Characterization of Horizontal Two-Phase Flow Via Flow Regime Identification and Frictional Pressure Loss Analysis
Open Access
- Author:
- Larimer, Joshua Thomas
- Area of Honors:
- Interdisciplinary in Mechanical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Seungjin Kim, Thesis Supervisor
Seungjin Kim, Thesis Honors Advisor
Arthur Thompson Motta, Faculty Reader
Dr. Sean N Brennan, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- two-phase flow
two-phase pressure loss
Lockhart and Martinelli
flow regime map
flow visualization
two-phase frictional multiplier
AMFL
TRACE
RELAP5
BWR
PWR
two-phase frictional pressure loss - Abstract:
- The purpose of this project is to provide better understanding of horizontal two-phase flow regime transitions through a flow visualization analysis and to provide a comprehensive two-phase flow frictional pressure loss analysis. The flow visualization study was performed using the large diameter horizontal test facility at the Advanced Multi-Phase Flow Laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University. Several flow conditions were analyzed ranging from superficial velocities of 0.1 to 9.45 m/s for the gas phase and 0.1 to 5.5 m/s for the liquid phase. These flow conditions contained multiple runs in each two-phase flow regime: bubbly, plug, slug, stratified, and stratified wavy. The annular flow regime could not be obtained due to limitations of the test facility. A horizontal two-phase flow regime map was generated from the results and compared to previous AMFL work using a small diameter facility in order to assess the effect of pipe size on flow regime transitional boundaries. The comprehensive frictional pressure loss analysis was performed by acquiring frictional pressure loss data from multiple sources including several experiments performed by the AMFL. Horizontal, vertical upward, and vertical downward two-phase flow orientations were analyzed separately due to the varying effects of gravity and buoyancy force on the flow. Several two-phase frictional pressure loss predictive models are analyzed for their accuracy at predicting the measured frictional pressure loss. These models include the Lockhart and Martinelli model that was modified by Chisholm and the ϕ-α model. The predictive models used in the TRACE and RELAP nuclear reactor analysis codes are compared to the experimental data.