Two-phase wakes in adiabatic liquid-gas flow around a cylinder

Small tubes and fins have long been used as methods to increase surface area for convective heat transfer in single-phase flow applications. As demands for high heat transfer effectiveness has increased, implementing evaporative phase-change heat transfer in conjunction with small fins, tubes, and surface structures in advanced heat exchanger and heat sink designs has become increasingly attractive. The complex two-phase flow that results from these configurations is poorly understood, particularly in how the gas phase interacts with the flow structure of the wake created by these bluff bodies. An experimental study of liquid-gas bubbly flow around a cylinder was performed to understand these complex flow physics. A 9.5 mm diameter cylinder was installed horizontally within a vertical water channel facility. A high-speed camera captured the movement of the liquid-gas mixture around the cylinder for a range of bubble sizes. Liquid Reynolds number, calculated based on the cylinder diameter, was varied approximately from 100 to 3000. Time-averaged probability of bubble presence was calculated to characterize the cylinder wake and its effects on the bubble motion. The influence of the liquid Reynolds number, superficial air velocity, and bubble size is discussed in the context of the observed two-phase flow patterns.