Experimental Investigation on the Pulse Flow Regime Transition of Gas–Liquid Concurrent Downward Flow through a Sieve Plate Packed Bed

Nine sets of packings were designed
to study the pulse flow that
occurs in gas–liquid concurrent flow downward through sieve
plate packing. Through the observation of flow pattern and the analysis
of the pressure fluctuation data acquired by pressure transducers,
the mechanisms for the inception and the propagation of pulse flow
in the plate packing were clarified, and a variation coefficient method
was proposed to determine the boundary lines of the pulse flow. Accordingly,
the pulse flow pattern maps were obtained and the effects of the geometric
parameters and the installation method of the plate packing on the
transition of the pulse flow were analyzed in detail, revealing that
the hole diameter and plate quantity have the most evident effects.
Finally, correlations for the onset and the disappearance lines of
the pulse flow regime were developed, with the deviations from the
experiments of ∼15% and 10%, respectively.