Comparing the Enhancement of Heat Transfer Caused by Sliding Gas Bubbles and by Sliding Vapor Bubbles in Subcooled Flow in a Minichannel

Author(s):  
Khaled E. Albahloul ◽  
D. Keith Hollingsworth ◽  
Larry C. Witte ◽  
Arif B. Ozer

Studies published over the past decade have established the importance of sliding bubbles in enhancing the heat transfer in subcooled two-phase flow in channels small enough to confine the bubbles. Recent work in this laboratory (Ozer et al., 2011, 2012) proposed that the primary enhancement mechanism is a single-phase convective mechanism: the transport of cold fluid nearer the wall due to the mixing behind the bubble. This is in contrast to two phase-change mechanisms: distributed bubble nucleation and the evaporation of the liquid microlayer between a sliding bubble and the surface. The work reported here explores this hypothesis by comparing the heat transfer enhancement produced by injected air bubbles to Ozer’s measurements obtained with naturally nucleated vapor bubbles. Data were collected under similar conditions in a highly subcooled laminar flow of Novec 649 in a horizontal rectangular minichannel of 1.21 to 1.484 mm channel spacing. The channel was formed by an electrically heated metallic upper wall and an unheated transparent lower wall. For the air/liquid flow, bubbles were injected at either a single point on the lower wall or through a sintered metal plug. The latter system produced a more channel-filling distribution of bubbles. A high-speed imaging system recorded the bubble motion and liquid crystal thermography recorded time-averaged surface temperature data. The comparison is presented in the form of the streamwise evolution of surface temperatures and the enhancement in time-averaged Nusselt number. Also, results for the passage of a single air bubble are presented. The air/liquid flow produced a Nu enhancement of between 120–350% compared to a single-phase flow at the same conditions. The passage of the single gas bubble produced a decrease in the wall temperature directly behind the bubble of 2–5 °C. The Nu enhancement produced by the air/liquid data and the nucleated vapor data is well correlated to appropriate dimensionless groups involving bubble diameter and frequency. The results from both data sets support the contention that a transient transport/mixing model developed previously for the vapor/liquid case captures the dominant single-phase convective mechanism in sliding bubble flows in highly confined channels.

Author(s):  
Ryan Lewis ◽  
Hayley Schneider ◽  
Yunda Wang ◽  
Ray Radebaugh ◽  
Y. C. Lee

Micro cryogenic coolers (MCCs) operating in the Joule-Thomson cycle with mixed refrigerants offer an attractive way to decrease the size, cost, and power draw required for cryogenic cooling. Recent studies of MCCs with mixed refrigerants have, when employing pre-cooling, shown pulsating flow-rates and oscillating temperatures, which have been linked to the refrigerant flow regime in the MCC. In this study we investigate those flow regimes. Using a high-speed camera and optical microscopy, it is found that the pulsations in flow correspond to an abrupt switch from single-phase vapor flow to single-phase liquid flow, followed by 2-phase flow in the form of bubbles, liquid slugs, and liquid slug-annular rings. After this period of 2-phase flow, the refrigerant transitions back to single-phase vapor flow for the cycle to repeat. Under different pre-cooling temperatures, the mole fraction of the vapor-phase refrigerant, as measured by molar flow-rate, agrees reasonably well with the quality of the refrigerant at that temperature as calculated by an equation of state. The frequency of pulsation increases with liquid fraction in the refrigerant, and the volume of liquid in each pulse only weakly increases with increasing liquid fraction. The cooling power of the liquid-flow is up to a factor of 7 greater than that of the 2-phase flows and single-phase vapor flow.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 152-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kumamaru ◽  
Y. Fujiwara

An annular two-phase flow model has been proposed to predict the pressure drop and heat transfer of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) gas-liquid metal two-phase flow in a rectangular channel for the case of high void fraction. The model for a rectangular channel, in which the applied magnetic field is perpendicular to the short side of the channel cross-section, nearly predicts Inoue et al.’s experimental data on the MHD pressure drop. For fusion reactor conditions, the model shows calculated results that the MHD pressure drop for two-phase flow can be lowered to 10 percent of that of the single-phase liquid flow and the heat transfer coefficient can be increased by a factor of two or more over that of the single-phase liquid flow.


