A study of the performance of void fraction correlations used in the context of drift-flux two-phase flow models

Abstract

Drift-flux models have traditionally been and are currently used in thermal-hydraulic analysis codes in the nuclear and other industries to analyze the behavior of systems during a wide variety of transient conditions. Their simplicity and closeness to experimental data, compared to two-fluid models, and their robustness, make them a cost-effective and efficient choice, although these models are generally limited to co-current flow. The drift-flux models are based on correlations to compute the void fraction distribution and slip in two-phase flow needed to obtain the relative velocity between the phases. Thus, the accuracy of the correlations has a decisive role in determining the correct transport of vapor along the system and, subsequently, in the prediction of the correct response of nuclear or industrial systems. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the accuracy of a range of widely used void fraction correlations based on the Findlay–Zuber drift-flux model. The 13 correlations presented in this paper, a sub-set of all considered, can loosely be termed as ‘wide range void correlations’, since, as shown in this paper, they are those able to perform reasonably well for the wide range of experimental conditions used in the assessment. The size of the experimental database allowed a detailed statistically based comparison of the performance of all the correlations assessed. The void fraction data is taken from rod bundle, level swell and boil-off experiments performed within the last 10–15 years at 9 experimental facilities in France, Japan, Switzerland, the UK and the USA. The pressure and mass fluxes of the analyzed experiments range from 0.1 to 15 MPa and from 1 to 2000 kg m −2 s −1, respectively. Finally, the assessment of a widely used correlation against experimental transient void fraction data has been performed. The selected correlation is that of Chexal–Lellouche, currently used in the system codes RETRAN-3D and RELAP-5. The results show the performance of the correlation when used in the context of a system code and two different drift-flux model approaches, namely, an algebraic slip calculation and the calculation of the slip velocity based on the solution of a differential slip equation. The accuracy of the predictions shows that it is possible to use a drift-flux approach even for the analysis of rapid transients.