Micro wire-mesh sensor for two-phase flow measurement in a rectangular narrow channel

A micro wire-mesh sensor (μμWMS) based on an electrical conductivity measurement between electrodes installed on the walls has been developed for gas–liquid two-phase flow measurements in a narrow rectangular channel. This measuring method applies a principle of conventional wire-mesh tomography, which can measure the instantaneous void fraction distributions in the cross-section of the relatively large flow channel. In two-phase flow measurement using μμWMS the void fraction distributions in the narrow channel were obtained by the measured conductivities between electrodes arranged on each wall. Therefore, the gas phase structures and the bubble behaviors can be investigated in the flow channel with narrow gap. In the present paper, a μμWMS for the air–water flow between parallel flat plates with a gap of 3 mm was developed and simultaneous measurements with a high speed video camera were conducted to compare the measured results in bubbly flow.

► Micro wire-mesh sensor is developed to measure narrow two-phase flow structure.
► Bubble behavior in narrow gap is measured by this sensor.
► Accuracy of this sensor is examined by comparing with image processing.
► This method has large potential to study narrow two-phase flows.