One-Dimensional Drift-Flux Model

Abstract

The basic concept of the drift-flux model is to consider the mixture as a whole, rather than two phases separately. It is clear that the drift-flux model formulation will be simpler than the two-fluid model, however it requires some drastic constitutive assumptions causing some of the important characteristics of two-phase flow to be lost. However, it is exactly this simplicity of the drift-flux model that makes it very useful in many engineering applications. As it is the case with the analyses of two-phase flow system dynamics, information required in engineering problems is often the response of the total mixture and not of each constituent phase (Tong, 1965). Furthermore, detailed analyses on the local behavior of each phase can be carried out with less difficulty, if these mixtures responses are known.