The convection heat transfer characteristic in narrow channel is superior. Therefore, narrow channels are suitable for being manufactured into compact heat transfer components with high heat transfer performance. This new technology of heat transfer enhancement with no source is widely applied to various fields such as microelectronic heat sink, cryogenic industry, chemical industry, aeronautic & astronautic industry and nuclear engineering. In integrated reactor, the coolant channels between the plate fuels are narrow channels. As to the investigation of two-phase flow and heat transfer in narrow channels, reports are focused on experimental research with low pressure, at home and abroad, but reports on numerical simulation research are relatively small. Based on separated flow, a theoretical two-fluid model predicting for upward flow in a rectangular narrow channel with bilateral heating has been developed in this paper. The theoretical model is based on fundamental conservation principles: the mass, momentum and energy conservation equations of liquid films and the momentum conservation equation of vapor core. The model assumed that liquid film covers the surface of the channel while the vapor with entrained droplets flows in the central core. And there exists the mass transfer between the liquid droplets in the vapor core and the liquid films. Through numerically solving these equations, liquid film thickness, radial velocity and temperature distribution in liquid films and heat transfer coefficient are obtained. The calculated results shows that the width of the narrow channel, heat pattern, heat flux have great influences on heat transfer coefficient and the thickness of liquid film. The heat transfer coefficient will increase with the decrease of the channel width. That is, the heat transfer may be enhanced with small rectangular narrow channel. But when the channel width is less than a certain value, the model may not be proper anymore. So the further research should be necessary. As the applications of the present model, the critical heat flux and critical quality are calculated.
- Nuclear Engineering Division
Numerical Simulation of Upward Two-Phase Flow in Narrow Channel Between Two Flat Plates With Bilateral Heating
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Li, L, Zhang, Z, & Liu, J. "Numerical Simulation of Upward Two-Phase Flow in Narrow Channel Between Two Flat Plates With Bilateral Heating." Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering. Volume 2: Fuel Cycle and High Level Waste Management; Computational Fluid Dynamics, Neutronics Methods and Coupled Codes; Student Paper Competition. Orlando, Florida, USA. May 11–15, 2008. pp. 729-738. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE16-48289
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