HEAT TRANSFER TO DISPERSED SWIRL FLOW OF HIGH-PRESSURE WATER WITH LOW WALL SUPERHEAT

Heat transfer was studied to two-phase flow in the post-CHF dispersed flow regime under swirl conditions. Data were used for post-CHF water flow at high pressure, 15.9 MPa, inside a vertical tube with twisted-tape inserts. Data used were obtained under test conditions typical of heat exchanger operation with low wall superheats of 5-40°C. The mass flux range of the data was 910-1878 kg/m2 s, and three tape-twist ratios were used: 2.55, 5.03, and 7.52. The low wall superheat and the relatively high mass fluxes resulted in higher than predicted drop-wall heat transfer. The only existing heat transfer correlation for this flow situation was modified to include this heat exchanger parameter range.