The main objectives of this study were to obtain new experimental data for conditions not previously tested for discharging two-phase flow through two 6.35 mm diameter branches with centrelines falling in an inclined plane and to assess the applicability of ANSYS CFX in modelling discharging two-phase flow through various single and multiple branch geometries. The present results are relevant to many industrial applications including headers and manifolds, multichannel heat exchangers and small breaks in horizontal pipes.

In the experimental investigation, onsets of liquid and gas entrainment data were obtained, analyzed and correlated for two different branch spacings and two different angles between the branches. For each combination of branch spacing and angle between the branches, a wide range of Froude numbers was used. Two-phase mass flow rate and quality results were also obtained and analyzed for a range of interface heights for 16 different combinations of branch spacing, inclination angle, test section pressure and pressure drop across each branch. New correlations were developed to predict the dimensionless mass flow rate and the quality. The new correlations show good agreement with the present data and with previous correlations.

Using ANSYS CFX, the inhomogeneous, free surface model was used to model discharging two-phase flow through horizontal branches with the following configurations:​ a single short branch of square cross-section (G1), a single long branch of square cross-section (G2), a single long branch of round cross section (G3), two round branches located one on top of the other (G4), and two round branches with their centreplane angled 30° from the horizontal. For these five geometries, results were compared with previous and present results and showed good agreement for Geometries G1, G2, G3 and G5. For Geometry G4, CFX was unable to predict results when the interface was located such that the two phases flowed through both branches simultaneously. Under these conditions, the flow phenomena were too complicated and further investigations are necessary.