Application of Optical Systems to Detect Flow Pattern in Two-Phase Flow

The objective measurement and detection of flow patterns in two-phase flow is not only one of the most significant problems in research today, but it is also absolutely necessary in the aerospace, automobile, petroleum, and chemical industries. The development of methods and systems for objective measurement and detection requires the identification of the dependent physical parameters, which are impacted by flow patterns. Any attempt to find such parameters and describe their relationships contributes to the process of finding such a system to detect flow patterns. This paper presents the results of an exploratory experimental research project on two variations of optical system response to changes of three arbitrarily chosen flow patterns and changes of mixture viscosity. The analysis of the results should provide guidance for the next steps in the development of flow pattern detections and the applicability of optical systems to this purpose. The evaluation of the application of optical systems to detect flow patterns is based on experimental research for two-phase flow. This work was conducted in a vertical pipe using two sets of optical systems to measure the variations of interfacial phenomena caused by different flow patterns. A detailed analysis of the output signals in time, amplitude and frequency domains using NI ELVIS (Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite), MatLab and LabView software will revise the impact of flow patterns on the resistance change of opto-detectors used in both optical systems.