Papers by Author: Keith Cornwell

Abstract: The recent interest in boiling heat transfer in small diameter tubes has led to the study of boiling heat transfer outside a compact tube bundle of diameter 3mm. The bank comprised 3 columns each of 10 stainless steel electrically heated tubes of 3mm outside diameter, with pitch to diameter ratio of 1.5 in an in-line arrangement. These tests were carried out using distilled water and R113 at nominal atmospheric pressure over a range of heat fluxes between 4-21 kW/m2 for mass fluxes from G=5.6 - 32.8 kg/m2s. The recent three-zone evaporation model developed by Thome, Dupont and Jacobi for boiling inside micro channels was used to compare with experimental results as photographic study showed that bubbles confined within the bundle were responsible for the heat transfer enhancement observed. It was observed that the three state model was promising in its application to the bundle arrangement as the confinement number Co for bundle has been shown to be in the order of 0.63

Abstract: An experimental study has been carried out using a tube bank representing a section of a tube bundle. The bank comprised 3 columns each of 10 stainless steel electrically heated tubes of 3mm outside diameter with pitch to diameter ratio of 1.5 in an in-line arrangement. Flow rate through the test section was controlled. Each tube in the central column was instrumented to permit determination of the tube temperature and heat flux, hence permitting calculation of the heat transfer coefficient. These tests were carried out using distilled water at nominal atmospheric pressure over a range of heat fluxes between 6 - 21 kW/m2. Results of the heat transfer tests are presented and compared with correlations used for conventionally sized bundles. Correlations developed for large tube bundle overestimate the experimental results.