Curvature induced flow pattern transitions in serpentine mini-channels

Single-phase dimensionless analysis for curved geometries is extended to two-phase flow to identify the geometric dependence of critical bubble breakup. Further analysis performed shows that the characteristic length for curved geometries encountered in the Dean number for single-phase flow is suitable for capturing the effects of curvature on the initiation of bubble breakup. The dependence of Weber number on the characteristic length is reported and a critical WeCDLC = 10 is identified for predicting bubble breakup inception in the serpentine system.