Burns turbulent dispersion considers the dispersed phase as a passive scalar

Abstract

The Burns turbulent dispersion force is the most commonly used turbulent dispersion in the twofluid RANS bubbly-flow literature. However, its derivation is based on a series of hypothesis that are difficult to justify in industrial flows. It is shown that in low-void fraction vertical pipe flow, the Burns turbulent dispersion formulation is equivalent to considering the radial movement of the gas phase like a passive scalar that follows turbulent eddies. This is not apparent in the derivation of the force. As bubbles in pressurized water reactor (PWR) conditions have a low Stokes number ($\sim$ 10--1), considering bubbles are transported by turbulence is a good approximation for bubble dispersion in pipe flow. Therefore, the Burns turbulent dispersion force is appropriate to represent bubble dispersion in low-void fraction PWR flows.