, liquid, or solid) within a system, and it plays a crucial role in various industries, including oil and gas, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, power generation, food manufacturing, and environmental engineering. Understanding and optimizing multiphase flow phenomena are essential for improving efficiency, safety, and sustainability in industrial processes.

We invite researchers, academics, and industry professionals to contribute original research articles, review papers, and case studies highlighting diverse aspects of multiphase flow in industrial applications either through experimental, numerical, or theoretical analyses.

The scope includes the following aspects:

  • Flow Behavior and Dynamics
  • Flow Measurement and Instrumentation
  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Flow Regime Transition and Phase Change
  • Flow Control and Optimization
  • Fluid-Particle Interactions
  • Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer
  • Multiphase Flow Challenges in Emerging Technologies
  • Multiphase Flow and Industrial Case Studies

Dr. Priscilla Ribeiro Varges
Dr. Faik Hamad
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • multiphase flow
  • flow dynamics
  • flow measurement
  • mass transfer
  • heat transfer
  • rheology
  • mixing
  • interfaces
  • flow regime

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1555 KiB  
Article
A Simple Mathematical Model to Predict the Pressure Drop for Transport of Deformable Particles in Homogeneous Porous Media
by Víctor Matías-Pérez, Simón López-Ramírez, Elizbeth Franco-Urresti and Carlos G. Aguilar-Madera
Fluids 2024, 9(12), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids9120275 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 186
Abstract
The transport of deformable particles (TDPs) through porous media has been of considerable interest due to the multiple applications found in industrial and medical processes. The adequate design of these applications has been mainly achieved through experimental efforts, since TDPs through porous media [...] Read more.
The transport of deformable particles (TDPs) through porous media has been of considerable interest due to the multiple applications found in industrial and medical processes. The adequate design of these applications has been mainly achieved through experimental efforts, since TDPs through porous media are challenging to model because of the mechanical blockage of the pore throat due to size exclusion, deformation in order to pass through the pore throat under the driven pressure, and breakage under strong extrusion. In this work, based on the diffusivity equation and considering the TDP as a complex fluid whose viscosity and density depend on the local pressure, a simple but accurate theoretical model is proposed to describe the pressure behavior under steady- and unsteady-state flow conditions. Assuming a linear pressure dependence of the viscosity and density of the TDPs, valid for moderate pressure changes, the solution of the mathematical model yields a quantitative correlation between the pressure evolution and the parameters compressibility, viscosity coefficient, elastic modulus, particle size, and friction factor. The predictions of the model agree with experiments and allow the understanding of transport of deformable particles through a porous media. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiphase Flow for Industry Applications)
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25 pages, 7644 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Cavitation Erosion Using Combined Numerical and Experimental Approach
by Milan Sedlář, Alois Koutný, Tomáš Krátký, Martin Komárek and Martin Fulín
Fluids 2024, 9(11), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids9110259 - 7 Nov 2024
Viewed by 395
Abstract
This paper aims to numerically assess the cavitation damage of hydrodynamic machines and hydraulic components and its development in time, based on cavitation erosion tests with samples of used materials. The theoretical part of this paper is devoted to the numerical simulation of [...] Read more.
This paper aims to numerically assess the cavitation damage of hydrodynamic machines and hydraulic components and its development in time, based on cavitation erosion tests with samples of used materials. The theoretical part of this paper is devoted to the numerical simulation of unsteady multiphase flow by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and to the prediction of the erosive effects of the collapses of cavitation bubbles in the vicinity of solid surfaces. Compressible unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations (URANS) are solved together with the Zwart cavitation model. To describe the destructive collapses of vapor bubbles, the modeling of cavitation bubble dynamics along selected streamlines or trajectories is applied. The hybrid Euler–Lagrange approach with one-way coupling and the full Rayleigh–Plesset equation (R–P) are therefore utilized. This paper also describes the experimental apparatus with a rotating disc used to reach genuine hydrodynamic cavitation and conditions similar to those of hydrodynamic machines. The simulations are compared with the obtained experimental data, with good agreement. The proposed methodology enables the application of the results of erosion tests to the real geometry of hydraulic machines and to reliably predict the locations and magnitude of cavitation erosion, so as to select appropriate materials or material treatments for endangered parts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiphase Flow for Industry Applications)
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13 pages, 4138 KiB  
Article
Visualizing and Evaluating Microbubbles in Multiphase Flow Applications
by Safa A. Najim, Deepak Meerakaviyad, Kul Pun, Paul Russell, Poo Balan Ganesan, David Hughes and Faik A. Hamad
Fluids 2024, 9(3), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids9030058 - 27 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1768
