Local interfacial velocity measurement method using a four-sensor probe

This paper presents a theoretical foundation of the measurement methods for the instantaneous local interfacial velocity vector and the time-averaged local interfacial area concentration using a four-sensor probe for multi-dimensional two-phase flow measurements. The measurement method is derived based on a large bubble assumption that locally views the front and rear interfaces of an approaching bubble as two tangent planes. The newly-derived method provides an explicit expression for the instantaneous local interfacial velocity vector using a four-sensor probe. The derived method for the time-averaged local interfacial area concentration was found to be in the same form as that proposed by Kataoka et al. (1986) [1]. The derived method was applied to the practical two-phase flow measurements in a vertical pipe with an inner diameter of 200 mm. The measured void fraction and interfacial velocity component in the axial direction were checked against the void fraction measurement using differential pressure gages and the superficial gas velocity measurement using gas flow meters, respectively. The measured interfacial velocity components in the radial and circumferential velocity components were found to be close to zero, which is in accordance with the fact that no stable flow of bubbles with certain horizontal velocity component exists in a vertical circular pipe. The measured interfacial area concentrations showed reasonable radial distributions in the pipe. The good agreements in the practical measurements suggest that the newly-derived method can reasonably measure interfacial velocity vector and interfacial area concentration in multi-dimensional two-phase flows.