This paper presents a comparative study of transport effects in slug flows through numerical models established upon volume-preserving periodic arrays of bubbles. The behaviour of the flow is investigated under an adiabatic laminar regime as usually found in microchannels, as well as in microscale fluid applications. Full 3D Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) are performed for three different cases of setups containing both single and multiple bubbles. Profiles of the bubbles' centroidal velocity are compared, as with the average mass flow rates calculated over the periodic boundaries of the domain.

Finite element, slug flow, periodic boundary conditions, bubble.

[1] Davies, RM, Taylor, G, 1950. The mechanics of large bubbles rising through extended liquids and through liquids in tubes, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences 200(1062): 375-390.

[2] Griffith, P, Wallis, GB, 1961. Two-phase slug flow, Journal of Heat Transfer 83(3): 307-318.

[3] Fabre, J, Lin, A, 1992. Modeling of two-phase slug flow, Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 24(1): 21-46.

[4] Taha, T, Cui, ZF, 2004. Hydrodynamics of slug flow inside capillaries, Chemical Engineering Science 59(6): 1181-1190.

[5] Kashid, MN, Agar, DW, Turek, S, 2007. CFD modelling of mass transfer with and without chemical reaction in the liquidliquid slug flow microreactor, Chemical Engineering Science 62(18): 5102-5109.

[6] Cheng, L., Ribatski, G, Thome, JR, 2008. Two-phase flow patterns and flow-pattern maps: fundamentals and applications, Applied Mechanics Reviews 61(5): 050802.