Algebraic turbulence modeling in adiabatic and evaporating annular two-phase flow

The study considers algebraic turbulence modeling in adiabatic and evaporating annular two-phase flow, focusing in particular on momentum and heat transfer (so-called ‘convective boiling’) through the annular liquid film. In contrast with single-phase wall-bounded flow theory, shear-driven annular liquid films are assumed here to behave as fluid-bounded flows, mostly interacting with the shearing gas-entrained droplets core flow. Besides providing velocity and temperature profiles through the liquid film, the turbulence model proposed here predicts key parameters such as the average liquid film thickness, the void fraction and the convective boiling heat transfer coefficient with accuracies comparable or better than those of leading design correlations. This turbulence model is part of a unified annular flow modeling suite that includes methods to predict the entrained liquid fraction and the axial frictional pressure gradient. The underlying heat transfer database covers nine fluids (water, two hydrocarbons and six refrigerants) for vertical and horizontal tubes of 1.03-14.4 mm diameter and pressures of 0.1-7.2 MPa. Importantly, this study shows that there appears to be no macro-to-microscale transition when it comes to annular flow. Simply better physical modeling is required to span this range.     

Evaporation of Falling and Shear-Driven Thin Films on Smooth and Grooved Surfaces

One of the most important tasks in development of modern gas turbine combustors is the reduction of NO_x emissions. An effective way to reduce the NO_x emission is using the lean premixed prevaporization (LPP) concept. An important phenomenon taking place in LPP chambers is the evaporation of thin fuel films. To increase the fuel evaporation rate, the use of microstructured walls has been suggested. The wall microstructures make use of the capillary forces to evenly distribute the liquid fuel over the wall, so that the appearance of uncontrolled dry patches can be avoided. Moreover, the wall structures promote the thin film evaporation characterized by ultra-high evaporation rates. An experimental setup was built for the investigation of thin liquid films falling down on the outer surface of vertical tubes with either a smooth or structured surface. In the first testing phase water is used, fuel like liquids will be used later on. The thin film can be heated from both sides, by hot oil flowing inside the tube, and by hot compressed air flowing in co-current direction to the thin film. The film is partly evaporated along the flow. Results for the wavy film structure at different Reynolds numbers are reported. For theoretical investigations a model describing the hydrodynamics and heat transfer due to evaporation of the gravity- and shear-driven undisturbed liquid film on structured surfaces was developed. For low Reynolds numbers or low liquid mass fluxes the wall surface is only partly covered with liquid and the heat transfer is shown to be governed by the evaporation of the ultra-thin film in the vicinity of the three-phase contact line. A numerical model for the solution of a two-dimensional free-surface flow of a liquid film over a structured wall was also developed. The Navier–Stokes equations are solved using the Volume of Fluid (VOF) technique. The energy equation is included in the model. The model is verified by comparison with data from the literature showing favorable agreement. In particular, the proposed model predicts the formation of capillary waves observed in the experiments. The model is used to investigate the flow of liquid on a structured wall. This calculation is the first step towards the modeling of a three-dimensional wavy flow of a gravity- and shear-driven film along a wall with longitudinal grooves. It is found that due to the Marangoni effect, a circulating flow arises within the cavity, thereby leading to an enhancement in the evaporation rate.     

Measurement of liquid film thickness in micro square channel

In micro channels, slug flow becomes one of the main flow regimes due to strong surface tension. In micro channel slug flow, elongated bubble flows with the thin liquid film confined between the bubble and the channel wall. Liquid film thickness is an important parameter in many applications, e.g., micro heat exchanger, micro reactor, coating process etc. In the present study, liquid film thickness in micro square channels is measured locally and instantaneously with the confocal method. Square channels with hydraulic diameter of D_h = 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 mm are used. In order to investigate the effect of inertial force on the liquid film thickness, three working fluids, ethanol, water and FC-40 are used. At small capillary numbers, liquid film at the channel center becomes very thin and the bubble interface is not axisymmetric. However, as capillary number increases, bubble interface becomes axisymmetric. Transition from non-axisymmetric to axisymmetric flow pattern starts from lower capillary number as Reynolds number increases. An empirical correlation for predicting axisymmetric bubble radius based on capillary number and Weber number is proposed from the present experimental data.     

