An entropic understanding of flow maldistribution in thermally isolated parallel channels

•Maldistribution in parallel channel systems can impede performance significantly.•Modeling maldistribution is challenging due to non-linearity and multiple solutions.•Entropy analysis allows predicting flow maldistribution in parallel channels.•Maldistribution takes place since it is thermodynamically favored over uniform flow.•Flow maldistribution is associated with the maximization of entropy production. Flow across heated parallel channel systems exists in many applications. The performance of such systems experiencing multiphase flow could suffer from the deleterious effects of flow non-uniformity or maldistribution. Modeling the behavior of such systems is challenging due to the inherent non-linearity associated with the multiphase flow and the difficulty in determining the actual flow among several possible flow distributions. This study addresses the challenge by analyzing the entropy production in such systems. Using experiments on two thermally isolated, nominally identical, and externally heated parallel channels, we quantify irreversibility in the resulting multiphase flow by evaluating the entropy generation rate. Our experiments reveal that certain flow conditions result in severe maldistribution (flow ratio > 10) in the channels, associated with a sharp rise in entropy production. Such an increase is not predicted for uniform flow distribution across parallel channels, making maldistributed flow a thermodynamically favored state over equally distributed flow. We extend this understanding to non-identical parallel channels as well. With entropy analysis providing additional insight besides the fundamental equations governing mass, momentum, and energy conservation, this approach is valuable in predicting and controlling flow distribution in parallel channel systems.