Two-phase flow measurement is a key issue in the natural gas industry. Among the many different flow meters available, the swirl meter stands out for its reliability, ease of maintenance, large measurement range, and strong output signal. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted, using RNG k-e turbulence and Eulerian multiphase models, to investigate the gas–liquid two-phase flow characteristics in swirl meters. The CFD simulation results were then validated against the tested precession frequency of our experiment, and a satisfactory match was found between the outcomes. A detailed analysis was then conducted to generate profiles for velocity, pressure, etc. Based on examinations of the flow field distributions, it was found that gas flow inside swirl meters is sensitive to the presence of the liquid phase; the influence increased with the volume fraction of the liquid present. Further investigation indicated that the vortex precession was attenuated in the presence of the liquid phase. This led to the variation of the entire field; the pressure fluctuations at the end of the throat, in particular, resulted in metering errors of the gas flows.

两相流量测量是天然气行业的一个关键问题。在众多不同的流量计中，旋流流量计以其可靠性、易于维护、测量范围大和输出信号强而脱颖而出。在这项研究中，使用 RNG ke 湍流和欧拉多相模型进行了计算流体动力学 (CFD) 模拟，以研究旋流计中的气液两相流动特性。然后根据我们实验的测试进动频率验证 CFD 模拟结果，并在结果之间找到了令人满意的匹配。然后进行详细分析以生成速度、压力等的分布图。基于流场分布的检查，发现涡流计内的气流对液相的存在很敏感；影响随着存在的液体的体积分数而增加。进一步的研究表明，在液相存在下涡旋进动减弱。这导致了整个领域的变化；特别是喉部末端的压力波动会导致气体流量的计量误差。