Numerical Simulation of Boiling Heat Transfer of Water in Vertical Rectangular Mini-Channels

Abstract:

Boiling heat transfer in vertical rectangular mini-channels with a width of 1mm and 0.1mm is studied in this paper. The course of bubble generation, growth and departure is numerically simulated and analyzed, and the influence of the movement of phase interfaces on pressure difference and average surface heat transfer coefficient is investigated by using geometry reconstruction and interface tracking. All the calculation is conducted taken into account the gravity, surface tension and wall adhesion. This paper presents that the width of channels plays a significant role in the course of bubble generation, growth and motion, which also leads to changes of critical heat flux. In addition, it is found that surface tension is much more important than gravity in the process of boiling heat transfer. As the channel size is decreased, the boiling heat transfer coefficient increases significantly, which proves that mini-channels can enhance the heat transfer. However, the boiling heat transfer coefficient obtained through numerical simulation is higher than the existing experimental data due to the ideal assumptions adopted in simulation.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 29-32)
• Pages: 61-67
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.29-32.61
• Online since: August 2010
• Authors: Lei Guo, Shu Sheng Zhang, Ya Qun Chen, Lin Cheng
• Keywords: Boiling Heat Transfer, Heat Transfer Enhancement, Mini-Channel, Numerical Simulation

References

[1] Johston Bsetal, Boiling heat transfer in a narrow eccentric annulus, ASME Journal of Engineering for Power: partⅡ, vol 105, 1983, pp.7481-7490.

[2] Chang Y, Critical heat flux of narrow vertical annuli with close bottoms, Journal of Heat Transfer, vol 105, 1983, pp.192-195.

DOI: 10.1115/1.3245542

[3] M. W. Wambsganss, D. M. France and J. A. Jendrzejczyk, Boiling heat transfer in a horizontal small-diameter tube, Journal of Heat Transfer, vol 115, 1993, pp.963-972.

DOI: 10.1115/1.2911393

[4] Ishibashi E, Nishikawa K, Saturated boiling heat transfer in narrow spaces, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol 12, 1969, pp.863-894.

DOI: 10.1016/0017-9310(69)90153-7

[5] Wambsganss M W, France D M, Jendrzejczyk J A, and Tran T N, Boiling heat transfer in a small diameter tube, ASME. J. Heat Transfer, vol 115, 1992, pp.963-972.

DOI: 10.1115/1.2911393

[6] Lazarek G M, Black S H, Evaporative heat transfer pressure drop and critical heat flux in a small diameter vertical tube with R-113, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol 25, 1982, pp.945-960.

DOI: 10.1016/0017-9310(82)90070-9

[7] Liu Z, and Winterton R H S, Wet wall flow boiling correlation with explicit nuclear term, 5th Miami symp. On Multiphase Transport and Particulate Phenomena, (1998).

[8] Shah M M, Chart correlation for saturated boiling heat transfer: equations and further study, ASHRAE Trans, vol 88, 1982, pp.185-196.

[9] Kandilidar S G, A general correlation for saturated two - phase flow boiling heat transfer inside horizontal and vertical tubes, ASME J. of Heat Transfer, vol 112, 1990, pp.219-228.

DOI: 10.1115/1.2910348

[10] Bowers M B, Mudawar I, High flux boiling in low flow rate, low pressure drop mini-channel and micro-channel heat sinks, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol 37, 1994, pp.321-332.

DOI: 10.1016/0017-9310(94)90103-1

[11] Suo M, Griffith P, Two-phase flow in capillary tubes, Trans. ASME J. Basic Eng., Series D., vol 86, 1964, pp.576-582.

DOI: 10.1115/1.3653176

[12] Coleman J W, Garimella S, Characterization of two-phase flow patterns in small diameter round and rectangular tubes, Int. J. Heat and Mass Transfer, vol 42, 1999, pp.2869-2881.

DOI: 10.1016/s0017-9310(98)00362-7

[13] Jijun Xu, Dou-nan Jia, Boiling heat transfer and gas-liquid two-phase flow, Atomic Energy Press, 2001, pp.120-131.

[14] Wang JH, Tang DW, Yan XH, An experimental study on the flow boiling heat transfer and its visualization of water in a rectangular micro-groove horizontally laid, Journal of the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, vol 24, 2007, pp.34-38.

[15] Bo Su, Xiaoping Luo, Heat transfer mechanism of saturated boiling flow in the veridical rectangular microchannels, Journal of Lanzhou University (Nature Sciences), vol 44, 2008, pp.281-284.