Turbulent subcooled boiling flow - Experiments and simulations

Experiments and simulations were carried out in this investigation of turbulent subcooled boiling flow of Refrigerant-113 through a vertical annular channel whose inner wall only was heated. The measurements used, simultaneously, a two-component laser Doppler velocimeter for the liquid velocity field and a fast-response cold-wire for the temperature field, and a dual-sensor fiberoptic probe for the vapor fraction and vapor axial velocity. In the numerical simulation, the two-fluid model equations were solved by the solver ASTRID developed at Electricite de France. Wall laws for the liquid phase time-average axial velocity and temperature were developed from the experimental data, and the turbulent Prandtl number in the liquid was determined from the wall laws. The wall laws and turbulent Prandtl number were used in the simulations. The wall heat transfer model utilized the measured turbulent heat flux distribution in the liquid. Results from the simulations were compared with the measurements. Good agreement was found for some of the quantities while the agreement was only fair for others.