Author(s):  
Jacqueline Barber ◽  
Khellil Sefiane ◽  
David Brutin ◽  
Lounes Tadrist

Boiling in microchannels remains elusive due to the lack of full understanding of the mechanisms involved. A powerful tool in achieving better comprehension of the mechanisms is detailed imaging and analysis of the two phase flow at a fundamental level. We induced boiling in a single microchannel geometry (hydraulic diameter 727 μm), using a refrigerant FC-72, to investigate several flow patterns. A transparent, metallic, conductive deposit has been developed on the exterior of rectangular microchannels, allowing simultaneous uniform heating and visualisation to be conducted. The data presented in this paper is for a particular case with a uniform heat flux of 4.26 kW/m2 applied to the microchannel and inlet liquid mass flowrate, held constant at 1.33×10−5 kg/s. In conjunction with obtaining high-speed images and videos, sensitive pressure sensors are used to record the pressure drop profiles across the microchannel over time. Bubble nucleation, growth and coalescence, as well as periodic slug flow, are observed in the test section. Phenomena are noted, such as the aspect ratio and Reynolds number of a vapour bubble, which are in turn correlated to the associated pressure drops over time. From analysis of our results, images and video sequences with the corresponding physical data obtained, it is possible to follow visually the nucleation and subsequent both ‘free’ and ‘confined’ growth of a vapour bubble over time.


Author(s):  
Suizheng Qiu ◽  
Minoru Takahashi ◽  
Guanghui Su ◽  
Dounan Jia

Water single-phase and nucleate boiling heat transfer were experimentally investigated in vertical annuli with narrow gaps. The experimental data about water single-phase flow and boiling two-phase flow heat transfer in narrow annular channel were accumulated by two test sections with the narrow gaps of 1.0mm and 1.5mm. Empirical correlations to predict the heat transfer of the single-phase flow and boiling two-phase flow in the narrow annular channel were obtained, which were arranged in the forms of the Dittus-Boelter for heat transfer coefficients in a single-phase flow and the Jens-Lottes formula for a boiling two-phase flow in normal tubes, respectively. The mechanism of the difference between the normal channel and narrow annular channel were also explored. From experimental results, it was found that the turbulent heat transfer coefficients in narrow gaps are nearly the same to the normal channel in the experimental range, and the transition Reynolds number from a laminar flow to a turbulent flow in narrow annuli was much lower than that in normal channel, whereas the boiling heat transfer in narrow annular gap was greatly enhanced compared with the normal channel.


Author(s):  
S. E. Tarasevich ◽  
A. B. Yakovlev

In paper the experimental results on a heat transfer in annular channels with continuous twisting at length at one- and two-phase flows are observed. For a flow twisting the wire was spirally coiled on the central body of the annular channel (diameter of a wire is equal to annular gap altitude). Results of experimental data of a heat transfer of authors and various researchers at a single phase flow in annular channels with a continuous twisting are analyzed. Sampling of diagnostic variables (equivalent diameter and velocity) is spent and generalizing associations for heat transfer calculation on the concave and convex surfaces in a single-phase phase are offered. Also the technique of definition of temperature of the subcooled flow boiling beginning on surfaces of annular channels with a twisting is offered. Features of boiling, origination of heat transfer crisis and results of visualization of a two-phase flow structure in annular channels with twisting are described.


Author(s):  
Sira Saisorn ◽  
Somchai Wongwises ◽  
Piyawat Kuaseng ◽  
Chompunut Nuibutr ◽  
Wattana Chanphan

The investigations of heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of non-boiling air-water flow in micro-channels are experimentally studied. The gas-liquid mixture from y-shape mixer is forced to flow in the 21 parallel rectangular microchannels with 40 mm long in the flow direction. Each channel has a width and a depth of 0.45 and 0.41 mm, respectively. Flow visualization is feasible by incorporating the stereozoom microscope into the camera system and different flow patterns are recorded. The experiments are performed under low superficial velocities. Two-phase heat transfer gives better results when compared with the single-phase flow. It is found from the experiment that heat transfer enhancement up to 53% is obtained over the single-phase flow. Also, the change in the configuration of the inlet plenum can result in the different two-phase flow mechanisms.


Author(s):  
V. Agranat ◽  
S. Zhubrin ◽  
A. Maria ◽  
J. Hinatsu ◽  
M. Stemp ◽  
...  

