Simultaneous film thickness measurement and wall temperature assessment by Low-Coherence Interferometry
Résumé
Film thickness is one of the most important parameters characterizing a liquid film flowing along a wall. The wall's surface temperature intervenes in heat transfer within the film and, by means of it, modifies the film's flow properties. The measurement of film thicknesses and wall temperatures allows us to study the coupled physical mechanisms in anisothermal configurations, and can be achieved using the non intrusive technique of Low-Coherence Interferometry (LCI). This method was initially selected since it can be applied in our main specific configuration, which involves a wall coated with a liquid fuel film as it interacts with a reactive flow. The majority of existing techniques are ill-adapted to such a configuration. Prior to analysing such a complex case, LCI was first applied in a simple, non reactive case. This situation is studied in the present work and consists of a vertical wall over which a liquid film is flowing freely. The principle of LCI is briefly explained, as well as how waves on the free surface of the film can impact its measurement. The experimental setup is described and used to study several liquid film flow dynamics. Results showed that the measured mean thickness of the film was in accordance with the Nusselt model. In addition, two distinct regimes were identified, conformally to numerical analysis from literature. Regarding the wall temperature assessment by LCI, the comparison of the results with those obtained using another technique demonstrated the feasibility of this type of non intrusive estimation, as it was possible to achieve a 2 °C deviation between the two approaches. This is promising because measuring this parameter remains difficult. Finally, the analysis of the results made it possible to synthesize the advantages and limitations of the LCI technique when applied to two-phase flow systems.