Selection of working fluids for electrohydrodynamic experiments in terrestrial conditions and microgravity

Electrohydrodyamic (EHD) heat transfer enhancement and flow control methods are becoming increasingly popular in engineering science and applications both in terrestrial and low gravity applications. The correct choice of the working fluid is essential for the design and performance of EHD hardware and can pose challenge because some working fluids with favorable EHD properties can be unstable or hazardous. In this paper key properties and criteria for the selection of working fluids for single-phase (liquid) as well as gas–liquid and vapor–liquid two-phase electrohydrodynamic experiments and applications are discussed. Key physical and electrical properties as well as environmental and safety issues are reviewed for the sample fluids PF-5052, FC-72, R141b, cyclohexane and pure water. Microgravity experiments impose additional demands on the selection of the working fluids. Some of these demands are addressed by contrasting bubble dimensions and shapes at detachment, estimated using a simple thermodynamic model, in terrestrial and microgravity conditions with and without electric fields. Data are obtained using a simplified analytical model and verified experimentally.     

Thermal imaging study on the surface wave of heated falling liquid films

By using thermal imaging technique and film thickness metering system, the surface wave and film thickness of the heated falling liquid film were experimentally investigated. Temperature variations of the heated film induce surface tension gradient and so-caused Marangoni flow that attempts to avoid the temperature variations. There are three kinds of Marangoni flow appearing in the heated falling liquid film. It is found that the lateral Marangoni flow (MF I) and the streamwise Marangoni flow (MF II) make the heated film thick, while the Marangoni flow in the surface wave (MF III) reinforces the wave and makes the heated film thin. The intensity of Marangoni flow is determined by the flow rate and the heating conditions. MF I and MF II are both enhanced with the increasing liquid flow rate. Moreover, MF III is prominent under moderate flow rates and is gradually weakened at high flow rates. The distance over which MF III starts, increases with a rise in flow rate, but is independent of the heating condition.     

Two-phase flow and pool boiling heat transfer in microgravity

Researches on two-phase flow and pool boiling heat transfer in microgravity, which included ground-based tests, flight experiments, and theoretical analyses, were conducted in the National Microgravity Laboratory/CAS. A semi-theoretical Weber number model was proposed to predict the slug-to-annular flow transition of two-phase gas–liquid flows in microgravity, while the influence of the initial bubble size on the bubble-to-slug flow transition was investigated numerically using the Monte Carlo method. Two-phase flow pattern maps in microgravity were obtained in the experiments both aboard the Russian space station Mir and aboard IL-76 reduced gravity airplane. Mini-scale modeling was also used to simulate the behavior of microgravity two-phase flow on the ground. Pressure drops of two-phase flow in microgravity were also measured experimentally and correlated successfully based on its characteristics. Two space experiments on pool boiling phenomena in microgravity were performed aboard the Chinese recoverable satellites. Steady pool boiling of R113 on a thin wire with a temperature-controlled heating method was studied aboard RS-22, while quasi-steady pool boiling of FC-72 on a plate was studied aboard SJ-8. Ground-based experiments were also performed both in normal gravity and in short-term microgravity in the drop tower Beijing. Only slight enhancement of heat transfer was observed in the wire case, while enhancement in low heat flux and deterioration in high heat flux were observed in the plate case. Lateral motions of vapor bubbles were observed before their departure in microgravity. The relationship between bubble behavior and heat transfer on plate was analyzed. A semi-theoretical model was also proposed for predicting the bubble departure diameter during pool boiling on wires. The results obtained here are intended to become a powerful aid for further investigation in the present discipline and development of two-phase systems for space applications.     

