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.     

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.     

Transport-mechanisms in natural nucleate boiling in absence of external forces

In literature it is generally supposed that under terrestrial conditions the driving force in natural, nucleate boiling heat transfer is namely buoyancy caused by earth gravity, which is expressed in the empirical correlations for technical applications. However, experiments in microgravity performed during the past three decades demonstrate unanimously that up to a medium level heat flux the overall heat transfer in pool boiling is nearly independent from gravity. We refer and discuss in this paper on results of experiments performed with various liquids and liquid states and also using various heater geometries on mission platforms which provide low gravity for short and long periods. Beside the measurements of the experimental parameters to determine the heat transfer, we observed the macroscopic boiling process itself with movie films and videos in order to study the bubble dynamics. From these records we learned about the mechanisms of heat and vapour bubble transport, about the interaction between solid heater, superheated liquid, and vapour without gravity or other external force only generated by the bubbles themselves, and we observed significant details about the boiling process not recognized so far. These findings are essential for a better understanding of the complex physical process; and therefore they are important for the formulation of empirical correlations, and in future for numerical simulations to predict properly boiling heat transfer for technical applications.     

A numerical investigation of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) effects on bubble deformation under pseudo-nucleate boiling conditions

In this article, the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) effects on nucleate boiling are studied by developing a numerical modelling of EHD effect on bubble deformation in pseudo-nucleate boiling conditions. The volume of fluid (VOF) method is employed to track the interface between the gas–liquid two phases; the user-defined code is written and added to the commercial software FLUENT to solve the electric field and the corresponding electric body force. On this basis, the model is applied to study the EHD effects on heat transfer and fluid flows. An initial air bubble surrounded by liquid CCl₄ and attached to a horizontal superheated wall under the action of electric field is studied. The results of the EHD effect on bubble shape evolution are compared with those of available experiments showing good agreement. The mechanism of EHD enhancement of heat transfer and the EHD induced phenomena including bubble elongation and detachment are analyzed in detail.     

Effect of force fields on pool boiling flow patterns in normal and reduced gravity

This paper reports the observations of boiling flow patterns in FC-72, performed during a microgravity experiment, recently flown aboard of Foton-M2 satellite, in some instances with the additional aid of an electrostatic field to replace the buoyancy force. The heater consisted of a flat plate, 20 × 20 mm², directly heated by direct current. Several levels of liquid subcooling (from 20 to 6 K) and heat fluxes up to 200 kW/m² were tested. A complete counterpart test, carried out on ground before the mission, allowed direct comparison with terrestrial data. The void fraction in microgravity revealed much larger than in normal gravity condition: this may be attributed to increased bubble coalescence that hinders vapor condensation in the bulk of the subcooled fluid. In several cases, an oscillatory boiling behavior was detected, leading to periodical variation of average wall overheating of some degrees. The electric field confirmed to be very effective, even at low values of applied voltage, in reducing bubble size, thus improving their condensation rate in the bulk fluid, and in enhancing heat transfer performance, suppressing the boiling oscillations and preventing surface dryout.     

Effect of gravity on axial development of bubbly flow at low liquid Reynolds number

In view of the great importance of two geometrical parameters such as void fraction and interfacial area concentration to the accurate two-phase flow analysis at microgravity conditions, axial developments of flow parameters such as void fraction, interfacial area concentration, bubble Sauter mean diameter, and bubble number density were measured in bubbly flow at microgravity and low liquid Reynolds number conditions where the gravity effect on the flow parameters were pronounced. A total of seven data sets were acquired in the flow range of the void fraction from 1.01% to 3.36% and the liquid Reynolds number from 1,400 to 4,750. The measurements were also performed in the similar flow range at normal gravity conditions. The transport mechanisms of the flow parameters are discussed in detail based on the data measured at normal and microgravity conditions, and the drift-flux model developed at microgravity conditions are compared with the measured data.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Numerical simulations of the primary Bjerknes force experienced by bubbles in a standing ultrasonic field: Nonlinear vs. linear

The primary Bjerknes force experienced by a population of multiple bubbles in a liquid set in a nonlinear ultrasonic standing field and their translation are calculated and analyzed by numerical simulations. The force field is evaluated by considering the nonlinear bubble oscillations as well as the nonlinear character of the ultrasonic pressure field (both variables are unknown in the coupled nonlinear differential system). The results at small amplitudes agree with the classical theory on bubble translation, depending on the driving frequency in relation to the bubble resonance. It is shown that, when amplitudes are raised, the force field exhibits important modifications that strongly affect the motion of the bubbles and the way they form agglomerates. An analysis is performed on the importance of the terms in the differential system that provoke (a) the nonlinearity of the bubble oscillations and (b) the nonlinearity of the acoustic wave. This study reveals that both features should be considered to better approximate the primary Bjerknes force field. Simulations of the nonlinear ultrasonic field after the bubbles form agglomerates under the influence of this force are also performed.     

