Chaotic analysis of pressure fluctuation signal in the gas–liquid–solid slurry column

The pressure signal of a slurry column is easily obtained by using a pressure sensor, and a chaotic analysis method is used to analyze these signals in order to indicate the flow pattern of the slurry column. The slopes of the correlation integral curve indicate the flow pattern of the slurry column in various operating conditions. The flow pattern is dispersed bubble regime when the superficial velocity is low and the correlation integral curve has two slopes. The flow pattern changes into transition regime with increase in the superficial velocity, the correlation integral curve has only one slope. In the case of the flow pattern becoming a slugging regime, there are several slopes to the correlation integral curve. So it is convenient to find out the flow pattern in the slurry column by solving the slopes of the correlation integral of the pressure signal. The maximum Lyapunov exponent represents the chaos in a slurry column with various solid holdups. The maximum Lyapunov exponent is nearly similar at different heights when the flow patterns are dispersed bubble regime and slugging regime, but the maximum Lyapunov exponent at the axial height is quite different when the flow pattern is transition regime.