The Bridge Flow Regime in Microchannels

As a result of studies of the two-phase flow in slit microchannels with a height from 50 to 440 microns, a new flow regime, bridge flow, has been discovered and studied. The bridges are vertical bridges between liquid films located on the lower and upper walls of the channel. It was found that, with an increase in the flow rate of the gas and liquid, the bridges begin to deform and then collapse. The critical Weber numbers characteristic of the deformation and destruction of bridges are determined. A new classification of two-phase flow regimes in microchannels is suggested on the basis of the experimental data obtained.