THE ANALYSIS OF PHASE SEPARATION PHENOMENA IN BRANCHING CONDUITS

Two-phase flow in branching conduits occurs in many industrial applications such as nuclear reactors, chemical process plants and in the petroleum industry. Phase separation in branching conduits can have a profound effect on system performance. Examples include the effect of phase separation in the main coolant piping on the effectiveness of emergency core cooling for a light water nuclear reactor (LWR) during a hypothetical loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA); the effectiveness of wet steam injection systems for enhanced oil recovery; and the design of (liquid) slug catchers and phase separators for off-shore oil well platforms.