New method for bubble/slug velocity measurement in small channels

Based on the C⁴D technique and cross correlation velocity measurement technique, a new method for bubble/slug velocity measurement of the gas-liquid two-phase flow in small channels is proposed. A new C⁴D sensor, which is suitable for the parameter measurement of the gas-liquid two-phase flow in small channels, is developed by introducing the principle of capacitive reactance elimination. With two new C⁴D sensors, a bubble/slug velocity measurement system is developed, and the bubble/slug velocity is determined by the cross correlation velocity measurement technique. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed bubble/slug velocity measurement method, three prototypes of bubble/slug velocity measurement systems with different diameters (1.82 mm, 2.65 mm, and 2.96 mm, respectively) were established, and the bubble/slug measurement experiments were carried out. The research results show that the capacitive reactance elimination is an effective way to overcome the unfavorable influence of the coupled capacitances on measurement results. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can successfully realize the bubble/slug velocity measurement in small channels, and the velocity measurement accuracy is satisfactory. For the three prototypes of the bubble/slug velocity measurement system, the maximum relative errors of the bubble/slug velocity measurement are all less than 5%.