Measurement and analysis of two-phase flow distribution inside a packed bed system

Odaira, Naoya*; Ito, Daisuke*; Ito, Kei*; Saito, Yasushi*; Imaizumi, Yuya ; Matsuba, Kenichi  

The void fraction distribution within the randomly packed bed filled with uniformly sized spheres was measured by X-ray CT to reveal a more detailed two-phase flow structure in the packed bed. The void fraction distributions seem to correspond to the porosity distribution, which was relatively high near the pipe wall, and relatively low near the center under the condition of slow liquid flow rate condition. It also shows the relatively lower void fraction at the first ring than at the second ring although the porosities at these locations were similar.