Experimental characterization of two-phase flow patterns in a slit microchannel

Abstract

Abstract At present, there is revolutionary development of microchannel systems. In such systems, it is extremely important to determine two-phase flow patterns depending on the gas and liquid flow rates. However, in most works there are no clear criteria for turning from one regime to another. In the present work, we have developed a new technique that makes it possible to measure the local void fraction, size of characteristic regions of the liquid films on the upper and lower walls of microchannel, frequency of bubble formation, and other quantitative characteristics. The two-phase flow patterns in a microchannel of 50-μm height and 10-mm width have been studied experimentally. Based on the developed methodology, criteria that accurately determine the boundaries between the two-phase flow regimes have been created. The features of a two-phase flow in a microchannel have been determined, and a new flow regime map has been created.