Investigation of flow patterns in two-phase carbon dioxide in horizontal and vertical pipes

TL;DR

This study investigates two-phase CO₂ flow patterns in horizontal and vertical pipes at conditions relevant for detector cooling, revealing distinct flow regimes, void fractions, and pressure behaviors crucial for optimizing cooling system design.

Contribution

It provides detailed observations and a flow-pattern map for two-phase CO₂ in different pipe orientations under high heat flux conditions, advancing understanding for detector cooling applications.

Findings

Horizontal flow shows higher void fractions than vertical flow.

Flow patterns differ significantly between horizontal and vertical orientations.

Pressure drop behavior varies with heat flux and pipe orientation.

Abstract

Modern particle detectors crucially depend on efficient cooling systems. Two-phase carbon dioxide (CO$_2$) is a suitable solution as a cooling agent. This publication presents the observations and results of investigations of horizontal and vertical flow of two-phase CO$_2$ at a temperature of $T=-15\,^\circ$C and a pressure of approximately $23\,$bar. Heat fluxes between $98.5\,$kW/m$^2$ and $200\,$kW/m$^2$ were applied to the CO$_2$, covering the range expected to occur in the future ATLAS Pixel detector being built for the high-luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider. Flow speeds ranged from $11.8\,$m/s to $28.1\,$m/s. Dedicated sensors were used to measure the temperature and pressure before and after heating the CO$_2$. Two-phase flow patterns occuring in the pipe after heating the CO$_2$ were recorded with a high-speed camera. Stratified, wavy and slug flow are found to be the predominant patterns for horizontal flow, while upward vertical flow is mainly found to be slug or churn. Based on the recorded images the void fraction of the CO$_2$ after heating is determined and compared for the different setups. The results are summarised in a flow-pattern map. A clear distinction between vertical and horizontal flow is found, with horizontal flow exhibiting a significantly higher void fraction than vertical flow. Based on the pressure measurements, the pressure drop after heating the CO$_2$ is measured and the corresponding Euler number is computed. While the pressure drop increases with the heat flux for horizontal flow due to frictional losses, the pressure drop reduces with the heat flux in case of upward vertical flow, since static pressure is important in this case.