Interfacial Characteristic Measurements in Horizontal Bubbly Two-Phase Flow

Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6065425· OSTI ID:6065425

Wang, Z. ^[1]; Huang, W. D. ^[1]; Srinivasmurthy, S. ^[1]; Kocamustafaogullari, G. ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States)

Advances in the study of two-phase flow increasingly require detailed internal structure information upon which theoretical models can be formulated. The void fraction and interfacial area are two fundamental parameters characterizing the internal structure of two-phase flow. However, little information is currently available on these parameters, and it is mostly limited to vertical flow configurations. In view of the above, the internal phase distribution of cocurrent, air-water bubbly flow in a 50.3 mm diameter transparent pipeline has been experimentally investigated by using a double-sensor resistivity probe. Liquid and gas volumetric superficial velocities ranged from 3.74 to 5.60 m/s and 0.25 to 1.59 m/s, respectively, and average void fractions ranged from 2.12 to 22.5%. The local values of void fractions, interfacial area concentration, mean bubble diameter, bubble interface velocity, bubble chord-length and bubble frequency distributions were measured. The experimental results indicate that the void faction, interfacial area concentration and bubble frequency have local maxima near the upper pipe wall, and the profiles tend to flatten with increasing void fraction. The observed peak void fraction can reach 0.65, the peak interfacial area can go up to 900 ~ 1000 m²/m³, and the bubble frequency can reach a value of 2200/s. These ranges of values have never been reported for vertical bubbly flow. It is found that either decreasing the liquid flow rate or increasing the gas flow would increase the local void fraction, the interfacial area concentration and the bubble frequency.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-87ER13764
• OSTI ID: 6065425
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/13764--T2; ON: DE91009803
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420400* -- Engineering-- Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow
AIR
BUBBLES
DATA
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLOW RATE
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
FLUIDS
GAS FLOW
GASES
HYDRODYNAMICS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INTERFACES
LIQUID FLOW
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEASURING METHODS
MECHANICS
MORPHOLOGY
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PIPELINES
PIPES
SIZE
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SURFACE TENSION
TEST FACILITIES
TWO-PHASE FLOW
VELOCITY
VOIDS
WALLS
WATER