Experimental and numerical study on the growth and collapse of a bubble in a narrow tube

The growth, expansion and collapse of a bubble in a narrow tube are studied using both experiments and numerical simulations. In experiment, the bubble is generated by an electric spark in a water tank and recorded by a high-speed camera system. In numerical simulation, the evolution of the bubble is solved by adopting axisymmetric boundary integral equation, considering the surface tension effect. The results of experiments and numerical simulations are compared and good agreements are achieved. Both of them show that a counter-jet forms and penetrates the bubble at the end of the collapse stage, before a ring type bubble forms. Under the attraction of the tube wall due to Bjerknes force, a ring jet is generated, pointing towards the tube. On the basis of this, some physical quantities like the pressure on the tube wall and kinetic energy are calculated in a case study. The effects of tube diameters and tube lengths on the bubble’s behaviors are also investigated.     

Observations on braided thin wire nucleate boiling in microgravity

A microgravity experiment was conducted on the Space Shuttle Endeavor (STS-108) to observe sustained nucleate boiling of water. Subcooled water was boiled with a single strand and a braid of three 0.16 mm diameter and 80 mm long Nichrome resistive wires. A CCD video camera recorded the experiment while six thermistors recorded the temperature of the fluid at various distances from the heating element. This paper reports experimental results in observations, measurements, and data analysis. Bubble explosions were found to take place shortly after the onset of boiling for both the single and braid of wires. The explosion may produce a high heat transfer rate, as it generates a cloud of microbubbles. The number, size, and departure rate of the bubbles from the heater wire were measured and compared with theoretical models as a function of time. The temperature measurements revealed a complex temperature distribution in the fluid chamber due to bubbles ejected from the wire that carried thermal energy close to the temperature sensors. Drag forces on departing bubbles were calculated based on bubble movement and used to predict bubble propagation. Results from this experiment provided further understanding of nucleate boiling dynamics in microgravity for the eventual design and implementation of two-phase heat transfer systems in space applications.     

An analysis of the d-law departure during droplet evaporation in microgravity

The d²-law validity during n-decane droplet vaporization in microgravity environment is examined experimentally. Two sets of experiments are performed, under normal and microgravity, in stagnant hot atmospheric environment. The environment temperature is varied in the range up to 967 K. The droplet is suspended onto the cross point of two micro-fibers of 14 μm in diameter. This technique enables to greatly minimize the effect of fiber on droplet heat and mass transfer. The results show that, for ambient temperatures below approximately 950 K, departure from the d²-law is observed during droplet vaporization in microgravity environment. In addition, the droplet lifetime is longer in microgravity than in normal gravity under the same ambient test conditions. However, for temperatures exceeding approximately 950 K, the experimental results demonstrate that the d²-law holds throughout the entire droplet lifetime, and the mass transfer rate is identical in both microgravity and normal gravity environments.     

Effects of bubble size on heat transfer enhancement by sub-millimeter bubbles for laminar natural convection along a vertical plate

Injection of sub-millimeter bubbles is considered a promising technique for enhancing natural convection heat transfer for liquids. So far, we have experimentally investigated heat transfer characteristics of laminar natural convection flows with sub-millimeter bubbles. However, the effects of the bubble size on the heat transfer have not yet been understood. The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of the bubble size on the heat transfer enhancement for the laminar natural convection of water along a vertical heated plate with uniform heat flux. Temperature and velocity measurements, in which thermocouples and a particle tracking velocimetry technique are, respectively used, are conducted to investigate heat transfer and flow characteristics for different bubble sizes. Moreover, two-dimensional numerical simulations are performed to comprehensively understand the effects of bubble injection on the flow near the heated plate. The result shows that the ratio of the heat transfer coefficient with sub-millimeter-bubble injection to that without injection ranges from 1.3 to 2.2. The result also shows that for a constant bubble flow rate, the heat transfer coefficient ratio increases with a decrease in the mean bubble diameter. It is expected from our estimation based on both experimental data and simulation results that this increase results from an increase in the advection effect due to bubbles.     

