Critical heat flux enhancement in the presence of stream-wise curvature

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:7273061

Galloway, J E

An experimental study was undertaken to evaluate a novel cooling concept designed to cool high power heat sources by forced convective boiling in the presence of stream-wise curvature. The critical heat flux, CHF, determines the maximum nucleate-boiling heat transfer limit beyond which permanent damage to the heat source may result. Stream-wise flow curvature developed an artificial body force that propelled vapor away form the heater surface, thereby extending the nucleate-boiling regime to higher heat fluxes. a parametric study was made to investigate the effects of surface curvature, heat length, system pressure, and flow velocity on CHF. Detailed flow-visualization experiments conducted in linear and curved channel heaters improved the fundamental understanding of liquid-vapor exchange near the heater surface and helped to identify the trigger mechanism responsible for initiating CHF. These flow visualization observations were used in conjunction with experimental measurements to develop a mechanistically based CHF model that explicitly accounted for the effects of a body force.

• Research Organization: Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7273061
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420400* -- Engineering-- Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow
BOILING
CONFIGURATION
COOLING
CRITICAL HEAT FLUX
ENERGY TRANSFER
FLOW MODELS
FLOW VISUALIZATION
HEAT FLUX
HEAT SOURCES
HEAT TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEATE BOILING
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS