Definitions

A multiphase system is one characterized by the simultaneous presence of several phases

Phase (matter)

In the physical sciences, a phase is a region of space , throughout which all physical properties of a material are essentially uniform. Examples of physical properties include density, index of refraction, and chemical composition...

, the two-phase system being the simplest case. The term ‘two-component’ is sometimes used to describe flows in which the phases consist of different chemical substances. For example, steam-water flows are two-phase, while air-water flows are two-component. Some two-component flows (mostly liquid-liquid) technically consist of a single phase but are identified as two-phase flows in which the term “phase” is applied to each of the components. Since the same mathematics describes two-phase and two-component flows, the two expressions can be treated as synonymous.

Multiphase flow versus heat transfer

The analysis of multiphase systems can include consideration of multiphase flow

Multiphase flow

In fluid mechanics, multiphase flow is a generalisation of the modelling used in two-phase flow to cases where the two phases are not chemically related or where more than two phases are present In fluid mechanics, multiphase flow is a generalisation of the modelling used in two-phase flow to...

 and multiphase heat transfer. When all of the phases in a multiphase system exist at the same temperature, multiphase flow is the only concern. However, when the temperatures of the individual phases are different, interphase heat transfer also occurs.

Phase-change heat transfer

If different phases of the same pure substance are present in a multiphase system, interphase heat transfer will result in a change of phase, which is always accompanied by interphase mass transfer. The combination of heat transfer with mass transfer during phase change makes multiphase systems distinctly more challenging than simpler systems. Based on the phases that are involved in the system, phase change problems can be classified as: (1) solid–liquid phase change (melting

Melting

Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase change of a substance from a solid to a liquid. The internal energy of a substance is increased, typically by the application of heat or pressure, resulting in a rise of its temperature to the melting point, at which the rigid...

 and solidification), (2) solid–vapor phase change (sublimation and deposition), and (3) liquid–vapor phase change (boiling

Boiling

Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding environmental pressure. While below the boiling point a liquid...

/evaporation

Evaporation

Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....

 and condensation

Condensation

Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from gaseous phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase directly, the change is called deposition....

). Melting and sublimation are also referred to as fluidification because both liquid and vapor are regarded as fluids.