Model evaluation of two-group interfacial area transport equation for confined upward flow

The bubble interaction mechanisms have been analytically modeled in the first paper of this series to provide mechanistic constitutive relations for the two-group interfacial area transport equation (IATE), which was proposed to dynamically solve the interfacial area concentration in the two-fluid model. This paper presents the evaluation approach and results of the two-group IATE based on available experimental data obtained in confined upward flow, namely, 11 data sets in or near bubbly flow and 13 sets in cap-turbulent and churn-turbulent flows. The two-group IATE is evaluated in steady-state, one-dimensional (1D) form. To account for the inter-group bubble transport, the void fraction transport equation for Group-2 bubbles is also used to predict the void fraction for Group-2 bubbles. Agreement between the data and the model predictions is reasonably good and the average relative difference for the total interfacial area concentration between the 24 data sets and predictions is within 7%. The model evaluation demonstrates the capability of the two-group IATE focused on the current confined flow to predict the interfacial area concentration over a wide range of flow regimes.