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At least 181 records · Page 10

Boiling oxygen experimental studies in an electrically heated tube

An experimental study was made of subcooled flow boiling with LOX; data were obtained with thermocouples attached to the walls of an electrically heated tube through which the LOX flowed. Pressure levels in the tube ranged from 200 psia to supercritical values, and the cooling level varied from the saturated condition to 50 F. Reynolds numbers ranged from 1.5 x 10 to 3.5 x 10 to the 5th. Results show that an increase in either pressure, subcooling level, or Reynolds number produces an increase in the film boiling heat transfer coefficient. Data for this range of parameters were found to correlate in terms of the Stanton number vs (T sub w - T sub s)/(T sub s - T sub b), where T is temperature, w is the wall, s is the saturated condition, and b is the bulk.

Peroulias, C.↗

Flow boiling with enhancement devices for cold plate coolant channel design

A research program to study the effect of enhancement devices on flow boiling heat transfer in coolant channels, which are heated either from the top side or uniformly, is discussed. Freon 11 is the working fluid involved. The specific objectives are: (1) examine the variations in both the mean and local (axial and circumferential) heat transfer coefficients for a circular coolant channel with either smooth walls or with both a twisted tape and spiral finned walls, (2) examine the effect channel diameter (and the length-to-diameter aspect ratio) variations for the smooth wall channel, and (3) develop an improved data reduction analysis.

Boyd, Ronald D., Sr.↗

Flow boiling with enhancement devices for cold plate coolant channel design

The effects of enhancement devices on flow boiling heat transfer in circular coolant channels, which are heated over a fraction of their perimeters, are studied. The variations were examined in both the mean and local (axial, and circumferential) heat transfer coefficients for a circular coolant channel with either smooth walls or with both a twisted tape and spiral finned walls. Improvements were initiated in the present data reduction analysis. These efforts should lead to the development of heat transfer correlations which include effects of single side heat flux and enhancement device configuration. It is hoped that a stage will be set for the study of heat transfer and pressure drop in single sided heated systems under zero gravity conditions.

Boyd, Ronald D.↗

Pool boiling from rotating and stationary spheres in liquid nitrogen

Results are presented for a preliminary experiment involving saturated pool boiling at 1 atm from rotating 2 and 3 in. diameter spheres which were immersed in liquid nitrogen (LN2). Additional results are presented for a stationary, 2 inch diameter sphere, quenched in LN2, which were obtained utilizing a more versatile and complete experimental apparatus that will eventually be used for additional rotating sphere experiments. The speed for the rotational tests was varied from 0 to 10,000 rpm. The stationary experiments parametrically varied pressure and subcooling levels from 0 to 600 psig and from 0 to 50 F, respectively. During the rotational tests, a high speed photographic analysis was undertaken to measure the thickness of the vapor film surrounding the sphere. The average Nusselt number over the cooling period was plotted against the rotational Reynolds number. Stationary sphere results included local boiling heat transfer coefficients at different latitudinal locations, for various pressure and subcooling levels.

Cuan, Winston M.↗

Forced convection and flow boiling with and without enhancement devices for top-side-heated horizontal channels

The effect of enhancement devices on flow boiling heat transfer in coolant channels, which are heated either from the top side or uniformly was studied. Studies are completed of the variations in the local (axial and circumferential) and mean heat transfer coefficients in horizontal, top-heated coolant channels with smooth walls and internal heat transfer enhancement devices. The working fluid is freon-11. The objectives are to: (1) examine the variations in both the mean and local (axial and circumferential) heat transfer coefficients for a circular coolant channel with either smooth walls or with both a twisted tape and spiral finned walls; (2) examine the effect of channel diameter (and the length-to-diameter aspect ratio) variations for the smooth wall channel; and (3) develop and improved data reduction analysis. The case of the top-heated, horizontal flow channel with smooth wall (1.37 cm inside diameter, and 122 cm heated length) was completed. The data were reduced using a preliminary analysis based on the heated hydraulic diameter. Preliminary examination of the local heat transfer coefficient variations indicated that there are significant axial and circumferential variations. However, it appears that the circumferential variation is more significant than the axial ones. In some cases, the circumferential variations were as much as a factor of ten. The axial variations rarely exceeded a factor of three.

