Nuclear magnetic resonance: A new tool for the validation of multiphase multidimensional CFD codes Original Research Article

Turbulent transport models and data in bubbly flows are briefly reviewed since they play an important role in the modeling of boiling flows in forced convection. Shortcomings of earlier measurements of the eddy diffusivity by NMR (Lemonnier and Leblond, 2007b) are analyzed and a new procedure is presented which is now consistent with the procedure of Gatenby and Gore (1994) developed for single-phase turbulent flow characterization. The newly estimated eddy diffusivity agrees now with that previously obtained by Serizawa et al. (1975b) with a thermal method and that of the model of Sato and Sadatomi (1981). This procedure also provides the liquid velocity fluctuation RMS and the Lagrangian correlation time of velocity fluctuations. In addition, the same NMR technique provides also the area-averaged liquid velocity and void fraction. Bubbly flow data up to transition to slug flow are provided which also agree with existing drift-flux models (Ishii and Hibiki, 2006). It is finally discussed how the NMR method can be extended to local measurements and may provide a fully non-intrusive diagnostic in two-phase flows and which is not limited to bubbly flow.