Two-phase flow dynamics in a micro hydrophilic channel: A theoretical and experimental study

In this paper, two-phase flow dynamics in a micro hydrophilic channel are experimentally and theoretically investigated. Flow patterns of annulus, wavy, and slug are observed in the range of operating condition. A set of empirical models based on the Lockhart-Martinelli parameter and a two-fluid model using several correlations of the relative permeability are adopted; and their predictions are compared with experimental data. It shows that for low liquid flow rates most model predictions show acceptable agreement with experimental data, while in the regime of high liquid flow rate only a few of them exhibit a good match. Correlation optimization is conducted for individual flow pattern. Through theoretical analysis of flows in a circular and 2-D channel, respectively, we obtain correlations close to the experimental observation. Real-time pressure measurement shows that different flow patterns yield different pressure evolutions.