AN INTERFACIAL FRICTION CORRELATION FOR SHELL-SIDE VERTICAL 2-PHASE CROSS-FLOW PAST HORIZONTAL IN-LINE AND STAGGERED TUBE BUNDLES

A correlation is presented for the interfacial friction factor between the gaseous and liquid phases in vertical two-phase flows past horizo ntal in-line and staggered tube bundles. The interfacial friction data were determined from pressure drop, void fraction, and mass flux data taken by Dowlati et al. (1990, 1992b) and Schrage et al. (1988). Thes e data were correlated using two non-dimensional quantities: a Reynold s number based on the mixture density and relative velocity between th e two phases, and the porosity of the tube bundle. These dependencies are explained in terms of the competing effects of viscosity and buoya ncy and the influence of turbulence in the flow. The correlation is im plemented in a numerical simulation of the recirculating shell-side fl ow encountered in kettle reboiler heat exchangers, the results of whic h are compared to the experimental observations of Cornwell et al. (19 80). Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.