Optimization and application of the concentric conductance probes in liquid film thickness measurement in a helically coiled tube

Abstract

The liquid film distribution in the helically coiled tube (HCT) is affected by curvature-induced centrifugal force and gravity force, showing more complex characteristics than straight tubes. However, due to the limitation of the measurement technology, the relevant data on liquid film in HCT are still rare. In this paper, based on the time-multiplexed excitation-probing scheme, a type of non-intrusive concentric conductance probes (CCPs) is developed at first. After reporting the operation principle of CCPs, the numerical simulation of potential field distribution in CCPs is conducted, and the effects of electrode structure parameters and liquid film thickness on the performance of CCPs are then analyzed in detail. It is found that in a certain range, the larger the inner electrode and outer electrode diameter, the greater the signal penetration depth (i.e. the larger the measurement range of liquid film thickness). Finally, the spatio-temporal distribution of liquid film on the wall of the HCT is experimentally studied using the optimized CCPs. The results indicate that this probe can realize the high-frequency accurate capture of liquid film flow details such as the occurrence and evolution process of liquid film inversion and the fluctuation characteristics of liquid film in HCT. The wave frequency of the liquid film is demonstrated to be not consistent along the circumferential direction. Using Strouhal number and Lockhart–Martinelli parameter, the wave frequency correlation at the maximum film thickness in the state of film inversion in HCT is obtained.