Two-phase flows can develop in industrial systems ranging from nuclear reactors to chemical processes. The presence of two phases (a liquid and its vapour, two liquids, a liquid and a gas) can be sought or constrained depending on the case. In a steam generator, bubbles are bound to form and grow before the liquid is completely vaporised. In the primary circuit of a reactor, steam slugs can appear in incidental or accidental situations. We want to study these steam slugs using numerical simulation to model them. The effect of the slug is primarily the reduction of the mass flow in the pipe. It can also have an effect on the mixing of the liquid and therefore on the temperature.
Our simulation software (TrioCFD) allows to perforum two-phase simulations with an interface tracking method. We want to simulate the dynamics of a vapour slug (sometimes called a Taylor bubble) in order to gain a better understanding of the flow dynamics. The first application of the simulations will be to evaluate the experimental correlations of pressure losses with our results and possibly enrich them. We would also like to observe the effects of geometry (cylindrical tube or rectangular channel). The work will involve setting up simulations based on existing functional cases, analysing the results and proposing modelling approaches.