On the influence of buoyancy on the surface tension driven flow around a bubble on a heated wall

The surface tension driven flow in the liquid vicinity of gas bubbles on a heated solid wall has been investigated both, in a reduced gravity environment aboard a sounding rocket, and in an earth-bound experiment. Both experiments deal with temperature gradients within the liquid surrounding of a bubble which cause variations of the surface tension. These, in turn, lead to a liquid flow around the bubble periphery termed thermocapillary or thermal Marangoni-convection. On Earth, this phenomenon is widely masked by buoyancy. We therefore carried out an experiment under reduced gravitational acceleration. In order to simultaneously observe and record the flow field and the temperature field liquid crystal tracers have been applied. These particles offer the feature of selectively reflecting certain wavelengths of incident white light depending on the crystals temperature. Although the bubble injection system did not perform nominally during the flight experiment, some interesting flow characteristics could be observed. Comparison of results obtained in microgravity to data measured on Earth reveal that due to the interaction of thermocapillarity and buoyancy a very compact vortex flow results on ground, while in microgravity the influence on the surface tension driven flow penetrates much deeper into the bulk. This result is of special interest regarding the production of materials in space. Dedicated to Professor Dr. Julius Siekmann on the occasion of his 70th birthday The work described herein was supported by the German space agency DARA (Deutsche Agentur für Raumfahrtangelegenheiten GmbH) through DARA Grant 50 WM 9434. The authors thank the European Space Agency (ESA) for the opportunity to conduct the TEXUS 33 sounding rocket experiment. The flight hardware has been partly built by Daimler-Benz-Aerospace which is gratefully acknowledged. Also, the authors are indebted to Mr. H.-H. Wolf for his careful evaluation of the particle images     

Primary Bjerknes force in a three-dimensional nonlinear resonator: Numerical simulations

The effect of the primary Bjerknes force caused by a three-dimensional nonlinear standing ultrasonic wave on a population of nonlinear oscillating bubbles is studied in this paper by analyzing the results obtained from simulations performed with a numerical model at low and moderate pressure amplitudes. Small air bubbles are evenly distributed in a water filled cavity excited at resonance for which axial symmetry is assumed. Both the bubble oscillation variable and the pressure variable are unknown in the nonlinear set of coupled differential equations that describes the interaction of ultrasound and bubbles. Simulation results show that the three-dimensional primary Bjerknes force field is strongly amplitude dependent. We also analyze whether taking the term in the differential system that defines the nonlinear behavior of the pressure field into account is determinant or not on the computation of the force field. The corresponding results corroborate the one-dimensional conclusions on the fundamental importance of considering this nonlinear acoustic term to obtain an accurate approximation of the force in a cavity.     

Dynamics of a bubble in a liquid under laser pulse action

Simulation was performed of the behavior of a vapor bubble in a liquid under laser irradiation in laboratory experiments. A mathematical model was developed to analyze the effect of heat conduction, diffusion, and mass transfer on the bubble dynamics under compression and expansion. It is found that at the stage of collapse, intense condensation occurs on the bubble wall, which results in a significant (more than 15fold) decrease in bubble mass and an increase in pressure (to 10⁵ atm) and temperature (to 10⁴ K(. Results of numerical calculations of the radius of the first rebound and the amplitude of the divergent shock wave in water are compared with experimental data. It is shown that small (:about 1%) additives of an incondensable gas lead to a considerable decrease in mass transfer on the bubble wall.     

Experimental study of pool temperature effects on nucleate pool boiling

Nucleate pool boiling experiments with constant wall temperature were performed using pure R113 for subcooled, saturated, and superheated pool conditions. A microscale heater array and Wheatstone bridge circuits were used to maintain the constant wall temperature and to measure the instantaneous heat flow rate accurately with high temporal and spatial resolutions. Images of bubble growth were taken at 5000 frames per second using a high-speed CCD camera synchronized with the heat flow rate measurements. The bubble geometry was obtained from the captured bubble images. The effect of the pool conditions on the bubble growth behavior was analyzed using dimensionless parameters for the initial and thermal growth regions. The effect of the pool conditions on the heat flow rate behavior was also examined. The bubble growth behaviors during subcooled, saturated, and superheated pool boiling were analyzed using a modified Jakob number that we newly defined. Dimensionless time and bubble radius parameters with the modified Jakob number characterized the bubble growth behavior well. These phenomena require further analysis for various pool temperature conditions, and this study will provide good experimental data with precise constant wall temperature boundary condition for such works.     

NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE BEHAVIOR OF A BUBBLE ATTACHED TO A TIP IN A NONUNIFORM ELECTRIC FIELD

In order to investigate the effects of a nonuniform electric field on the behavior of a bubble, a numerical study on the shape of a bubble attached to a conducting tip on a supporting wall is performed. The equilibrium bubble shape is determined by solving the free boundary problem that consists of the governing equation for electric field and the normal stress condition at the bubble surface. A numerically generated composite orthogonal coordinate system is employed to solve the free boundary problem. A bubble on a tip is found to be extended in the direction parallel to the applied electric field. The elongation increases steeply with an increase of the electric field strength and the height of the tip. It is also observed that a highly elongated bubble has a shape with slender waist. The bubble shape obtained from numerical studies are qualitatively similar to the shapes observed in experiments. If the contact radius is maintained during bubble deformation, the contact angle and the aspect ratio increase with the increase of the electric field strength and the tip height. On the other hand, if the contact angle is fixed during bubble deformation, the contact radius decreases as the electric field strength increases. In order to estimate the effect of electric field on the bubble departure volume, the surface tension force and the downward electric force exerted on a bubble are also computed for a bubble of fixed volume under the fixed contact angle condition. The sum of the two forces is found to decrease with increasing strength of nonuniform electric field. This fact suggests that the bubble departure volume decreases in a nonuniform electric field.     

