Vapor–liquid critical flow through a layer of spherical particles

Vapor–liquid flow in a cylindrical channel through fillings of spherical particles is studied experimentally. Data on the critical flow of a vapor–water mixture with various vapor contents through densely packed layers of spherical particles from stainless steel with diameters of $2$ and $4$ mm for a filling column height of $250$ and $355$ mm are obtained. Experimental data demonstrate the influence of pressure, the vapor content of the mixture at the input, and the geometric parameters of the filling on the critical mass velocity. The linear dependence of the critical mass velocity on the geometric factor $\sqrt{d/H}$. The possibility of generalizing the experimental results based on the gas dynamic model for the flow of a homogeneous medium is considered.