Boyd, Ronald D., Sr.↗

Variation of superheat with subcooling in nucleate pool boiling

An analysis is presented that explains the variation of superheat with subcooling that has been observed by a number of researchers investigating nucleate boiling heat transfer at constant heat flux. It is shown that superheat initially increases with increasing subcooling near saturated conditions because of the way in which changes in active site density and average bubble frequency with increasing subcooling affect the rate of heat removal from the heater surface by enthalpy transport and microlayer evaporation. As subcooling increases further, natural convection begins to play an increasingly important role in the heat transfer process. Ultimately, natural convection is able to accommodate the entire imposed heat flux, after which superheat decreases as subcooling increases. The success of the analysis in explaining the variation of superheat with subcooling suggests that the rate of the heat removal from the heater surface is completely determined by the mechanisms of enthalpy transport, natural convection, and microlayer evaporation.

Judd, R. L.↗

Measurement of a surface heat flux and temperature

The Heat Flux Microsensor is a new sensor which was recently patented by Virginia Tech and is just starting to be marketed by Vatell Corp. The sensor is made using the thin-film microfabrication techniques directly on the material that is to be measured. It consists of several thin-film layers forming a differential thermopile across a thermal resistance layer. The measured heat flux q is proportional to the temperature difference across the resistance layer q= k(sub g)/delta(sub g) x (t(sub 1) - T(sub 2)), where k(sub g) is the thermal conductivity and delta (sub g) is the thickness of the thermal resistance layer. Because the gages are sputter coated directly onto the surface, their total thickness is less than 2 micrometers, which is two orders of magnitude thinner than previous gages. The resulting temperature difference across the thermal resistance layer (delta is less than 1 micrometer) is very small even at high heat fluxes. To generate a measurable signal many thermocouple pairs are put in series to form a differential thermopile. The combination of series thermocouple junctions and thin-film design creates a gage with very attractive characteristics. It is not only physically non-intrusive to the flow, but also causes minimal disruption of the surface temperature. Because it is so thin, the response time is less than 20 microsec. Consequently, the frequency response is flat from 0 to over 50 kHz. Moreover, the signal of the Heat Flux Microsensor is directly proportional to the heat flux. Therefore, it can easily be used in both steady and transient flows, and it measures both the steady and unsteady components of the surface heat flux. A version of the Heat Flux Microsensor has been developed to meet the harsh demands of combustion environments. These gages use platinum and platinum-10 percent rhodium as the thermoelectric materials. The thermal resistance layer is silicon monoxide and a protective coating of Al2O3 is deposited on top of the sensor. The superimposed thin-film pattern of all six layers is presented. The large pads are for connection with pins used to bring the signal out the back of the ceramic. In addition to the heat flux measurement, the surface temperature is measured with a platinum resistance layer (RTS). The resistance of this layer increases with increasing temperature. Therefore, these gages simultaneously measure the surface temperature and heat flux. The demonstrated applications include rocket nozzles, SCRAM jet engines, gas turbine engines, boiling heat transfer, flame experiments, basic fluid heat transfer, hypersonic flight, and shock tube testing. The laboratory involves using one of these sensors in a small combustion flame. The sensor is made on a 2.5 cm diameter piece of aluminum nitride ceramic.

Davis, R. M.↗

Evolution of Vapor Bubbles Nucleation Sites in Low Gravity

When liquid is expelled by a vapor bubble growing at a nucleation site on a superheated surface, a thin microlayer underneath the bubble is left behind. It is evaporated from the free microlayer surface that provides for bubble growth. The average thickness of the microlayer determining the evaporation rate increases with time if the latter does not exceed a threshold value associated with the burn-out crisis. The bubble is described as a spherical segment with its flattened part adjoining the microlayer. This introduces two independent variables - the radius of the spherical part of the bubble surface and the polar angle that defines the relative area of the flattened part. They are to be found out from a set of two strongly nonlinear equations resulting from mass and momentum conservation laws. The first one depends on both microlayer thickness and nonmonotonously changing bubble base area. The second involves two major factors favoring bubble detachment - the buoyancy and a force due to the initial momentum of vapor input into the bubble. The former force depends on gravity whereas the latter one does not. It is why the limiting regimes of bubble evolution that correspond to normal or moderately reduced gravity and to microgravity feature drastically different properties. In the first case, the buoyancy dominates and the bubble evolves in such a manner as to become a full sphere at a moment that can be viewed as that of detachment. The detachment volume grows as gravity decreases. In the second case, the buoyancy is negligible and the bubble stays near the surface, while its volume continues to increase for a sufficiently long time. The findings are discussed in connection with experimental data obtained under different gravity conditions, some unpublished experiments being included. They help to understand why the pool boiling heat transfer coefficient frequently increases as gravity falls down and eventually vanishes.

Buyevich, Yu A.↗

Flow-Boiling Critical Heat Flux Experiments Performed in Reduced Gravity

Poor understanding of flow boiling in microgravity has recently emerged as a key obstacle to the development of many types of power generation and advanced life support systems intended for space exploration. The critical heat flux (CHF) is perhaps the most important thermal design parameter for boiling systems involving both heatflux-controlled devices and intense heat removal. Exceeding the CHF limit can lead to permanent damage, including physical burnout of the heat-dissipating device. The importance of the CHF limit creates an urgent need to develop predictive design tools to ensure both the safe and reliable operation of a two-phase thermal management system under the reduced-gravity (like that on the Moon and Mars) and microgravity environments of space. At present, very limited information is available on flow-boiling heat transfer and the CHF under these conditions.

Hasan, Mohammad M.↗

Rotary engine cooling system

A rotary engine has a substantially trochoidal-shaped housing cavity in which a rotor planetates. A cooling system for the engine directs coolant along a single series path consisting of series connected groups of passages. Coolant enters near the intake port, passes downwardly and axially through the cooler regions of the engine, then passes upwardly and axially through the hotter regions. By first flowing through the coolest regions, coolant pressure is reduced, thus reducing the saturation temperature of the coolant and thereby enhancing the nucleate boiling heat transfer mechanism which predominates in the high heat flux region of the engine during high power level operation.

Jones, Charles↗

Bubble Detachment in Variable Gravity Under the Influence of a Non-Uniform Electric Field

The objective of the study reported in this paper is to investigate the effects of variable, reduced gravity on the formation and detachment behavior of individual air bubbles under the influence of a non-uniform electric field. For this purpose, variable gravity experiments were carried out in parabolic nights. The non-uniform electric field was generated by a spherical electrode and a plate electrode. The effect of the magnitude of the non-uniform electric field and gravity level on bubble formation, development and detachment at an orifice was investigated. An image processing code was developed that allows the measurement of bubble volume, dimensions and contact angle at detachment. The results of this research can be used to explore the possibility of enhancing boiling heat transfer in the variable and low gravity environments by substituting the buoyancy force with a force induced by the electric field. The results of experiments and measurements indicate that the level of gravity significantly affects bubble shape, size and frequency. The electric field magnitude also influences bubble detachment, however, its impact is not as profound as that of variable gravity for the range of electric field magnitudes investigated in the present study.

Chang, Shinan↗

Axisymmetric Two-Dimensional Modeling of No Vent Filling of a Cryogenic Tank using Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program

This paper presents preliminary analysis using a finite volume based computational method for network flow analysis for the simulation of chill and fill of a cryogenic tank. An axisymmetric two-dimensional model of a spherical tank was developed using a nodal approach. No Vent Filling (NVF) was accomplished using a Thermodynamic Vent System assisted injector where the injector was cooled by the cold gas generated by Joule-Thompson expansion of the liquid propellant. The numerical model accounts for a) different regimes of pool boiling heat transfer, b) condensation of vapor around spray droplets, and c) condensation of vapor at the interface of the cooled injector and ullage. The numerical predictions of tank pressure, filling rate, and wall temperatures were compared with the test data and one-dimensional (1D) model predictions. It was demonstrated that the axisymmetric 2D model provided a more realistic prediction than the 1D model.