Interaction of the thermovibrational and thermocapillary convection mechanisms

Thermal convection in microgravity induced by the combined action of thermocapillary forces and vibrations is considered. In the high-frequency approximation the thermovibrational forces are written for the case in which isothermal mixing of the fluid is unimportant. The authors' own work and new results of investigating the effect of vibration on thermocapillary instability, of numerically modeling the heat and mass transfer in open cavities and of experiments on the vibrational suppression of surface deformation are reviewed. The prospects for the practical application of the results obtained are discussed.     

Single bubble growth in saturated pool boiling of binary mixtures

Nucleate pool boiling experiments for binary mixtures, which are consisted of R11 and R113, were performed with constant wall temperature condition. Results for binary mixtures were also compared with pure fluids. A microscale heater array and Wheatstone bridge circuits were used to maintain the constant temperature of the heating surface and to obtain heat flow rate measurements with high temporal and spatial resolutions. Bubble growth images were captured using a high-speed CCD camera synchronized with the heat flow rate measurements.The departure time for binary mixtures was longer than that for pure fluids, and binary mixtures had a higher onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) temperature than pure fluids. In the asymptotic growth region, the bubble growth rate was proportional to a value between t^1/6 and t^1/4. The bubble growth behavior was analyzed to permit comparisons with binary mixtures and pure fluids at the same scale using dimensionless parameters. There was no discernible difference in the bubble growth behavior between binary mixtures and pure fluids for a given ONB temperature. And the departure radius and time were well predicted within a ±30% error.The minimum heat transfer coefficient of binary mixtures occurred near the maximum |y−x| value, and the average required heat flux during bubble growth did not depend on the mass fraction of R11 as more volatile component in binary mixtures. Finally, the results showed that for binary mixtures, a higher ONB temperature had the greatest effect on reducing the heat transfer coefficient.     

均匀电场中气泡上升特性的实验研究

电场中的气泡对于强化传热有显著的作用, 对于电场中气泡动力学特性的研究对增强换热器效率, 提高能源利用率有重要意义. 为了获得外加电场作用下气泡的动力学特性, 设计与搭建了可视化实验平台. 采用50 kV高压直流电源构建均匀电场, 高清摄像机拍摄实验图像. 引入电场强度、气泡体积与溶液介电常数作为变量, 探究其对于气泡动力学特性的影响. 观测了竖直与水平均匀电场中气泡的上升过程, 分析了不同变量下气泡变形状况与上升速度的变化. 引入气泡长宽比L/D用于表示气泡拉伸变形程度, 截取单个气泡上升过程分时段图像展示形态变化过程. 研究结果表明, 气泡沿电场方向伸长, 且电场强度越大, 变形越明显; 竖直电场中气泡伸长导致上升速度增大, 而水平电场中气泡上升速度减小. 气泡尺寸增大, 浮升力作用增强, 气泡上升速度增大. 溶液介电常数增加, 电场力作用明显增加, 气泡变形更加明显.      

电场作用下气泡上升行为特性的数值计算研究

利用电场控制气泡形态及运动,强化气液相间传热传质是电流体动力学的重要研究内容之一. 然而目前多数研究集中在非电场下的气泡动力学上,对于电场下的气泡行为特性及电场的作用机制仍需开展深入研究. 本研究对电场作用下单个气泡在流体中上升过程的动力学行为进行了数值模拟研究. 在建立二维模型的基础上求解电场方程与Navier-Stokes方程,并采用水平集方法捕捉了上升气泡的位置及形状. 模拟结果的准确性与有效性通过与前人实验和数值结果进行对比得到了验证. 通过改变雷诺数、邦德数和电邦德数等不同参数研究了电场下液体黏度、表面张力和电场力对气泡运动变形的影响. 计算结果表明,电场对气泡的动态特性有显著影响. 非电场情况下液体黏度和表面张力较大时气泡基本维持球状,反之气泡发生变形并逐步达到稳定状态. 此外,电场作用使气泡在初始上升阶段发生剧烈形变,随着不断上升,气泡形变程度不断减小,且气泡的上升速度和长径比均出现振荡. 垂直电场使气泡的上升速度有较大的提高,且随着电邦德数的增大,难以达到相对稳定的状态.