Morphology of Flashing Feeds at Critical Fluid Properties in Larger Pipes

Tailored conditioning and control of flashing feeds in industrial applications requires knowledge of the evolving flow morphology and phase fractions along the feed pipe. Design methods obtained from reference systems (e.g. water‐air) are hardly applicable for commercial scales and critical fluid properties (e.g. high vapor densities, low surface tension). In this study, the flow morphology of flashing feeds in a novel refrigerant test rig at critical fluid properties was analyzed using wire‐mesh sensors at two locations along the feed pipe and experimental data from the water‐air system. Sizing of commercial feed lines that involve flashing feeds requires knowledge of the evolving two‐phase flow. This study presents the flow morphology obtained from wire‐mesh sensor data of flashing feeds (D = 200 mm). Measurements were obtained in a novel test rig at critical fluid properties of the employed refrigerant.