Bubble-to-Slug Transition for Low-Re Two-Phase Flows

A critical review on the mechanism and models on the bubble-to-slug transition of two-phase gas-liquid flows are presented in the present paper. It is shown that the most possible mechanism controlled the bubble-to-slug transition is the bubble coalescence. Focusing on the bubble-to-slug transition for the low-Re two-phase flow, a simple Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the influence of the initial bubble size on the bubble-to-slug transition. Some secondary factors, such as the liquid viscosity, the surface tension, and the relative slip between the two phases, are ignored in the present study. It is found that the locus of the dimensionless rate of collision is a universal curve. Based on this curve, it is determined that the bubble initial size can affect the phase distribution and flow pattern when its dimensionless value is in the range from 0.03 to 0.4. A simple relationship between the critical void fraction and the initial bubble size is proposed, which agrees very well with the experimental data.