Gas-liquid flow rates measurement based on dual differential pressures of a power-driven swirler

In recent years, swirlers have gained increasing attention in gas–liquid flow rates measurement. A power-driven swirler device is designed suitable for low gas–liquid flow rates conditions. Variation characteristics of swirler differential pressure (ΔP_s) and radial differential pressure (ΔP_r) are investigated under three swirler rotational speeds (0, 300, and 600 rpm). An average reduction of 9 % and 15 % can be seen in fluctuations of ΔP_s and ΔP_r signals, respectively. Wider measurement range can be achieved by increasing the rotational speed, the minimum liquid superficial velocity decreases from 1.53 m/s to 1.02 m/s and the maximum gas volume fraction increases from 41.8 % to 51.9 %. Then, a new gas–liquid flow rate measurement model is established considering the gas–liquid slip and interfacial interaction. As the rotational speed increases from 0 to 600 rpm, the relative errors of liquid and gas mass flow rates decrease from ± 3.4 % to ± 2.7 % and ± 24 % to ± 10 %, respectively.