Databases of interfacial area concentration in gas–liquid two-phase flow

•Literature review on local interfacial area measurements has been performed intensively.•Various existing interfacial area measurement techniques have been briefly introduced.•Double-sensor probe and multi-sensor probe methodologies have been reviewed.•The corrected form of double-sensor probe formulation in Kataoka's (1986) is presented.•Some discussions on validation of experimental data accuracy have been made.

Extensive literature review has been performed to provide the most updated information on local interfacial area measurements. The review begins with a brief introduction of various available experimental techniques which have been utilized for interfacial area measurement. Since the local sensor probe method is the most widely utilized technique, the basic concepts of this method are discussed. A deficiency in the mathematical formulation converting interfacial velocity information into interfacial area concentration information is pointed out. The correct mathematical formulation is properly introduced and some pre-cautions are recommended for when measured interfacial area concentration is utilized for benchmarking the interfacial area transport equations and 1D and 3D thermo-fluid dynamic simulation codes. Extensive literature review has been conducted to identify available interfacial area data. The flow conditions of the available data include adiabatic and diabatic conditions, various channel geometries such as round channel, annulus channel, rectangular channel, subchannel, and rod bundles, elevated pressure conditions, various channel size conditions, wide-range flow regime conditions, and normal gravity and microgravity conditions. In spite of tremendous efforts devoted in the past 30 years, further systematic experimental effort is essential to establish solid experimental databases for benchmarking the interfacial area transport equations and 1D and 3D thermo-fluid dynamic codes.