Measurement of the liquid film thickness in micro tube slug flow

Slug flow is one of the representative flow regimes of two-phase flow in micro tubes. It is well known that the thin liquid film formed between the tube wall and the vapor bubble plays an important role in micro tube heat transfer. In the present study, experiments are carried out to clarify the effects of parameters that affect the formation of the thin liquid film in micro tube two-phase flow. Laser focus displacement meter is used to measure the thickness of the thin liquid film. Air, ethanol, water and FC-40 are used as working fluids. Circular tubes with five different diameters, D = 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 and 1.3 mm, are used. It is confirmed that the liquid film thickness is determined only by capillary number and the effect of inertia force is negligible at small capillary numbers. However, the effect of inertia force cannot be neglected as capillary number increases. At relatively high capillary numbers, liquid film thickness takes a minimum value against Reynolds number. The effects of bubble length, liquid slug length and gravity on the liquid film thickness are also investigated. Experimental correlation for the initial liquid film thickness based on capillary number, Reynolds number and Weber number is proposed.     

Simulation and measurement of 3D shear-driven thin liquid film flow in a duct

Three-dimensional flow behavior of thin liquid film that is shear-driven by turbulent air flow in a duct is measured and simulated. Its film thickness and width are reported as a function of air velocity, liquid flow rate, surface tension coefficient, and wall contact angle. The numerical component of this study is aimed at exploring and assessing the suitability of utilizing the FLUENT-CFD code and its existing components, i.e. Volume of Fluid model (VOF) along with selected turbulence model, for simulating the behavior of 3D shear-driven liquid film flow, through a comparison with measured results. The thickness and width of the shear-driven liquid film are measured using an interferometric technique that makes use of the phase shift between the reflections of incident light from the top and bottom surfaces of the thin liquid film. Such measurements are quite challenging due to the dynamic interfacial instabilities that develop in this flow. The results reveal that higher air flow velocity decreases the liquid film thickness but increases its width, while higher liquid flow rate increases both its thickness and width. Simulated results provide good estimates of the measured values, and reveal the need for considering a dynamic rather than a static wall contact angle in the model for improving the comparison with measured values.     

Measurements of velocity,temperature and velocity fluctuation distributions in falling liquid films

The velocity, temperature and velocity fluctuation distributions within falling spindle oil films in an inclined rectangular channel were measured using hot-wire techniques and thin thermocouples. The interfacial shear was caused by cocurrent air flow.The results indicate that the liquid films are as a whole much more laminar-like than turbulent in a range of Reynolds numbers (4γ/μ) up to the experimental limit of 6000. Mixing motion occurs in the vicinity of the interface; however, the flow near the wall surface exhibits no sign of such eddy motions, as predicted by the wall law for single phase turbulent flow. Although velocity fluctuation is observed within films with interfacial shear, mean velocity profiles are approximately the same as those obtained by the laminar film prediction.     

Effect of bottom topography on the flow of a non-Newtonian liquid film down an inclined plane

The problem of flow of a nonlinear viscous liquid film down an inclined surface with local microtopography is considered. Numerical and approximate analytic solutions are obtained for steady flows of power-law liquid films down inclined surfaces with topography. Steps, hills, and periodic structures are considered as local topography. Basic properties of flows are found.     

The analysis of a mechanism of liquid replenishment and draining in horizontal two-phase flow

There is a regime of two-phase flow in which large waves or surges pass rapidly along a horizontal tube accompanied by splashing, wave-breaking and entrainment with the result that water is thrown to the upper surface of the tube. Between surges the film on the top surface is depleted by draining under gravity and by evaporation if the tube is heated. If the interval between surges is sufficiently long a dry patch may begin to form. In this paper, theory is given for the calculation of the film thickness left behind on the top surface and for the calculation of the time to dryout. The theory includes both the effect of the boundary layer developement during replenishment of the film and also the effect of the axial deceleration of the film at the point where the liquid replenishment ceases. Finally, the predicted variation of film thickness is compared with experimental film thickness traces obtained in this type of horizontal two-phase flow. The agreement is found to be very satisfactory. This analysis is of interest in connection with the prevention of permanent and intermittent dryout at low qualities in nuclear power station evaporators.     

Experimental analysis of the local heat transfer coefficient of falling film evaporation with and without co-current air flow velocity

This paper presents the experimental results of the local heat transfer for falling film evaporation of water sheet by solving the inverse heat conduction problem. It is shown that the local heat transfer coefficients increase by increasing the air flow velocity, the film liquid flow rate or decreasing the inlet bulk film temperature. Correlations for the mean heat transfer coefficients in the absence of superimposed flow for the stagnation region, the thermally developed region and the bottom of the heated cylinder are proposed.     

