Void distribution and bubble motion in bubbly flows in a 4 x 4 rod bundle. Part I: Experiments

Lack of local void fraction data in a rod bundle makes it difficult to validate a numerical method for predicting gas-liquid two-phase flow in the bundle. Distributions of local void fraction and bubble velocity in each subchannel in a 4x4 rod bundle were, therefore, measured using a double-sensor conductivity probe. Liquid velocity in the subchannel was also measured using laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) to obtain relative velocity between bubbles and the liquid phase. The size and pitch of rods were 10 and 12.5mm, respectively. Air and water at atmospheric pressure and room temperature were used for the gas and liquid phases, respectively. The volume fluxes of gas and liquid phases ranged from 0.06 to 0.15m/s and from 0.9 to 1.5m/s, respectively. Experimental results showed that the distributions of void fraction in inner and side subchannels depend not only on lift force acting on bubbles but also on geometrical constraints on bubble dynamics, i.e. the effects of rod walls on bubble shape and rise velocity. The relative velocity between bubbles and the liquid phase in the subchannel forms a non-uniform distribution over the cross-section, and the relative velocity becomes smaller as bubbles approach the wall due to the wall effects.