CFD-informed unified closure relation for the rise velocity of Taylor bubbles in pipes

Two-phase slug flow commonly occurs in gas and oil systems. Current predictive methods are based on the mechanistic models, which require the use of closure relations to complement the conservation equations to predict integral flow parameters such as liquid holdup (or void fraction) and pressure gradient. Taylor bubble velocity in slug flow is one of these closure relations which has been determined to significantly affect the calculation of these parameters. In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with Level-Set as the Interface Tracking Method (ITM) are employed to simulate the motion of Taylor bubbles in slug flow, for which the commercial code TransAT is used. A large numerical database with stagnant and flowing liquid for various Reynolds numbers is being generated from which a unified Taylor bubble velocity correlation in stagnant liquids for an ample range of fluid properties and pipe geometries is proposed ($Mo\in [1\cdot10^{-6},5\cdot10^3], Eo\in [10,700]$). Furthermore, it is found that the velocity of Taylor bubbles in inclined pipes is greatly affected by the presence of a lubricating thin film between the bubble and the pipe wall. An analytical and experimentally validated criterion, which predicts the film existence, draiage and breakup, is presented.