Weakly nonlinear stability analysis of a falling film with countercurrent gas flow

Weakly nonlinear stability analysis of a falling film with countercurrent gas–liquid flow has been investigated. A normal mode approach and the method of multiple scales are employed to carry out the linear and nonlinear stability solutions for the film flow system. The results show that both supercritical stability and subcritical instability are possible for a film flow system when the gas flows in the countercurrent direction. The stability characteristics of the film flow system are strongly influenced by the effects of interfacial shear stress when the gas flows in the countercurrent direction. The effect of countercurrent gas flow in a falling film is to stabilize the film flow system.     

微重力气液两相流动与池沸腾传热

综述了近年来中国科学院微重力重点实验室(国家微重力实验室)完成的一系列微重力气液两相流动与池沸腾传热方面的地基实验、飞行实验和理论研究等方面获得的主要成果.在微重力气液两相流动方面,提出了半理论Weber数模型用于预测微重力条件下气液两相弹-环状流转换,并采用Monte Carlo方法,针对气泡初始尺寸对泡-弹状流转换的影响进行数值研究.通过俄罗斯"和平号"空间站与IL-76失重飞机实验,获得了微重力下的气液两相流型图,与此同时在地面利用小尺度毛细管模型模拟了微重力气液两相流动特征.实验测量了微重力气液两相流压降,并基于微重力流动特性建立了一个泡状流压降关联模型.在微重力池沸腾传热方面,利用我国返回式卫星完成了两次空间实验,其中,第22颗返回式卫星搭载铂丝表面R113池沸腾实验采用控制温度的稳态加热方式,而实践8号育种卫星搭载平面FC-72池沸腾实验则采用控制加热电压的准稳态加热方式.同时,还进行了地面常重力和落塔短时微重力条件下的对比实验研究.观察到丝状加热表面微重力时轻微的传热强化现象,而平板加热表面微重力核态池沸腾低热流时传热强化、高热流时传热恶化.微重力实验中观察到气泡脱落前存在横向运动现象,据此分析了气泡行为与传热之间关系,并提出了一个预测丝状加热表面气泡脱落直径的半理论模型.旨在对相关领域的进一步发展和空间两相流系统的应用提供数据及理论支持.     

The calculation of dryout in a rod bundle

A model of annular two-phase flow is used to calculate dryout on the assumption that dryout occurs when the liquid flowrate in the film on the solid surfaces becomes equal to zero. To enable the calculation to be performed, the processes of entrainment and deposition of liquid droplets must be adequately described. The rod bundle is divided, for calculational purposes, into rod centred subchannels, and the liquid flows in the liquid films and as droplets in each subchannel are calculated. The agreement between experiment and calculation for dryout power is encouraging.     

One-group interfacial area transport equation and its sink and source terms in narrow rectangular channel

The characteristics of two-phase flow in a narrow rectangular channel are expected to be different from those in other channel geometries, because of the significant restriction of the bubble shape which, consequently, may affect the heat removal by boiling under various operating conditions. The objective of this study is to develop an interfacial area transport equation with the sink and source terms being properly modeled for the gas–liquid two-phase flow in a narrow rectangular channel. By taking into account the crushed characteristics of the bubbles a new one-group interfacial area transport equation was derived for the two-phase flow in a narrow rectangular channel. The random collisions between bubbles and the impacts of turbulent eddies with bubbles were modeled for the bubble coalescence and breakup respectively in the two-phase flow in a narrow rectangular channel. The newly-developed one-group interfacial area transport equation with the derived sink and source terms was evaluated by using the area-averaged flow parameters of vertical upwardly-moving adiabatic air–water two-phase flows measured in a narrow rectangular channel with the gap of 0.993 mm and the width of 40.0 mm. The flow conditions of the data set covered spherical bubbly, crushed pancake bubbly, crushed cap-bubbly and crushed slug flow regimes and their superficial liquid velocity and the void fraction ranged from 0.214 m/s to 2.08 m/s and from 3.92% to 42.6%, respectively. Good agreement with the average relative deviation of 9.98% was obtained between the predicted and measured interfacial area concentrations in this study.     