Abstract
Accurate visualization of bubbles in multiphase flow is a crucial aspect of modeling heat transfer, mixing, and turbulence processes. It has many applications, including chemical processes, wastewater treatment, and aquaculture. A new software, Flow_Vis, based on experimental data visualization, has been developed to [...] Read more.
Accurate visualization of bubbles in multiphase flow is a crucial aspect of modeling heat transfer, mixing, and turbulence processes. It has many applications, including chemical processes, wastewater treatment, and aquaculture. A new software, Flow_Vis, based on experimental data visualization, has been developed to visualize the movement and size distribution of bubbles within multiphase flow. Images and videos recorded from an experimental rig designed to generate microbubbles were analyzed using the new software. The bubbles in the fluid were examined and found to move with different velocities due to their varying sizes. The software was used to measure bubble size distributions, and the obtained results were compared with experimental measurements, showing reasonable accuracy. The velocity measurements were also compared with literature values and found to be equally accurate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiphase Flow for Industry Applications)
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17 pages, 5269 KiB  
Article
Interpreting Image Patterns for Agricultural Sprays Using Statistics and Machine Learning Techniques
by Steven Cryer and John Raymond
Fluids 2024, 9(2), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids9020040 - 1 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1475
Abstract
The atomization of liquid spray solutions through nozzles is a mechanism for delivering many pesticides to the target. The smallest drop sizes (<150 μm) are known as driftable fines and have a propensity for wind-induced convection. Many agricultural applications include oil-in-water formulations. The [...] Read more.
The atomization of liquid spray solutions through nozzles is a mechanism for delivering many pesticides to the target. The smallest drop sizes (<150 μm) are known as driftable fines and have a propensity for wind-induced convection. Many agricultural applications include oil-in-water formulations. The experimental metrics obtained from spray images of these formulations include the distance from the nozzle origin to the drop centroid once a drop has formed; the hole location and surface area for holes that form in the liquid sheet (all hole areas approximated as polygons); the angles formed between polygon segments (whose vertices are represented as boundary points); and the ligament dimensions that form from intersecting holes, such as the ligament aspect ratio (R/L), ligament length (L), and ligament radius (width), along with the number of drops a ligament breaks up into. These metrics were used in a principal component regression (PCR) analysis, and the results illustrated that 99% of the variability in the response variable (DT10) was addressed by 10 principal components. Angles formed by the colliding holes, hole distance from the nozzle, drop distance, hole number, ligament number, and drop number were negatively correlated to the atomization driftable fine fraction, while hole area, ligament distance, ligament area, and boundary area were positively correlated. Thus, to decrease/minimize driftable fines, one needs to increase the negatively correlated metrics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiphase Flow for Industry Applications)
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27 pages, 8467 KiB  
Article
CFD Thermo-Hydraulic Evaluation of a Liquid Hydrogen Storage Tank with Different Insulation Thickness in a Small-Scale Hydrogen Liquefier
by Soo-Jin Jeong, Sang-Jin Lee and Seong-Joon Moon
Fluids 2023, 8(9), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids8090239 - 24 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3105
Abstract
Accurate evaluation of thermo-fluid dynamic characteristics in tanks is critically important for designing liquid hydrogen tanks for small-scale hydrogen liquefiers to minimize heat leakage into the liquid and ullage. Due to the high costs, most future liquid hydrogen storage tank designs will have [...] Read more.
Accurate evaluation of thermo-fluid dynamic characteristics in tanks is critically important for designing liquid hydrogen tanks for small-scale hydrogen liquefiers to minimize heat leakage into the liquid and ullage. Due to the high costs, most future liquid hydrogen storage tank designs will have to rely on predictive computational models for minimizing pressurization and heat leakage. Therefore, in this study, to improve the storage efficiency of a small-scale hydrogen liquefier, a three-dimensional CFD model that can predict the boil-off rate and the thermo-fluid characteristics due to heat penetration has been developed. The prediction performance and accuracy of the CFD model was validated based on comparisons between its results and previous experimental data, and a good agreement was obtained. To evaluate the insulation performance of polyurethane foam with three different insulation thicknesses, the pressure changes and thermo-fluid characteristics in a partially liquid hydrogen tank, subject to fixed ambient temperature and wind velocity, were investigated numerically. It was confirmed that the numerical simulation results well describe not only the temporal variations in the thermal gradient due to coupling between the buoyance and convection, but also the buoyancy-driven turbulent flow characteristics inside liquid hydrogen storage tanks with different insulation thicknesses. In the future, the numerical model developed in this study will be used for optimizing the insulation systems of storage tanks for small-scale hydrogen liquefiers, which is a cost-effective and highly efficient approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiphase Flow for Industry Applications)
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