Two-Phase Flow in Microchannels
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate fluid mechanic and heat transfer characteristics of two-phase two-component flow in rectangular microchannels. Experiments were conducted using rectangular aluminum channels with hydraulic diameters ranging between 56 micrometers and 256 micrometers and aspect ratios which varied from 0.5 to 1.5. Both single- and two-phase tests were conducted using water and gaseous argon, helium, and nitrogen as the working fluids. The Reynolds number for both types of experiments ranged from approximately 50 to nearly 10,000. The Nusselt number ranged between 0.0002 and 70. The single- and two-phase experimental data were empirically correlated, using parameters derived from a dimensional analysis. Experimental data were also used to correlate the unknown variables in derived analytical expressions. Both single- and two-phase tests yielded excellent correlations of the friction factor. For Nusselt number, the correlations were fair to poor. Reynolds number and the combination of Reynolds number and Prandtl number were the dominant parameters in the prediction of pressure drop and heat transfer rate, respectively, in both single- and two-phase flows. The pressure drop predictions based on the semi-empirical relations by Martinelli for two-phase flows were shown to substantially over-predict the pressure drop measured in these experiments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 14, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA331185
Entities
People
- Randall F. Barron
- Roger S. Stanley
- Timothy A. Ameel