Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Three dimensional turbulence structure measurements in air/water two phase flow

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:7030686

The phenomena of turbulent air/water two phase upward and downward flows in a circular test section were investigated. Important flow quantities such as void fraction, liquid velocity, and Reynolds stresses were measured by using both single sensor and three sensor hot film probes. A digital data processing technique based on combined derivative and level thresholding was developed to determine the local void fraction from hot-film anemometer signals. The measured local void fraction was integrated and the result was compared with the chordal averaged void fraction measured by a gamma ray densitometer. It was found that the local measurement underestimated local void fraction due to surface tension effects and bubble deflection by the probe. A correlation based on local parameters characterizing probe/bubble interaction was developed, and it corrected the measured void fraction successfully. The measured void fraction profiles in upward flow and downward flow showed two distinct patterns. In upward flow, bubbles tend to migrate toward the wall and the void fraction profile shows a sharp peak near the wall. In downward flow, as the liquid velocity increases, the wall peaking phenomenon fades out and bubbles tend to migrate toward the center of the pipe.

Research Organization:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (USA)
OSTI ID:
7030686
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Experimental investigation of turbulence structure in two-phase bubbly flow
Thesis/Dissertation · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1988 · OSTI ID:6901154

Experimental study of dispersed droplets in high-pressure annular flows
Journal Article · Sun Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1999 · Journal of Heat Transfer · OSTI ID:20005630

Gas-liquid bubbly flow in vertical pipes
Journal Article · Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996 · Journal of Fluids Engineering · OSTI ID:267963