• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.941-950
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• 2001

A study of counter-current two-phase flow in narrow rectangular channels has been performed. Two-phase flow regimes were experimentally investigated in a 760mm long and 100mm wide test section with 2.0 and 5.0mm gap widths. The resulting flow regime maps were compared with the existing transition criteria. The experimental data and the transition criteria of the models showed relatively good agreement. However, the discrepancies between the experimental data and the model predictions of the flow regime transition become pronounced as the gap width increased. As the gap width increased the transition gas superficial velocities increased. The critical void fraction for the bubbly-to-slug transition was observed to be about 0.25. The two-phase distribution parameter for the slug flow was larger for the narrower channel. The uncertainties in the distribution parameter could lead to a disagreement in slug-to-churn transition between the experimental findings and the transition criteria. For the transition from churn to annular flow the effect of liquid superficial velocity was found to be insignificant.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.546-553
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• 2022

Narrow rectangular channels are employed in nuclear research reactors that use plate-type nuclear fuels, high heat-flux compact heat exchangers, and high-performance micro-electronics cooling systems. Two-phase flow in narrow rectangular channels is important, and it needs to be better understood because it is considerably different than that in round tubes. In this study, mechanistic models were developed for the flow regime transition criteria for various flow regimes in co-current air-water two-phase flow for vertical downward flow inside a narrow rectangular channel. The newly developed criteria were compared to a flow regime map of downward air-water two-phase flow inside a narrow rectangular channel with a 2.35-mm gap width under ambient temperature and pressure conditions. Overall, the proposed model showed good agreement with the experimental data.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.11b
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• pp.136-141
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• 2000

A study of counter-current two-phase flow in narrow rectangular channels has been performed. Two-phase flow regimes were experimentally studied in 760 mm long and 100 mm wide test sections with 2.0 and 3.0mm gaps. The resulting data have been compared to previous transition models. For the transition from bubbly to slug flow the superficial velocity of gas increased as the gap width increased. The comparison of experimental data to the transition model developed by Taitel and Barnea showed relatively good agreement for the bubbly-to-slug transition in the case of 2mm gap width. For the criteria of Mishima and Ishii to be applicable to the slug-to-churn transition the distribution parameter should be well defined for narrow channels. Even though the gap width of narrow channels increased the superficial gas velocity did not change for the transition form chum to annular flow regime. For the chum-to-annular transition the model of Taitel and Barnea showed discrepancies with experimental data, especially in the channel with larger gap.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.481-487
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• 2009

In this of study, effects of input air velocity(0.05~0.22 m/sec) and molten carbonate salt temperature ($870{\sim}970^{\circ}C$) on flow regime transition have been studied by adopting a drift-flux model of air holdup and a stochastic analysis of differential pressure fluctuations in an air-molten sodium carbonate salt two-phase system(molten salt oxidation process). Air holdup where the flow regime transition begins was determined by air holdup-drift flux plot. The air holdup value which the flow regime transition begins was increased with increasing molten carbonate salt temperature due to the decrease of viscosity and surface tension of molten carbonate salt. To characterize the flow regime transition more quantitatively, differential pressure fluctuation signals have been analyzed by adopting the stochastic method such as phase space portraits and Kolmogorov entropy, The Kolmogorov entropy decreased with an increasing of molten carbonate salt temperature but increased gradually with an increase in an air velocity, however, it exhibited different tendency with the flow regime and the air velocity value which flow regime transition begins was same to the results of drift-flux analysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.456-461
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• 1995

The concept of hyperbolicity breaking is applied to predict the flow regime transition from inverted annular flow (IAF) to agitated inverted annular flow (AIAF). The resultant correlation has the similar form to Takenaka's empirical one. To validate the proposed model, it is applied to predict Takenaka's experimental results using R-113 refrigerant with four different tube diameters of 3, 5, 7 and 10 mm. The proposed model gives accurate predictions for the tube diameters of 7 and 10 min. As the tube diameter decreases, the differences between the predictions and the experimental results increase slightly. The flow regime transition from AIAF to dispersed flow (DF) is described by the drift flux model.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.822-833
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• 2000

