Annular flow

Project: Thermopedia

Article: Annular flow

Topics: Multiphase flows

Annular flow is a flow regime of two phases: gas and liquid. It is characterized by the presence of a liquid film flowing on the channel wall (in a round channel this film is annulus-shaped which gives the name to this type of flow) and with the gas flowing in the gas core. The flow core can contain entrained liquid droplets. In this case, the region is often referred to as annular-dispersed flow, where the entrained fraction may vary from zero (a pure annular flow) to a value close to unity (a dispersed flow). Often both types of flow, pure annular and annular-dispersed, are known under the general term of annular flow.