Cryogenics↗

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 29, No. 1, January-March 1988]

Nuclear Safety is a review journal that covers significant developments in the field of nuclear safety. Its scope includes the analysis and control of hazards associated with nuclear energy, operations involving fissionable materials, and the products of nuclear fission and their effects on the environment. Primary emphasis is on safety in reactor design, construction, and operation; however, the safety aspects of the entire fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing, nuclear waste disposal, handling of radioisotopes, and environmental effects of these operations, are also treated. Table of Contents for this issue follows. THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT: 1 Core History and Nuclide Inventory of the Chernobyl Core at the Time of Accident by Gerald Kirchner and Cornelius C. Noack; GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: 6 Nonprescriptive Nuclear Safety Regulation: The Example of Loss of Offsite Power by M. W. Golay, V. P. Manno, and C. Vlahoplus, Jr., 20 Nuclear Power Safety Goals in Light of the Chernobyl Accident by C. Whipple and C. Starr; ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: 29 Containment Loads from Severe Accidents—U.S. Program by W. Kerr and M. K. Dey; PLANT SAFETY FEATURES: 36 Safety Characteristics of Modern High-Temperature Reactors: Focus on German Designs by W. Kröger, H. Nickel, and R. Schulten; ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: 49 Radiation Hormesis and Nuclear Safety by C. C. Congdon; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 58 Evaluation of Nonradiological Water Chemistry at Power Reactors by Harvey Zibulsky, James J. Kottan, Walter J. Pasciak, Mary Ann Castrogivanni, and Sujit Banerjee, 64 Reactor Shutdown Experience Compiled by J. W. Cletcher, 67 Operating U.S. Power Reactors Compiled by E. G. Silver; RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: 85 General Administrative Activities Compiled by E. G. Silver, 94 Reports, Standards, and Safety Guides by D. S. Queener, 100 Status of Power-Reactor Projects Undergoing Licensing Review Compiled by E. G. Silver, 103 Proposed Rule Changes as of Sept. 30, 1987; ANNOUNCEMENTS: 5 Northwestern University Short Course on Radiation Safety, 28 International Approach to Nuclear Safety (After Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl), 57 RPI Short Course on Modern Developments in Boiling Heat Transfer and Two-Phase Flow, 107 20th DOE/NRC Nuclear Air Cleaning Conference, 110 Third International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Power Plant Thermal Hydraulics and Operations, 108 The Authors, 111 Indexes to Nuclear Safety, Volume 28.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Flow Visualization, Heat Transfer, and Critical Heat Flux of Flow Boiling in Earth Gravity with Saturated Liquid-Vapor Mixture Inlet Conditions – In Preparation for Experiments Onboard the International Space Station

This study investigates flow boiling of n-Perfluorohexane with saturated two-phase mixture inlet in a rectangular channel of dimensions 114.6-mm heated length, 2.5-mm width, and 5 mm-height. The experiments were performed as part of the Mission Sequence Testing of the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment’s (FBCE) Flow Boiling Module (FBM) in the vertical upflow configuration in Earth gravity using the same experimental system that was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in August 2021. The operating parameters varied are heating configuration (single- and double-sided), mass velocity (380 – 2400 kg/m2s), inlet quality (0.011 – 0.519), and inlet pressure (120 – 179 kPa). High-speed video photographs are presented to explain the two-phase flow patterns within the channel’s heated length. Flow patterns are constituted by low-density and high-density fronts moving along the channel, with the high-density fronts gradually reducing in length due to evaporation. Heat transfer results in terms of flow boiling curves, streamwise wall temperature profiles, streamwise heat transfer coefficient profiles, and average heat transfer coefficients are presented and trends discussed. CHF data from the present experiments are combined with prior databases to compile a consolidated FBCE-CHF database for saturated inlet to expand the ranges of operating conditions and include other flow orientations in Earth gravity. Experimental CHF trends are also discussed. The interfacial lift-off model shows a good CHF predictive accuracy evidenced by a mean absolute error of 11.97% for this consolidated database after constraining it to mass velocities greater than or equal to 500 kg/m2s. Finally, this study confirmed reliability of the upcoming ISS experiments for saturated inlet conditions and the collected Earth-gravity data will be compared to ISS microgravity data.

Flow boiling↗