Gas–Liquid Two-Phase Flow in a Mini-Channel with Water Infiltration Continuously Along the Flow Direction

Abstract

Characteristics of air–water two-phase flow pattern in a square-mini-channel were investigated experimentally. One sidewall of the flow channel was made of a permeable porous media. Air was fed into the channel from its inlet, while liquid water was injected uniformly into the channel along the permeable sidewall. Based on the results of visualization, the typical flow patterns encountered in the conventional co-current gas–liquid two-phase flow were not observed in the present work. Flow patterns of this special gas–liquid two-phase flow were catalogued, and the influence of gas flow rate and liquid infiltration rate on flow patterns was also analyzed. The results also indicate that the channel differential pressure on both sides brings obvious fluctuations when the liquid is infiltrated. The frequency of this fluctuation depends not only on the amount of liquid infiltration but also relies on the gas flow rate significantly. However, the amount of liquid infiltration barely affects the fluctuation in the amplitude of the pressure differential.

Keywords:

• Two-phase flow
• Flow pattern
• Pressure drop
• Mini-channel
• Porous media