This experimental study concerns the characteristics of a transitional flow in a concentric annulus with a diameter ratio of 0.52, whose outer cylinder is stationary and inner one rotating. The pressure drops and skin-friction coefficients have been measured for the fully developed flow of water and that of glycerine-water solution (44%) at a inner cylinder rotational speed of $0{\sim}600$ rpm, respectively. The transitional flow has been examined by the measurement of pressure drops and the visualization of flow field, to reveal the relation of the Reynolds and Rossby numbers with the skin-friction coefficients and to understand the flow instability mechanism. The present results show that the skin-friction coefficients have the significant relation with the Rossby numbers, only for laminar regime. The occurrence of transition has been checked by the gradient changes of pressure drops and skin-friction coefficients with respect to the Reynolds numbers. The increasing rate of skin-friction coefficient due to the rotation is uniform for laminar flow regime, whereas it is suddenly reduced for transitional flow regime and, then, it is gradually declined for turbulent flow regime. Consequently, the critical (axial-flow) Reynolds number decreases as the rotational speed increases. Thus, the rotation of inner cylinder promotes the early occurrence of transition due to the excitation of taylor vortices.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.525-535
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• 2005

Using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with the $k-{\varepsilon}$ turbulence closure scheme based on the renormalization group theory, flow regimes in urban street canyons are classified according to the building and street aspect ratios. The transition between skimming flow (SF) and wake interference flow (WIF) is determined with the size of double-eddy circulation generated behind the upwind building. The transition between WIF and isolated roughness flow (IRF) is determined with the flow reattachment distance from the upwind building. The critical aspect ratios at which the flow transition occurs are found and compared with those in previous studies. The results show that the flow-regime classification method used in this study is quite reasonable and that the values of the critical aspect ratios are generally consistent with those in fluid experiments or large-eddy simulation. The regression equation describing a relation between the building and street aspect ratios at the flow-regime transition is presented.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.221-240
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• 2008

The spanwise flow structure around a rigid smooth circular cylinder model in cross-flow has been investigated based on the experimental data obtained from a series of wind tunnel tests. Surface pressures were collected at five spanwise locations along the cylinder over a Reynolds number range of $1.14{\times}15^5$ to $5.85{\times}10^5$, which covered sub-critical, single-bubble and two-bubble regimes in the critical range. Separation angles were deduced from curve fitted to the surface pressure data. In addition, spanwise correlations and power spectra analyses were employed to study the spatial structure of flow. Results at different spanwise locations show that the transition into single-bubble and two-bubble regimes could occur at marginally different Reynolds numbers which expresses the presence of overlap regions in between the single-bubble regime and its former and later regimes. This indicates the existence of three-dimensional flow around the circular cylinder in cross-flow, which is also supported by the observed cell-like surface pressure patterns. Relatively strong spanwise correlation of the flow characteristics is observed before each transition within the critical regime, or formation of first and second separation-bubbles. It is also noted that these organized flow structures might lead to greater overall aerodynamic forces on a circular cylinder in cross-flow within the critical Reynolds number regime.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1217-1228
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• 1998

In order to elucidate the operational characteristics of rotating heat pipes, the internal flow patterns and heat transfer performance are investigated. Flow patterns and its transition are studied with various rotational speeds by visualizing flows established inside a rotating tube. To verify those results of analysis, 2 heat pipes of the same geometries but fill charge rates of 7, 30% were manufactured and submitted to operating tests. Comparison of experimental results on heat transfer rate show a fairly good agreement with the analytical results. The analysis reveals that the optimum charge ratio is ranged in 4~7% depending on the quantity of thermal loads. but the heat pipe with 7% of fill charge ratio reached dry-out limitation at heat flux of $q^{{\prime}{\prime}}=6.2kW/m^2$ lower than that of analytic results. Transition of flow regime was well related to the correlation by Semena & Khmelev on transient centrifugal Froude Number Frc. But hysteresis phenomenon was observed in transition of flow regime, when the rotational speed was stepwisely changed in the way to undergo 1 cycle.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04b
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• pp.631-636
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• 2000

The experimental study concerns the characteristics of a transitional flow in a concentric annulus with a diameter ration of 0.52, whose outer cylinder is stationary and inner one rotating. The pressure drops and skin-friction coefficients have been measured for the fully developed flow of water and that of glycerine-water solution (44%) at a inner cylinder rotational speed of $0{\sim}600$ rpm, respectively. The transitional flow have been examined by the measurement of pressure drops and the visualization of flow field, to reveal the relation of the Reynolds and Rossby numbers with the skin-friction coefficients and to understand the flow instability mechanism. The present results show that the skin-friction coefficients have the significant relation with the Rossby numbers, only for laminar regime. The occurrence of transition has been checked by the gradient changes of pressure drops and skin-friction coefficients with respect to the Reynolds numbers. The increasing rate of skin-friction coefficient due to the rotation is uniform for laminar flow regime, whereas it is suddenly reduced for transitional flow regime and, then, is gradually declined for turbulent flow regime. Consequently, the critical (axial-flow) Reynolds number decreases as the rotational speed increases. Thus, the rotation of inner cylinder promotes the early occurrence of transition due to the excitation of taylor vortices.