Two-phase flow in helical and spiral coils

Coiled tube heat exchangers involving two-phase flows are used in a variety of application areas, extending from the aerospace industry to petrochemical, refrigeration land power generation industries. The optimal design in each situation requires a fundamental understanding of the heat, mass and momentum transfer characteristic of the flowing two-phase mixture. However, two-phase flows in lengths of horizontal or vertical straight channels with heat transfer are often quite difficult in themselves to understand sufficiently well to permit accurate system designs. The present study has the following general objectives: (1) Observe two-phase flow patterns of air-water and R-113 working fluids over a range of flow conditions, for helical and spiral coil geometries, of circular and rectangular cross-section; (2) Compare observed flow patterns with predictions of existing flow maps; (3) Study criteria for flow regime transitions for possible modifications of existing flow pattern maps; and (4) Measure associated pressure drops across the coiled test sections over the rage of flow conditions specified.