Effect of solid particles on the hydrodynamics of vertical upward gas–liquid two-phase flow: Pressure drop analysis

Correct prediction of frictional pressure drop is crucial to designing and maintaining two- and three-phase flow systems. This study investigated experimentally the total and frictional pressure drop for gas–liquid and gas–liquid–solid flows with polypropylene (pellets) particles less dense than water, similar to hydrate particles encountered in offshore gas and oil production, in vertical co-current upward flow using a 30 mm ID pipe. The influence of the mixture Froude number ( F r m ) on the Chisholm coefficient is reported and explained by its noticeable effect on flow structure shape, observed with a high-speed camera. A new correlation is proposed based on two-phase experimental data. Twenty-seven existing correlations and the proposed one were assessed against existing literature data. The assessment of the new correlation with the database collected from the literature demonstrates its potential to be applied in a wide range of conditions for two-phase vertical upward flows. Additionally, the proposed model was also extended to the three-phase flow by considering the gas–liquid–solid three-phase flow as a gas-slurry two-phase flow. The average absolute relative error for the solid particle concentrations investigated was found to be less than 30%. • Effects of solid particles on pressure drop in upward vertical two-phase flow was experimentally investigated. • New experimental results for two- and three-phase at different concentrations were performed and discussed. • The effect of mixture Froude number influence on the Chisholm parameter was highlighted and evaluated. • A new correlation was proposed to predict frictional pressure drop of gas–liquid upward two-phase flow. • The proposed model was extended for three-phase flows.