3D interface analysis of velocity, volume ratio, and Reynolds number effects on core annular flow (CAF)

In this article, we studied the influences of velocity, Reynolds number, and volume fraction in oil-water core annular flow (CAF) volume profile in a round horizontal pipe. To carry out the study, we adopted the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method, which is one of the prominent Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study model used for multiphase studies. The computational method was validated through reproduction of the volume and velocity profiles found in a published article under the same conditions. Among many results obtained, it was possible to observe that during CAF, when the water inlet ratio is increased, the velocity of the oil (core region) must be increased in order to set a hydrodynamic equilibrium, thus maintaining a CAF profile.