Effects of liquid physical properties on the forces acting on a pipe bend in gas-liquid slug flow

The effects of liquid physical properties on the hydrodynamic forces acting on pipe bends in two-phase slug flow were investigated. The two properties of interest were liquid viscosity and liquid surface tension although density was also changed. Discussion will be centred around the effects of the liquid viscosity and liquid surface tension on the maximum forces acting on a pipe bend, which is important for the design of the bend support system. Comparison between the experimental results and predictions from a one-dimensional model, the piston flow model, proposed by Tay and Thorpe will be presented.