Flow patterns of vertically upward and downward air-water two-phase flow in a narrow rectangular channel

Considering the importance of two-phase flows in narrow rectangular channels and their use in various applications, the hydrodynamics of a co-current air-water two-phase flow in a vertical narrow rectangular channel has been studied. Experiments have been carried out and flow regime maps for vertical upward and vertical downward flows have been plotted based on measured data sets. Flow regimes were identified and classified based on visual observation and void fraction data. Flow visualization was performed using a high speed camera, while a void fraction analysis was done using the electrical impedance method and a digital image analysis. Four different flow patterns were identified for the vertical upward flow and seven flow patterns were identified for the vertical downward flow. The flow regime map for the vertical upward flow was compared with previous studies and also with the flow regime map obtained for the vertical downward flow in this study.