Flow Regime Visualization and Identification of Air–Water Two-Phase Flow in a Horizontal Helically Coiled Rectangular Channel

Abstract

Experiments of flow regime visualization and identification of air–water two-phase flow were conducted in a horizontal helically coiled rectangular channel. The test superficial liquid and gas velocities are 0.09–2 m/s and 0.18–16 m/s, respectively. Flow regimes were observed with a high-speed video camera and the corresponding local and average void fractions were measured with an electric conductivity probe method and with a quick-close valve method, respectively. Four main flow regimes including unsteady pulsating flow, bubbly flow, intermittent flow, and annular flow were observed. The bubbly flow identification criteria depend on more than 90% bubbles whose chord length was smaller than the channel equivalent diameter. The annular flow identification criteria is the local void fraction in the gas core larger than 0.97. Then the flow regimes and their transition mechanisms are analyzed. Furthermore, new transition criteria among these flow regimes have been proposed. The results show that the critical transition average void fraction from bubbly to intermittent flow is 0.23. A complete air–water flow regime map has been developed for the horizontal helically coiled rectangular channel and the map predicts the observed flow regimes well.