Characteristics of critical heat flux in two phase thermosyphon – relationship between maximum falling liquid rate and instability on interface of falling liquid film

Critical heat flux in a two-phase thermosyphon is usually dealt with from two different ways in a limitation of liquid flow rate falling along a vertical tube: one is a maximum falling liquid rate due to the envelope method, and the other one due to instability of falling liquid film. The difference between the maximum and instability criteria is first made clear. The CHF in the thermosyphon is shown to be predicted well by the maximum liquid rate due to the maximum criterion better than due to the instability criterion. In addition, the comparison implies that the CHF phenomenon in the thermosyphon is considered to be caused when the falling liquid reaches the maximum value rather than when the instability of the falling liquid on the interface is brought about. Received on 1 December 1997     

A multiphase,micro-scale PIV measurement technique for liquid film velocity measurements in annular two-phase flow

Prediction methods for two-phase annular flow require accurate knowledge of the velocity profile within the liquid film flowing at its perimeter as the gradients within this film influence to a large extent the overall transport processes within the entire channel. This film, however, is quite thin and variable and traditional velocimetry methods have met with only very limited success in providing velocity data. The present work describes the application of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to the measurement of velocity fields in the annular liquid flow. Because the liquid is constrained to distances on the order of a millimeter or less, the technique employed here borrows strategies from micro-PIV, but micro-PIV studies do not typically encounter the challenges presented by annular flow, including very large velocity gradients, a free surface that varies in position from moment to moment, the presence of droplet impacts and the passage of waves that can be 10 times the average thickness of the base film. This technique combines the seeding and imaging typical to micro-PIV with a unique lighting and image processing approach to deal with the challenges of a continuously varying liquid film thickness and interface. Mean velocity data are presented for air–water in two-phase co-current upward flow in a rectangular duct, which are the first detailed velocity profiles obtained within the liquid film of upward vertical annular flow to the authors’ knowledge. The velocity data presented here do not distinguish between data from waves and data from the base film. The resulting velocity profiles are compared with the classical Law of the Wall turbulent boundary layer model and found to require a decreased turbulent diffusivity for the model to predict well. These results agree with hypotheses previously presented in the literature.     

Experimental investigation of flow and heat transfer for the ethanol-water solution and FC-72 in rectangular microchannels

Rapid development of super scale integration circuit (IC) provides unprecedented challenge to thermal control for aviation electronic equipments. To solve the problem of cooling electronic chips and devices for aircraft avionics, this paper experimentally investigated the characteristics of single-phase forced convection heat transfer and flow resistance in rectangular microchannels with two liquid coolants. One was 30% of ethanol–water solution, the most commonly used coolant in aviation. The other was FC-72, the latest coolant for electronic equipments. Based on the experimental data collected and those available in the open literature, comparisons and analyses were carried out to evaluate the influences of liquid velocity, supercooling temperature, microchannel structures and wall temperature etc. on the heat transfer behaviors. And the correlations of flow resistance and heat transfer characteristics were provided for the ethanol–water solution and FC-72 respectively. The results indicate transition from laminar to turbulent flow occurs at the Reynolds number of 750–1,250 for FC-72, and the behaviors of flow and heat transfer in rectangular microchannels strongly depend on the kind of coolant and geometric configuration of microchannels.     

Local film thickness and temperature distribution measurement in wavy liquid films with a laser-induced luminescence technique

Heat transfer in falling liquid film systems is enhanced by waviness. Comprehension of the underlying kinetic phenomena requires experimental data of the temperature field with high spatiotemporal resolution. Therefore a non-invasive measuring method based on luminescence indicators is developed. It is used to determine the temperature distribution and the local film thickness simultaneously. Results are presented for the temperature distribution measurement in a laminar-wavy water film with a liquid side Reynolds number of 126 flowing down a heated plane with an inclination angle of 2° at two positions in flow direction. The measured temperature distributions are used to calculate the local heat transfer coefficient for solitary waves at two positions in flow direction.