Energy Equipment and Systems

Energy Equipment and Systems

Comparative experimental analysis and correlation development for pressure drop in vertical helical tubes with non-boiling air/water two-phase flow in both upward and downward directions

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Ayat Sabatsany 1
Rogayyeh Motallebzadeh 1
Samad Jafarmadar 2
Abdolsalam Ebrahimpour 1
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tabriz Branch,Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
10.22059/ees.2024.2037432.1475
Abstract
Helical tubes are very efficient and stable in managing two-phase flows, thanks to their tightly coiled structure. Additionally, their thermal performance is commendable. Expanding our understanding of the thermal and entropic properties of two-phase flows in helical tubes is of the utmost importance due to the widespread use of these flows in many applications. This study intends to conduct experimental investigations into the hydrodynamic properties of helical tubes. The research included putting various sized coil tubes through their paces using a two-phase air/water flow. A vertical helical tube with coils of varied diameters was used to achieve this objective. After being properly mixed in a mixing chamber, the water and air are sent into the helical pipe, where they flow downward and upward. This study primarily examines the impact of lowering pressure. The major emphasis of this study is to use multiple linear regression to assess the gathered experimental data and generate a correlation for pressure loss. In downhill flow, the findings show that a smaller coil diameter leads to a lower pressure drop, but in upward flow, the opposite is true. The minimum value of pressure drop  is 170.75 and 133.45 for upward and downhill flow respectively. In addition, in a downhill flow, the maximum pressure drop ratio is around 1.25, while in an upward flow, it is 1.63.
Keywords
Two Phase Flow
Helix Coil
Pressure Drop Correlation
Downward Flow
Upward Flow

Subjects

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Energy Equipment and Systems
Volume 13, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
Spring 2025
Pages 147-166