Two-phase pressure drop in multiple thick- and thin-orifice plates

Abstract

Two-phase flow pressure changes through singularities such as sudden expansion and sudden contraction of thick- and thin-orifice plates were modeled. The modeling was based on the reversible and irreversible losses through contractions and expansions. The volume-averaged momentum equation and the reversible mechanical energy equation were used to evaluate the irreversibilities. Local slip ratios, which were necessary for the prediction of pressure drop through these singularities, were correlated from a large number of experimental data. To check the validity of the analytical predictions, an experimental test section was designed, and experiments were performed to produce benchmark pressure-drop data for thin- and thick-plate orifices. The working fluid used for these experiments was R-113. The predictive methods developed agree well with the experiments by the authors and with a wide range of two-phase flow test results obtained by others for steam-water systems. A parametric study shows the relative importance of geometry and of the flow variables such as quality, liquid-to-vapor density, and viscosity ratios on the pressure drop multipliers conventionally used in two-phase flows.