Slug to annular flow transition of microgravity two-phase flow

A new model is developed for predicting the transition from the slug to ann ular flow of adiabatic two-phase gas/liquid flow in microgravity (mu g) env ironment. This model is based on the analyses of the effects of the surface tension and the gas inertia in a sense of more physical approach. The drif t-flux model is applied to determine the gas void fraction near the transit ion region. The new model is compared with previous models and experimental data, and the results show the improvement in explanation of the experimen tal results. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.