A high-pressure water electrolysis system has been investigated numerically and experimentally. The advanced CFD model of two-phase flow, which calculated the 3D distributions of pressure, gas and liquid velocities and gas and liquid volume fractions, has been developed to account for all the major components in the system, and appropriate constitutive equations for two-phase flow parameters were selected for various parts of the system, such as the cell stack, riser, separator and downcomer. Heat transfer between the two phases, and between the gas-liquid mixture and cooling coils located in the gas-liquid separator was also accounted for. The model was validated using comparisons of predicted liquid flow rate with the liquid flow rate measured in the downcomer, where a single-phase liquid flow existed. The effects of pressure, current density, number of cells, and bubble size were investigated with the numerical model. The numerical predictions matched the general trends obtained from the experimental results with regard to the effects of pressure and current density on the liquid flow rate. The validated CFD model is being used as a cell design tool at Hydrogenics Corporation.


Machines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 353
Author(s):  
Hui Quan ◽  
Yanan Li ◽  
Lei Kang ◽  
Xinyang Yu ◽  
Kai Song ◽  
...  

Vortex pumps have good non-clogging performance owing to their impellers being retracted into retraction cavities, but they are much less efficient than ordinary centrifugal pumps. In this paper, numerical simulations were performed on a model of the 150WX200-20 vortex pump for four different blade types, and the influence of blade structure on pump performance was determined. The simulations revealed the existence of axial vortices in the flow passage between the blades in the impeller region. The geometric characteristics of these axial vortices were more regular in two-phase solid-liquid flow than single-phase liquid flow. The presence of the solid phase reduced the vortex strength compared with the single-phase flow and suppressed the increase in size of the secondary circulation vortex. It was found, however, that the blade shape had a greater influence on the circulating flow than the presence of the solid phase. The flow state of the medium flowing out of the impeller domain had a direct effect on the circulating flow with this effect being related to the law governing the flow of the medium in the flow channel between the blades. It was found that the performance of a front-bent blade was the best and that of a curved blade the worst. This influence of blade type on the internal flow structure was used to further explain the relationship between the internal flow structure and the external characteristics of the vortex pump, the understanding of which is crucial for blade selection and hydraulic optimization.


2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Gao ◽  
Weitao Jia ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Dongya Zhang ◽  
Zhengliang Wang

Abstract For high-speed motorized spindle bearing, temperature rise is the primary factor that restricts the maximum speed of spindle and affects the stability of system. This paper addresses the lubrication and cooling of spindle bearing by exploiting the precise oil control and high cooling efficiency of oil–air lubrication. Enlightened by the bearing tribology and two-phase flow theory, a numerical model of oil–air two-phase flow heat transfer inside bearing cavity is created, with which the effects of operating condition and nozzle structure parameters on the temperature rise are studied. As the results show, with the elevation in speed, the heat generation increases rapidly, and despite the somewhat enhanced heat transfer effect, the temperature still tends to rise. Given the higher volume fraction of air than oil in the two-phase flow, the temperature rise of bearing is suppressed greatly as the air inlet velocity increases, revealing a remarkable cooling effect. When a single nozzle is used, the bearing temperature increases from the inlet to both sides, which peaks on the opposite side of the inlet. In case multiple evenly distributed nozzles are used, the high-temperature range narrows gradually, and the temperature distributions in the inner and outer rings tend to be consistent. With the increase in the nozzle aspect ratio, the airflow velocity drops evidently, which affects the heat dissipation, thereby resulting in an aggravated temperature rise. Finally, the simulation analysis is verified through experimentation, which provides a theoretical basis for selecting optimal parameters for the oil–air lubrication of high-speed bearing.


Author(s):  
Dohwan Kim ◽  
Matthew J. Rau

Abstract Small tubes and fins have long been used as methods to increase surface area for convective heat transfer in single-phase flow applications. As demands for high heat transfer effectiveness has increased, implementing evaporative phase-change heat transfer in conjunction with small fins, tubes, and surface structures in advanced heat exchanger and heat sink designs has become increasingly attractive. The complex two-phase flow that results from these configurations is poorly understood, particularly in how the gas phase interacts with the flow structure of the wake created by these bluff bodies. An experimental study of liquid-gas bubbly flow around a cylinder was performed to understand these complex flow physics. A 9.5 mm diameter cylinder was installed horizontally within a vertical water channel facility. A high-speed camera captured the movement of the liquid-gas mixture around the cylinder for a range of bubble sizes. Liquid Reynolds number, calculated based on the cylinder diameter, was varied approximately from 100 to 3000. Time-averaged probability of bubble presence was calculated to characterize the cylinder wake and its effects on the bubble motion. The influence of the liquid Reynolds number, superficial air velocity, and bubble size is discussed in the context of the observed two-phase flow patterns.


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