On slip correlations used in the determination of the void distribution of BWR fuel channels

When performing calculations on boiling water reactors it is necessary to establish a relation between the average velocity of the steam, Vg, and that of the water, Vf, in the fuel channels. This is usually done through establishing an expression for the slip ratio S=Vg/Vf. In the literature a number of such slip ratio correlations -based on measurements - has been presented. A comparison between some of these correlations has been performed in this paper. While the correlations have some general trends in common, the numerical values of S obtained with the correlations may vary significantly. Further, in spite of the fact that various flow regimes exist in a boiling channel none of the correlations considered take the change of flow regime into account. This raises the question: How reliable is the use of slip correlation? (orig.) (9 refs., 5 figs.)