Interfacial Area Concentration Profiles Research Articles

Experimental Study on Interfacial Area Transport of Two-Phase Flow under Vibration Conditions

An experimental study on air-water two-phase flow under vibration condition has been conducted using double-sensor conductivity probe. The test section is an annular geometry with hydraulic diameter of 19.1 mm. The vibration frequency ranges from 0.47 Hz to 2.47 Hz. Local measurements of void fraction, interfacial area concentration (IAC), and Sauter mean diameter have been performed along one radius in the vibration direction. The result shows that local parameters fluctuate continuously around the base values in the vibration cycle. Additional bubble force due to inertia is used to explain lateral bubble motions. The fluctuation amplitudes of local void fraction and IAC increase significantly with vibration frequency. The radial distribution of local parameters at the maximum vibration displacement is specifically analyzed. In the void fraction and IAC profiles, the peak near the inner wall is weakened or even disappearing and a strong peak skewed to outer wall is gradually observed with the increase of vibration frequency. The nondimensional peak void fraction can reach a maximum of 49% and the mean relative variation of local void fraction can increase to more than 29% as the vibration frequency increases to 2.47 Hz. But the increase of vibration frequency does not bring significant change to bubble diameter.

Numerical investigation on the performance of coalescence and break-up kernels in subcooled boiling flows in vertical channels

In order to accurately predict the thermal hydraulic of two-phase gas–liquid flows with heat and mass transfer, special numerical considerations are required to capture the underlying physics: characteristics of the heat transfer and bubble dynamics taking place near the heated wall and the evolution of the bubble size distribution caused by the coalescence, break-up, and condensation processes in the bulk subcooled liquid. The evolution of the bubble size distribution is largely driven by the bubble coalescence and break-up mechanisms. In this paper, a numerical assessment on the performance of six different bubble coalescence and break-up kernels is carried out to investigate the bubble size distribution and its impact on local hydrodynamics. The resultant bubble size distributions are compared to achieve a better insight of the prediction mechanisms. Also, the void fraction, bubble Sauter mean diameter, and interfacial area concentration profiles are compared against the experimental data to ensure the validity of the models applied.

Experimental study on interfacial structure and interfacial area transport in downward two-phase flow

In view of the importance of two-group interfacial area transport equation and lack of corresponding accurate downward flow database that can reveal two-group interfacial area transport, a systematic database for adiabatic, air-water, vertical downward two-phase flow in a round pipe with inner diameter of 25.4mm was collected to gain an insight of interfacial structure and provide benchmarking data for two-group interfacial area transport model. Four-sensor conductivity probes were used to measure the local two phase flow parameters at high data sampling frequency to ensure the accuracy. Axial development of local flow parameter profiles including void fraction, interfacial area concentration, and Sauter mean diameter were presented. Drastic inter-group transfer of void fraction and interfacial area as well as the wall peaked interfacial area concentration profiles were observed and discussed.

Study of Isothermal Vertical Bubbly Flow Using Direct Quadrature Method of Moments

In the numerical study, investigation of bubbly flow requires deep understanding of complex hydrodynamics under various flow conditions. In order to simulate the bubble behaviour in conjunction with suitable bubble coalescence and bubble breakage kernels, direct quadrature method of moments (DQMOM) has been applied and validated instead. To examine the predictive results from DQMOM model, the validation has been carried out against experimental data of Lucas et al. (2005) and Prasser et al. (2007) measured in the Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf FZD facility. Numerical results showed good agreement against experimental data for the local and axial void fraction, bubble size distribution and interfacial area concentration profiles. Encouraging results demonstrates the prospect of the DQMOM two-fluid model against flow conditions with wider range of bubble sizes and rigorous bubble interactions. Moreover, moment sensitivity study also has been carried out to carefully assess the performance of the model. In order to perform the moment sensitivity test three different moment criteria has chosen – as 4 moments, 6 moments and 8 moments. Close agreement between the predictions and measurement was found and it appeared that increasing the number of moments does not have much significance to improve the conformity with experimental data. Nonetheless, increasing the number of moments merely contribute to perform the calculation expensive in terms of computational resource and time. Based on the present study, this preliminary assessment has definitely served to demonstrate and exploit DQMOM model's capabilities to handle wider range of bubble sizes as well as moment resolution required to achieve moment independent solution.

