Dynamics of bullet shaped bubbles encountered in vertical gas liquid slug flow

Abstract

A theoretical analysis is presented of the liquid film flowing around long, bullet shaped, gas bubbles which characterize the slug-flow regime in two-phase flow through vertical pipe. Integral mass and momentum balances on the liquid film allow the prediction of gas bubble shape, liquid holdup around the bubble, wall shear stress acting on the liquid film, and velocity profiles in the liquid film. These predictions are in good agreement with data available in the literature.