Experiments and Modeling in Bubbly Flows at Elevated Pressures

Measurements of local void fraction, rise velocity and bubble diameter have been obtained for cocurrent, wall-heated, upward bubbly flows in a pressurized refrigerant. The instrumentation used was the gamma densitometer and the hot-film anemometer. Departure bubble size and bulk size measurements were also made and correlated with appropriate parameters. Flow visualization techniques have also been used to understand the two-phase flow structure and the behavior of the bubbly flow for different bubble shapes and sizes, and to obtain the rise velocity. Such insight, coupled with quantitative local and averaged data on void fraction and bubble size at different pressures, has aided in developing bubbly flow models applicable to heated two-phase flows at high pressure.