Experimental investigation of the two-phase discharge from a stratified region through two side branches oriented horizontally

Abstract

Experimental data are presented for the mass flow rate and quality of two-phase (air-water) discharge from a stratified region through two side branches (6.35 mm I.D.) with their parallel centerlines located in a horizontal plane. These data correspond to different values of the interface level between the onset of gas entrainment and that of liquid entrainment for test section pressures of 316 and 517 kPa, test section-separator pressure difference 40–235 kPa, branch separating-distance-to-diameter ratio 1.5–8, and different hydraulic resistances of the lines connecting the test section to the separators. The influences of these independent variables on the deviation between the present results (of mass flow rate and quality) and those corresponding to a single discharge are presented and discussed. Normalized plots are presented showing that the present data of dual discharge and those of a single discharge can be collapsed for the whole test range when specific definitions are used for the dimensionless height of the interface and mass flow rate. Excellent agreement is demonstrated between single-discharge correlations and the present data using these dimensionless quantities.