Population balance modeling of bubbly flows considering the hydrodynamics and thermomechanical processes

AbstractThree‐dimensional two‐fluid model and population balance equation is presented to treat the complex hydrodynamics and thermomechanical processes under various bubbly flow conditions. The class method, realized by the MUSIG model, alongside with suitable bubble coalescence and bubble breakage kernels is adopted. Homogeneous MUSIG model predictions have shown to yield good agreement against isothermal bubbly flow measurements. Subcooled boiling flow is further modeled through the use of class method with an improved wall heat partition model. Against experimental data, numerical results also showed good agreement for the local Sauter mean bubble diameter, void fraction, and interfacial area concentration profiles. Inhomogeneous MUSIG model is applied to investigate transition bubbly‐to‐slug flow. Better prediction of bubble diameter is accomplished, especially capturing separation of small and large bubbles. Weakness exists nonetheless in the interfacial forces model. Work is in progress through the consideration of swarm and cluster bubbles instead of isolated spherical bubble calibration. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008

Experimental study on local characteristics of oil–water dispersed flow in a vertical pipe

The local flow characteristics of oil–water dispersed flow in a vertical upward pipe were studied experimentally. The inner diameter and length of the test section are 40 mm and 3800 mm, respectively. A double-sensor conductivity probe was used to measure the local interfacial parameters, including interfacial area concentration, oil phase fraction, interfacial velocity, and oil drops Sauter mean diameter. The water flow rates varied from 0.12 m/s to 0.89 m/s, while the oil flow rates ranged from 0.024 m/s to 0.198 m/s. Typical radial profiles of interfacial area concentration, oil phase fraction, interfacial velocity, and oil drops Sauter mean diameter are presented. An interesting phenomenon is that the local and cross-section-averaged interfacial area concentrations display concave change with water flow rate under constant oil flow rate. The physical mechanism of such a variation is discussed in details.

Thermal‐hydrodynamic modeling of bubbly flows with heat and mass transfer

AbstractA three‐dimensional (3‐D) two‐fluid model coupled with the population balance equation is used to predict bubbly flows with the presence of heat and mass transfer processes, particularly on subcooled boiling flows at low pressures. To account for the nonuniform bubble distribution in the bulk liquid at subcooled conditions, the CFX MUSIG (MUltiple‐Size Group) model is further developed by incorporating the wall nucleation at the heated wall and condensation in the flow regime. Model predictions, covering a wide range of different mass and heat fluxes and inlet subcooling temperatures, are compared against local and axial measurements. For the local case, the bubble size predictions include the comparison of the empirical bubble diameter relationships adopted in the CFX boiling model. The study shows that good agreement is better achieved by the present model with respect to the radial distributions of the bubble Sauter diameter, void fraction, interfacial area concentration, and liquid velocity profiles. However, significant weakness prevails over the vapor velocity distribution. Work is in progress to circumvent the deficiency by considering additional momentum equations or developing an algebraic slip model to account for bubble separation. For the axial case, good agreement is also achieved for the axial distributions of the mean bubble Sauter diameter, void fraction, and interfacial area concentration profiles. Here, the model correctly represents the plateau at the initial boiling stages at upstream, typically found in low‐pressure subcooled boiling flows, followed by the significant increase of the void fraction at downstream. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 51: 8–27, 2005

Theory and measurement of local interfacial area using a four sensor probe in two-phase flow

A theoretical foundation of the measurement method for the time averaged local interfacial area using a four sensor resistivity probe is presented. Based on this theory, the four sensor resistivity probe was developed and employed to measure the interfacial velocity, local interfacial area concentration and void fraction in a vertical air-water cap bubbly flow. The four sensor probe measurements were checked against the global void measurement using a differential pressure. The results were very satisfactory. Theoretical profiles of the void fraction and interfacial area concentration were obtained using the pictures of cap bubbles. The theoretical predictions of the cap bubbles and the interfacial area concentration profiles compared very well with the four sensor data.