Two-phase flow in a T-junction with a horizontal inlet. Part I: Phase separation

Abstract Phase separation was measured in air-water and steam-water mixtures flowing through a T- junction with equal pipe diameters ( d = 50 mm ) and a horizontal, vertical upward or vertical downward branch. The flow parameters were varied over a wide range to generate a variety of inlet flow patterns. The degree of phase separation depends significantly on the branch orientation, the inlet flow pattern and the ratio of inlet mass flux to branch mass flux. Empirical correlations for the phase separation for the different branch orientations have been derived.