Flow Patterns of Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in Round Tube With Sudden Expansion

Experimental studies were made on the multi-dimensional behavior of upward gas-liquid two-phase flow through the vertical round tube with an axisymmetric sudden expansion, which is one of the typical multi-dimensional channel geometry. The aims of this study are to clarify the multi-dimensional behavior of bubbly or slug flow affected by sudden expansion channel geometry, and to accumulate the experimental data for two-phase flow analysis, which is applicable to predict with appropriate accuracy the multi-dimensional its behavior. The direct observation using high-speed video camera was performed and revealed the multi-dimensional dynamic flow behavior with bubbles and gas-slug affected by the sudden expansion part (20 mm-tube to 50 mm-tube). The characteristic phenomena were observed such as bubble break-up, deformation due to the strong shear of liquid flow, or liquid micro jet penetration through the gas-slug, and so on. From these results, the flow regime map and the flow patterns at the below and above of the sudden expansion part were classified in relation to the bubble diameter. Additionally, the measurement of the void fraction profiles in the tube cross sections of sudden expansion were conducted at the different axial positions. The void fraction was measured using a point-electrode resistivity probe. The void fraction measurements in this study showed in detail that how the two phase flow develops along the direction of the downstream of the sudden expansion. In just above the sudden expansion, the void fraction distribution appeared the wall peak or the core peak in void fraction in the upstream of the sudden expansion. In the downstream of the sudden expansion, the void fraction distribution changes from a saddle shape or power-low shape into finally the saddle shape as the bubbly flow develops along the downstream of the sudden expansion. These experimental data in the sudden expansion of a vertical upward bubbly flow would become benchmark with respect to the multi-dimensional behavior of the two-phase flow analysis.