LAUSR

A novel gas–liquid two-phase flow metering method was proposed. A spiral vane mounted in the inner pipe was used to transform inlet flow patterns into gas–liquid swirling annular flow. The thickness and velocity profile of liquid film were measured by ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. The liquid flow rates were obtained by integrating of velocity profile during the liquid film zone. Experiments were carried out in an air–water two-phase flow loop and an ultrasonic transducer was installed under the bottom of the test section with the Doppler angle of 70°. The flow patterns included stratified wavy, annular, and slug flows. Compared with non-swirling flow, the liquid film thickness at the bottom reduces greatly. The measurement accuracy of liquid flow rate was independent of inlet flow patterns, gas and liquid velocities. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 2348–2357, 2017