Hydraulic and gas-dynamic models of a steam-water mixture flow in a granular bed

Abstract

Abstract The paper presents a comparative analysis of the hydraulic and gas-dynamic models of a steam-water mixture flow through a granular bed. The analysis is carried out using experimental data obtained at an inlet pressure of 0.6 - 15.5 MPa, flow quality of 0.002 - 0.3, and mass velocity through a cross-section of a packed bed from 44.5 to 410 kg/(m2s). In the hydraulic model, with a view to improving the accuracy, the algebraic calculation of an average pressure is replaced with numerical integration over the bed height. In the gas-dynamic model, which allows analytical integration, refined constitutive relations are proposed. An analysis of the obtained results indicates that the gas-dynamic model provides a good description of experimental data, whereas the hydraulic model leads to a considerable error in calculation in the case of large relative pressure drops.