Study on interfacial area transport equation of oil-water two-phase dispersed flow

With reasonable modeling of the mechanism of oil drop coalescence and breakup induced by turbulence, a new interfacial area transport equation was established, which can dynamically describe the axial development of interfacial area concentration of an oil-water two-phase dispersed flow in vertical upward pipe. When modeling oil drop coalescence mechanism induced by the random collisions between oil drops due to turbulence, a dimple phenomenon was considered to describe the drainage of continuous phase between two oil drops. And when modeling the mechanism of oil drop breakup induced by the random collision between oil drop and turbulent eddy, the two daughter oil drops may have a variety of size. The prediction made by the interfacial area transport equation agrees well with experimental data of the axial development of interfacial area concentration obtained in vertical upward oil-water two-phase dispersed flow.