Determination and characteristics of the transition to two-phase slug flow in small channels
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
- Illinois Univ., Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Two-phase pressure drop was measured in a small horizontal rectangular channel (hydraulic diameter = 5.44 mm). The two-phase fluid was an air/water mixture at atmospheric pressure tested over a mass flux range of 50 to 2000 kg/m[sup 2][center dot]s. Two-phase flow patterns were identified and an objective method was found for determining the flow pattern transition from bubble or plug flow to slug flow. The method is based on an RMS pressure measurement. In particular, it is shown that the transition is accompanied by a clear and abrupt increase in the RMS pressure when plotted as a function of mass quality. Use of the RMS pressure as a two-phase flow pattern transition indicator is shown to have advantages over pressure-versus-time trace evaluations reported in the literature. The transition is substantiated by a clear local change in slope in the curve of two-phase pressure drop plotted as a function of either Martinelli parameter or mass quality. For high mass fluxes, the change in slope is distinguished by a local peak. Some degree of substantiation was found in previous work for both of the results (the RMS pressure change and the local pressure drop change) at the transition to slug flow.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6853612
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/CP-76261; CONF-921110-36; ON: DE93004250
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Winter annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Anaheim, CA (United States), 8-13 Nov 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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