Multiphase Flow in Fluid Machinery

Submission Deadline: 31 October 2026 View: 79 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editors

Assoc. Prof. Fuqiang Chen

Email: chenfq@buct.edu.cn

Affiliation: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China

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Research Interests: aerodynamic design and flow control of various fluid machinery, such as compressors, pumps, and valves

Dr. Bo Hu

Email: hubo@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Affiliation: Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100081, China

Homepage:

Research Interests: internal flow mechanism of turbomachinery

Summary

The Guest Editors are pleased to invite you to submit original research articles and review articles to a Special Issue of Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing devoted to Multiphase Flow in Fluid Machinery, with particular emphasis on fluid-dynamics guided design of parts and components and on fluid-material interaction phenomena.

Fluid machinery comprises a broad class of devices in which energy conversion, transport, or control is achieved through the motion of single-phase or multiphase fluids. Such systems play a central role in energy, process, transportation, environmental, and manufacturing industries. In many practical applications, the working fluid is inherently multiphase, involving combinations of gas, liquid, and solid phases. The resulting flow behavior is governed by strongly coupled interactions between the phases themselves and between the multiphase flow and the surrounding solid boundaries, including blades, casings, valves, channels, seals, and internal components.

From a fluid-dynamic perspective, the presence of multiple phases introduces complex mechanisms such as phase separation, interfacial instabilities, bubble and particle dynamics, erosion and deposition, cavitation, condensation, and phase change. These mechanisms directly affect momentum and energy transfer, induce unsteady loading, modify turbulence characteristics, and alter effective material properties at both local and system scales. Consequently, the performance, efficiency, durability, and reliability of fluid machinery are tightly linked to fluid-material interaction processes and to the detailed flow structures developing within components.

Understanding and controlling these phenomena is essential not only for improving operational performance but also for enabling rational, physics-based design of machinery components. Advanced fluid-dynamics modeling and experimentation now allow designers to move beyond empirical approaches toward predictive strategies in which geometry, materials, and operating conditions are optimized simultaneously. This includes the design of blades, impellers, diffusers, valves, and pipelines that are robust to multiphase effects, resistant to wear and damage, and tailored to specific flow regimes. In this context, multiphase flow research provides a critical bridge between fundamental fluid mechanics and materials processing, supporting the development of next-generation fluid machinery with enhanced efficiency, longevity, and sustainability.

The objective of this Special Issue is to present recent advances, innovative concepts, and emerging methodologies related to multiphase flow phenomena in fluid machinery, with a strong focus on their implications for component design, material selection, and system optimization. Contributions may address fundamental physical mechanisms, modeling and simulation techniques, experimental diagnostics, or integrated design approaches that explicitly account for fluid-material interactions.

Relevant systems and applications include, but are not limited to, multiphase pumps, compressors, valves, turbines, oil and gas transport pipelines, chemical and multiphase reactors, desalination and water treatment units, and particulate or slurry flow systems. Submitted manuscripts should report original analytical, numerical, or experimental results and provide physical insight of lasting scientific and engineering value.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions on, but is not limited to, the following topics:
· Multiphase flow in pumps and impellers, including performance degradation, cavitation, and erosion effects
· Multiphase flow in compressors and expanders, with emphasis on unsteady loading and phase interaction
· Multiphase flow in valves and flow control devices, including throttling, flashing, and wear mechanisms
· Multiphase flow in turbines, including blade-flow interaction and material response
· Multiphase flow in pipelines and transport systems for oil, gas, slurries, and suspensions
· Multiphase flow in chemical and process reactors, including mixing, reaction, and phase distribution
· Multiphase flow in desalination and water treatment units
· Multiphase and particulate flow systems with strong fluid-structure and fluid-material interactions
· Fluid-dynamics guided design and optimization of components operating under multiphase conditions

We look forward to your valuable contributions and to assembling a Special Issue that highlights the synergy between fluid dynamics, materials processing, and engineering design in multiphase fluid machinery.

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