Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Measurement of liquid film in microchannels using a laser focus displacement meter

  • Originals
  • Published:
Experiments in Fluids Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents a new method for measuring the interfacial displacement of a liquid film in microchannels using a laser focus displacement meter (LFD). The purpose of the study is to clarify the effectiveness of the new method for obtaining detailed information concerning interfacial displacement, especially in the case of a thin liquid film, in microchannels and minichannels. To prevent the tube wall signal from disturbing that of the gas–liquid interface, a fluorocarbon tube with a water box was used; the refraction index of this device is the same as that for water. With this method, accurate instantaneous measurements of the interfacial displacement of the liquid film were achieved. The error caused by refraction of the laser beam passing through the acrylic water box and fluorocarbon tube was estimated analytically and experimentally. The formulated analytical equation can estimate the real interface displacement by using the measured displacement in a fluorocarbon tube of 25 μm to 2.0 mm I.D. A preliminary test using fluorocarbon tubes of 1 mm and 2 mm I.D. showed that the corrected interface displacement calculated by the equation agreed with the real displacement to within a 1% margin of error. It was also confirmed that the LFD in the system could measure a liquid film of 0.25 μm at the thinnest. We made simultaneous measurements of the interface in fluorocarbon tubes of 0.5 mm and 1 mm I.D. using the LFD and a high-speed video camera with a microscope. These showed that the LFD could measure the interface of a liquid film with high spatial and temporal resolution during annular, slug, and piston flow regimes. The data also clarified the existence of a thin liquid film of less than 1 μm in thickness in the slug and annular flow regimes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Clark WW, Hills JH, Azzopardi BJ (1999) Spatial film thickness measurements in falling films in a concurrent air flow using a novel adaptation of the light absorption technique. In: Proceedings of the 2nd international symposium on two-phase flow modeling and experimentation, Pisa, Italy, May 1999, pp 1440–1453

  • Dukler AE, Bergelin OP (1952) Characteristics of flow in falling liquid film. Chemical engineering progress symposium series 48–11:557–563

  • Elsäβer A, Samenfink W, Ebner J, Dullenkopf K, Wittig S (1998) Effect of variable liquid properties on the flow structure within shear-driven wall films. In: Proceedings of the 9th international symposium on application of laser techniques to fluid mechanics, Lisbon, Portugal, July 1998, vol 1–3, pp 1–10

  • Fukano T, Kariyasaki A (1993) Characteristics of gas–liquid two-phase flow in a capillary tube. Nucl Eng Des 141:59–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Hazuku T, Fukamachi Fukamachi N, Takamasa T, Matsumoto Y (2003) Experimental study of interfacial wave on a liquid film in vertical annular flow. In: Proceedings of the 10th international topical meeting on nuclear reactor thermal hydraulics (NURETH-10), Seoul, Korea, October 2003, CD-ROM #A00310

  • Hewitt GF, Martin CJ, Wilkes NS (1985) Experimental and modelling studies of annular flow in the region between flow reversal and the pressure drop minimum. Physicochem Hydrodyn 6(1–2):69–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt GF, Hall-Taylor NS (1970) Annular two-phase flow. Pergamon Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Kariyasaki A, Fukano T, Ousaka A, Kagawa M (1995) Isothermal air–water up- and downward flow in a vertical capillary tube (2nd report, pressure loss). Trans JSME 62(598B):2136–2143

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishima K, Hibiki T (1996) Some characteristics of air–water two-phase flow in small diameter vertical tubes. Int J Multiphase Flow 22:703–712

    Google Scholar 

  • Mori K, Matsumoto T, Uematsu H (1998) Time-spatial interfacial structures and flow characteristics in falling liquid film. In: Proceedings of the 3rd international conference on multiphase flow, Cannes, France, June 1998, CD-ROM #514

  • Nasr-Esfahany M, Kawaji M (1996) Turbulence structure under a typical shear induced wave at a liquid/gas interface. In: Proceedings of the AICHE symposium series on heat transfer 310(92):203–210

  • Ohba K, Nakamura K, Naimi F (1995) A new kind of interfacial wave on liquid film in vertically upward air–water two-phase annular flow. In: Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on multiphase flow (ICMF’95), Kyoto, Japan, April 1995, IP1, pp 27–33

  • Poltalski S, Clegg AJ (1972) An experimental study of wave inception on falling liquid film. Chem Eng Sci 27:1257–1265

    Google Scholar 

  • Serizawa A, Nagane K, Ebisu T, Kamei T, Kawara Z (1994) Dynamic measurement of liquid film thickness in satisfied flow by using ultrasonic echo technique. In: Proceedings of the 4th international topical meeting on nuclear thermal hydraulics, operations and safety, Taipei, Taiwan, April 1994, 42-C-1–42-C-5

  • Serizawa A, Kamei T, Kataoka I, Kawara Z, Ebisu T, Torikoshi K (1995) Measurement of dynamic behavior of a liquid film with liquid droplets in a horizontal channel. In: Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on multiphase flow (ICMF’95), Kyoto, Japan, April 1995, vol 6, pp 27–34

  • Serizawa A, Feng Z, Kawara Z (2002) Two-phase flow in micro-channels. Exp Thermal Fluid Sci 26(6–7):703–714

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Takamasa T, Hazuku T (2000) Measuring interfacial waves on film flowing down a vertical plate wall in the entry region using laser focus displacement meters. Int J Heat Mass Transfer 43:2807–2819

    Google Scholar 

  • Takamasa T, Kobayashi K (2000) Measuring interfacial waves on film flowing down tube inner wall using laser focus displacement meter. Int J Multiphase Flow 26:1493–1507

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are very thankful to Messrs. Y. Fukuhara and N. Tamura of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology for their collaboration in fabricating the test facilities. The assistance provided by Misses. Y. Ohkubo and A. Kawashima of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology is also appreciated. Part of this work was performed by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Basic Research (C), No.14580542).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Marine Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Etchujima, Koto, Tokyo, 135-8533, Japan

    Tatsuya Hazuku, Norihiro Fukamachi & Tomoji Takamasa

  2. Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University, Kumatori, Sennan, Osaka, 590-0494, Japan

    Takashi Hibiki

  3. School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, 400 Central Drive, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2017, USA

    Mamoru Ishii

Authors
  1. Tatsuya Hazuku
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Norihiro Fukamachi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tomoji Takamasa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Takashi Hibiki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mamoru Ishii
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tatsuya Hazuku.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hazuku, T., Fukamachi, N., Takamasa, T. et al. Measurement of liquid film in microchannels using a laser focus displacement meter. Exp Fluids 38, 780–788 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-005-0973-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-005-0973-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation