Subcooled boiling flow was simulated by combining the two-fluid model of the CFX-4.4 code and a Lagrangian bubble-tracking model. At present, both models are coupled “off-line” via the local bubble Sauter diameter. The two-fluid model simulation with the CFX-4.4 code provides local values of turbulent kinetic energy field of the liquid phase, which is used as an input for the bubble-tracking model. In the bubble-tracking model, vapour is distributed in the liquid in the form of individually tracked bubbles. The result of the Lagrangian simulation is a non-homogeneous distribution of local Sauter diameter, which is used in the two-fluid model to predict the interfacial forces and interfacial transfer rates of mass and heat transfer. The coupled approach requires a few iterations to obtain a converged solution. The results of the proposed approach were validated against boiling flow experiments from the literature. A good agreement between measured and calculated radial profiles of void fraction and bubble diameter was obtained.
