5
Single-Flash Steam Power Plants 85

and the viscosity of the liquid. Equation 5.2 gives the pressure loss (lbf/in2) in a hori-
zontal liquid pipeline:
fLm_2
ΔPf 5 1:75 3 1024 ð5:2Þ
ρD5
where f is the friction factor given by the Swamee-Jain equation
0:25
f5   ð5:3Þ
ε=D 5:74 2
log10 1 0:9
3:7 Re
where ε is the pipe internal roughness (e.g., 1.48 3 1024 ft for commercial steel pipe)
and Re is the Reynolds number
4 m_
Re 5 ð5:4Þ
π μD
where μ is the absolute viscosity (e.g., 1.223 3 1024 lbm/ft  s for water at 145 lbf/in2,
abs and 300 F). If there is a change in the elevation of the pipe, the gravity head con-
tribution must be included:
ΔPg 5 ρg ΔH ð5:5Þ
where g is the local gravitational acceleration (e.g., g 5 32.2 ft/s at sea level) and ΔH
2

is the change in elevation (ft). The gravity-head term is positive for downcomers and
negative for risers.
The pressure loss in a two-phase, steam-liquid pipeline is far more complex and less
reliably predicted analytically [3]. Correlations may be used to estimate the pressure drop
but often field tests are conducted to determine the losses experimentally. The situation is
complicated by the fact that the two phases may flow in any of several different patterns
depending on the pipe orientation and the relative amounts of the phases present.
For upward flow in a vertical pipe, starting from all liquid flow at the bottom, the
following flow patterns are encountered in sequence as the fluid moves up the pipe:
G Bubbly flow (bottom of pipe)
G Bubbly-Slug flow
G Slug flow
G Slug-Annular flow
G Annular flow
G Annular-Mist flow
G Mist flow
G All vapor flow, eventually for a sufficiently long pipe.
For flow in a horizontal pipe, the following flow patterns are encountered under cer-
tain circumstances:
G Bubbly flow
G Stratified flow
G Wavy flow
G Plug flow