Interfacial area transport of bubbly flow under microgravity environment

摘要

In relation to the development of the interfacial area transport equation, axial developments of one-dimensional void fraction, bubble number density, interfacial area concentration, and Sauter mean diameter of adiabatic nitrogen-water bubbly flows in a 9 mm-diameter pipe were measured by using an image-processing method under microgravity environment. The flow measurements were performed at four axial locations (axial distance from the inlet normalized by the pipe diameter = 7, 30, 45 and 60) under various flow conditions of superficial gas velocity (0.0083-0.022 m/s) and superficial liquid velocity (0.073-0.22 m/s). The interfacial area transport mechanism under microgravity environment was discussed in detail reliable constitutive relations which reflect the true transfer mechanisms in two-phase flow under microgravity environment.