Effect of Gravity on Interfacial Area Transport of Vertical-upward Bubbly Flow

Abstract

In relation to the development of the interfacial area transport equation, axial developments of void fraction profile, bubble number density, interfacial area concentration and Sauter mean diameter of adiabatic nitrogen-water bubbly flows in a 9 mm-diameter pipe were measured by using a stereo image-processing method under normal- and micro-gravity environment. The flow measurements were performed at four axial locations (axial distance from the inlet normalized by the pipe diameter, z/D = 5, 20, 40 and 60) at various flow conditions of superficial gas velocity (0.00823-0.0303 m/s) and superficial liquid velocity (0.147-0.907 m/s). The effect of gravity on radial distribution of bubbles and axial developments of two-phase flow parameter was discussed in detail based on the obtained data and the visual observation.