Numerical study on the performance of a fractal vapor-liquid flow distributor

Uniform flow distribution is crucial to the performance of devices in many industrial applications. This paper proposes a new three-dimensional structure of vapor-liquid two-phase distributor based on the bionic fractal principle to address the problem of distribution nonuniformity and higher pressu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mingjie Li, Xiangqiang Cheng, Bo Yuan, Jinjia Wei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2022-12-01
Series:Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X22007742
Description
Summary:Uniform flow distribution is crucial to the performance of devices in many industrial applications. This paper proposes a new three-dimensional structure of vapor-liquid two-phase distributor based on the bionic fractal principle to address the problem of distribution nonuniformity and higher pressure drop. The performance of the distributor with straight, arc and stream-lined branches in different situations is investigated using CFD software. The influence of the structure size on the distribution performance is then further investigated. The results demonstrate that the arc distributor exhibits the best distribution performance at various flow rate, gas phase fraction, proportional scaling up or down and installation inclination angles.
ISSN:2214-157X