Ryuji Kimura

Optical Measurement of Void Fraction and Bubble Size Distributions in a Microchannel

An optical measurement system was developed to investigate gas-liquid two-phase flow characteristics in a circular microchannel of 100 μ m diameter. By using multiple optical fibers and infrared photodiodes, void fraction, gas and liquid plug lengths, and their velocities were measured successfully. The probes responded to the passage of gas and liquid phases through the microchannel adequately so that the time-average void fraction could be obtained from the time fraction for each phase. Also, by cross-correlating the signals from two neighboring probes, the interface velocity representing gas plug velocity or ring-film propagation velocity depending on the flow pattern could be computed. Within the ranges of superficial gas and liquid velocities covered in the experiments (j L = 0.2∼0.4 m/s and j G = 0∼5 m/s), the gas plug length was found to increase with the increasing superficial gas velocity, but the liquid plug length was found to decrease sharply as the superficial gas velocity was increased; thus, the total length of the gas-liquid plug unit decreased with the superficial gas velocity.

Effect of Inlet Geometry on Adiabatic Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in a Microchannel

An optical measurement system and video camera were used to investigate gas-liquid two-phase flow characteristics in a circular microchannel of 100 μm diameter. By cross-correlating the signals from two pairs of optical fibers and infrared photodiodes, void fraction and the lengths and velocities of gas slugs and liquid slugs were measured. The data were obtained using a T-junction with the same internal diameter as the microchannel, but the lengths of the gas and liquid injection lines between the T-junction and flow control valves were quite different. The presence of a large compressible gas volume upstream of the T-junction had a significant effect on the two-phase flow characteristics in the microchannel, typified by the void fraction data. The two-phase flow characteristics in the absence of a compressible gas volume were analyzed to obtain the liquid slug length and velocity data. The liquid slug velocity was found to be dependent on the slug length, as longer slugs experienced greater friction effects and moved with much slower velocities than the shorter liquid slugs.

Effect of Channel Length on the Gas–Liquid Two-Phase Flow Phenomena in a Microchannel

An optical measurement system was used to investigate the effect of microchannel length and inlet geometery on adiabatic gas–liquid two-phase flow. Experiments were conducted with 146-mm- and 1571-mm-long, circular microchannels of 100 μm diameter. Void fraction and gas and liquid plug/slug lengths and their velocities were measured for two inlet configurations for gas–liquid mixing: (a) reducer and (b) T-junction. The superficial gas velocity was varied from 0.03 to 14 m/s, and superficial liquid velocity from 0.04 to 0.7 m/s. The test section length was found to have a significant effect on the two-phase flow characteristics measured at the same axial location (37 mm from the inlet) in both microchannels. The mean void fraction data for the short (146 mm) microchannel with the reducer inlet agreed well with the equation previously proposed by Kawahara et al. (2002). On the other hand, the mean void fraction data for the long (1571 mm) microchannel obeyed the homogeneous flow model and Armands equation for both the reducer and T-junction inlet configurations. Many long and rapidly moving gas plugs/slugs and long, slowly moving liquid plugs/slugs were observed in the short microchannel compared to the long microchannel, leading to the differences in the time-averaged void fraction data. The mean velocity of liquid plugs/slugs generally agreed well with Hughmarks equation and the homogeneous flow model predictions, regardless of the inlet configurations and microchannel lengths. Thus, both the microchannel length and inlet geometry were found to significantly affect the two-phase flow characteristics in a microchannel.

Gas–Liquid Two-Phase Flow Evolution in a Long Microchannel

A pair of optical void sensors and a high-speed video camera were used to investigate the evolution of adiabatic gas–liquid two-phase flow in a long microchannel. Experiments were conducted with a 1676-mm-long, circular microchannel with an inner diameter of 100 μm. Two-phase flow patterns, void fraction, and velocities of gas plug/slug and liquid slugs were measured at different axial locations between the gas–liquid mixer and microchannel exit. The pressure decreased linearly in the first half of the microchannel, and more rapidly and nonlinearly in the second half of the test section. As a result, the flow accelerated significantly in the second half of the microchannel such that the void fraction and liquid slug velocity increased nonlinearly. The measured mean void fraction and mean velocity of liquid slugs also agreed well with the homogeneous flow model predictions when the liquid flow rate was constant and the mass velocity of the gas was low.

Effect of Wetting on Adiabatic Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in a Microchannel

An optical measurement system and video camera were used to investigate gas-liquid two-phase flow characteristics in wetting and poorly wetting circular microchannels of 100 μm diameter. By examining the optical sensor signals from which void fraction and the lengths and velocities of gas slugs and liquid slugs were measured, the effects of wetting on the adiabatic two-phase flow characteristics of nitrogen gas and water were investigated. The data were obtained using a T-junction with the same internal diameter as the microchannel, but the T-junction itself was well wetting in both experiments. Besides the flat nose and tail of gas plugs/slugs at low gas and liquid flow rates, poorly wetting microchannel showed higher void fraction and friction pressure drop compared to the well-wetting microchannel. The poorly wetting microchannel also showed the presence of short and fast moving liquid slugs which were absent in well-wetting microchannel.Copyright

Effect of Channel Wetting Properties on Flow Characteristics of Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in a Microchannel

An optical measurement system and video camera were used to investigate gas-liquid two-phase flow characteristics in wetting and poorly wetting circular microchannels of 100 μm diameter. By examining the optical sensor signals from which void fraction and the lengths and velocities of gas slugs and liquid slugs were measured, the effects of wetting on the adiabatic two-phase flow characteristics of nitrogen gas and water were investigated. The data were obtained using a T-junction with the same internal diameter as the microchannel, but the T-junction itself was well wetting in both experiments. Besides the flat nose and tail of gas slugs at low gas and liquid flow rates, poorly wetting microchannel showed higher void fraction and friction pressure drop compared to the well wetting microchannel. The poorly wetting microchannel also showed the presence of short and low moving liquid slugs which were absent in well-wetting microchannel.Copyright

Effects of Channel Length on Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow Phenomena in a Microchannel

An optical measurement system was used to investigate the effect of microchannel length on adiabatic gas-liquid two-phase flow characteristics. Experiments were conducted with 146 mm and 1,571 mm long, circular microchannels of 100 micron diameter. Two-phase flow patterns, void fraction, gas and liquid plug lengths and their velocities were measured for two inlet configurations and gas-liquid mixing, i.e., (a) reducer and (b) T-junction. The test section length was found to have a significant effect on the two-phase flow characteristics measured at the same axial location in the microchannel test section typified by the void fraction data. The mean void fraction data obtained in the shorter (146 mm) microchannel with the reducer inlet agreed well with the equation by Kawahara and Kawaji which was previously proposed. On the other hand, the mean void fraction obtained at 36 mm from the inlet in the longer (1,571 mm) microchannel corresponded well with the homogeneous flow model and Armand’s equation for both reducer and T-junction inlet configurations. In the present experimental ranges of superficial gas velocity, jG = 0.03 ∼ 14 m/s, and superficial liquid velocity, jL = 0.04∼0.7 m/s, the gas and liquid plugs obtained in the longer microchannel had relatively shorter lengths and higher velocities than those in the shorter channel. Thus, both the microchannel length and inlet geometry were found to affect the two-phase flow characteristics in a microchannel.Copyright