Two-phase pressure drop and void fraction in a cross-corrugated plate heat exchanger channel: Impact of flow direction and gas-liquid distribution

Two-phase pressure drop is studied in a transparent cross-corrugated channel for uniform and non-uniform gas–liquid distribution. Both uniform and non-uniform distribution are created by injecting air and water through different numbers of nozzles directly into the channel. The frictional pressure drop clearly indicates the impact of maldistribution. The single channel is pivot-mounted to allow horizontal, vertical upward and downward flow. Two-phase frictional pressure drop can be directly measured only for horizontal flow, neglecting acceleration pressure drop. In vertical flow, a void fraction model is necessary to deduct gravitational pressure drop from the measured pressure difference. The two-phase friction factors of all flow directions are compared to the correlation of single-phase flow. In this manner, homogeneous flow is distinguished from slip. Homogenous flow is confirmed for homogeneous void fractions up to 0.7 at uniform and up to 0.25 at non-uniform gas injection. The single-phase correlation is valid for homogeneous flow when inserting two-phase variables. The experimental two-phase multiplier is compared to correlations from literature. The pressure measurement data are used to determine the actual void fraction. The results are compared to published void fraction models. The homogeneous model fits best for uniform two-phase distribution. For maldistribution, the correlations of Margat et al. (1997) and of Rouhani and Axelsson (1970) predict the experimental void fractions reasonably well, except for very small flow rates. Analysis of experimental results is facilitated by previously published research on flow pattern visualization and modelling in the same test channel. The cross-corrugated geometry generates a swirling motion inducing centrifugal forces often much larger than buoyancy, which thus loses impact on flow pattern, pressure drop and void fraction. The ratio of buoyancy to centrifugal force is expressed by the corrugation Froude number. Slip independent of buoyancy is identified by introducing the hydrostatic correction factor to evaluate friction factors deviating with flow direction.