Simultaneous capacitive probe and planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements in downwards gas-liquid annular flow

Various experimental techniques are available to analyse two-phase flows. The measurement concept and the applicability can however vary greatly. Prime examples from the opposite spectrum are planar laser-induced measurements (PLIF) versus capacitive probes. PLIF is an optical technique, it is non-intrusive but optical access is necessary. PLIF based measurements are known for their high temporal and spatial resolution but require a costly set-up. In contrast, the capacitive probe is another non-intrusive technique but doesn't require optical access. It is fairly easy to set up, robust, and is cheap to construct. To rigorously compare both techniques, simultaneous PLIF and capacitive probe measurements are made in this work. As the void fraction is one of the key parameters to classify flow regimes, both techniques are compared on the determination of the void fraction. This is done for a limited set of six annular flows. The experiments were performed in a downward annular-flow facility with demineralized water - air as working medium. The first results indicate that both techniques give similar volume averaged void fractions. The mean absolute percentage error and the maximum relative error between both techniques are 0.30% and 0.54%, respectively. The PLIF measurements confirm however to have a better spatial resolution.

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