Numerical approach for investigating the influence of various flow and fluid parameters on the performance of a cryogenic two-phase flow meter

Abstract

Despite the intricacy, inline metering of two-phase flow has a significant impact in multitudinous applications, including nuclear fusion reactors, particle accelerators, and other systems that use cryogenic fluids. In this regard, a new concept for two-phase flow metering has been developed using model fluids. However, the geometric configurations of the channels and fluid properties are pivotal in ensuring accurate flow rate measurement. In this study, numerical analysis are performed to investigate the influence of channel width, number of channels, and gravitational field on the performance of the flow meter. The liquid height extracted from the volume fraction contour using an image processing tool has been used for calculating the mass flow rate of the liquid. The measured flow rate has been compared with the theoretical data, and it shows acceptable correspondence within ±6 %. The investigations suggest that the increase in channel width governs the slope development. The appropriate width of the channel has been found to be ranging between 1 mm and 3 mm for the selected flow conditions and configurations. It is found that as the number of channels is increased from 10 to 20, the flow rate range that the system can measure within ±5 % error has increased from 250 g/s to 450 g/s. The analysis broadened the reliability of the supposition and, therefore, provided a sturdy base for developing a cryogenic two-phase flow meter.