Measurements of the internal structure of gas-liquid plumes

Gas injection into liquid metals has been studied extensively with gas injection into water models. While the general features of such flows are appreciated, the structure of the two-phase region has not been well characterized. To improve our understanding of the fundamental transport phenomena in the two-phase region, a combined laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) and electrical probe (EP) technique has been developed to measure the time-averaged and fluctuating liquid velocities, bubble velocities, and void fraction. The primary findings are: (1) The slip velocity of the bubbles is close to the terminal rising velocity of bubbles in stagnant fluids. (2) The intensity of turbulence in the two-phase region is generally higher than 0.5, which is higher than in the single-phase region. (3) The turbulence is not isotropic; it is greater in the vertical direction. The implications for mathematical modeling and process analysis are discussed.