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ISSN Online: 2377-424X

ISBN CD: 1-56700-226-9

ISBN Online: 1-56700-225-0

International Heat Transfer Conference 13
August, 13-18, 2006, Sydney, Australia

COMPARISON OF GAS-LIQUID TWO-PHASE FLOW CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN MINICHANNELS AND MICROCHANNELS

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHTC13.p12.510
11 pages

Abstract

The gas-liquid two-phase flow characteristics in small diameter circular and rectangular channels have been investigated experimentally. Adiabatic two-phase flow experiments conducted using microchannels with a diameter of 20 ∼ 500 μm have shown both significant differences and some similarities with the data obtained in minichannels with a diameter of 500μm ∼ 6.0mm. The microchannel flows have also been shown to be sensitive to the inlet geometry and the method of gas-liquid injection. In this work, the two-phase flow patterns, interfacial wave characteristics, void fraction and two-phase pressure drop data obtained in small channels of 50μm ∼ 6.0mm diameter have been analysed to understand the similarities and differences between microchannels and minichannels. The disappearance of disturbance waves in annular flow in microchannels is expected to affect forced convective boiling heat transfer in microchannels compared to minichannels. Although many similar trends in two-phase flow characteristics can be identified between the minichannels and microchannels, the effects of inlet geometry and gas-liquid mixing have been found to be much stronger for the microchannels.