Experimental Investigation on the Influence of Mutual Capacitance and Channel Width on the Performance of a Cryogenic Two-Phase Flow Meter

Accurate measurement of cryogenic fluid mass flow rate is significant for numerous applications, including particle accelerators, tokamaks, other superconducting devices and cryogenic systems. Therefore, a cryogenic two-phase flow meter has been developed in order to overcome the challenges associated with precise and reliable measurement of flow. Capacitance level gauge sensors have been incorporated in the flow meter channel to measure the liquid height at various channel locations, and thereby measuring the mass flow rate of liquid phase. The geometric configurations of the channels and fluid characteristics, on the other hand, are critical in assuring reliable measurement. To enable real-time data acquisition and to enhance its suitability in various applications, the effect of channel width and mutual capacitance on the two-phase flow measurements needs to be analyzed. Therefore, this study focuses on the influence of mutual capacitance in the liquid height measurement and thereby analyzing the methods to improve the accuracy in flow measurements. Also, the effect of channel width on the slope development and the flow measurement has been investigated at various incoming flow conditions. It has been found that the slope developed along the channel length increases with decrease in channel width. For lower mass flow rate, a channel width of 1mm is found to predict the mass flow rate of the liquid phase with an accuracy of ±3%. Meanwhile, for higher mass flow rate, it has been found that channel with 1.5mm width is capable enough to predict the flow rate within an error limit of ±5%.