Thermohydraulic Behaviour of HeII in Stratified Co-Current Two-Phase Flow at High Vapor Velocities

Recent experiments conducted with a co-current flow of saturated superfluid helium at CEA-Grenoble have shown a transition from stratified two phase flow to droplet mist flow at high vapor velocities. The two phase co-current stratified flow was circulated through a 40 mm inner diameter, 10 m long tube, with a slope ranging between 0 and 1.4%. Mass flow rates and temperatures ranged between 1 and 7 g/s, 1.8 and 2 K respectively. These various conditions allowed a comparison of the flow behavior for same void fraction but different vapor mass flows. Some evidences of atomization without any transition from stratified to annular flow are given.