The Split of Horizontal Semi-Annular Flow at a Novel T-Junction Type Distributor

Extensive experiments have been carried out at an air-water loop to study the phase splitting characteristics of semi-annular flow in a new type distributor. The distributor composes eight small holes with a diameter of 3.5mm on the pipe wall and an annular chamber mounted outside of these holes. The gas-liquid mixture extracted from the holes is collected in the annular chamber and enters branch arm ultimately. Compared with conventional T-junction, the branch quality can maintain unchanged over a wide range of mass extraction rates. A model is developed to predict the phase separation in dividing semi-annular flow. The model simulation results were compared with experimental measurements, and there is reasonable agreement between model prediction and measured data. According to this model, the desired branch quality may be achieved by changing the ratio of gas flow area and liquid flow area.