Measurement of virtual mass and drag coefficients of a disk oscillating sinusoidally in a two-phase mixture

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental determination of the virtual mass and drag coefficients of a disk oscillating sinusoidally in a two-phase mixture of air flowing through stagnant water. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the importance of virtual mass on the transient response of an INEL-type drag-disk flow meter. The results indicate that for a given void fraction, the virtual mass coefficient increases, and the drag coefficient decreases, with increasing amplitude parameter. Also, for a given amplitude parameter, the virtual mass coefficient decreases, and the drag coefficient increases, with increasing void fraction. Based on the measured virtual mass coefficients, it was concluded that when an INEL-type drag-disk is used for the measurement of transient two-phase flows, virtual mass effects may be neglected in the analysis of its response without appreciable error. © 1984.