The Two-Phase Critical Flow of One-Component Mixtures in Nozzles, Orifices, and Short Tubes

The critical flow of one-component, two-phase mixtures through convergent nozzles is investigated and discussed including considerations of the interphase heat, mass, and momentum transfer rates. Based on the experimental results of previous investigators, credible assumptions are made to approximate these interphase processes which lead to a transcendental expression for the critical pressure ratio as a function of the stagnation pressure and quality. A solution to this expression also yields a prediction for the critical flow rate. Based on the experimental results of single-phase compressible flow through orifices and short tubes, the two-phase model is extended to include such geometries. The models are compared with steam-water, cryogenic, and alkali-metal experimental data.