Assessment of Annular Flow Boiling in the Context of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulations, Experiments, and Existing Correlation

The main objective of the current work is to achieve a better understanding -- through modeling and simulation/programming activities -- of annular flow-boiling and its applications based on a synthesis of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, existing correlations, and experiments. A unique and rigorous 2-D CFD simulations technique was developed for annular flow-boiling to propose a correlation for convective component of Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) -- defined here as flow-boiling in the absence of nucleation. To provide a context for the correlation structure of convective component of HTC, flow-physics details of annular flow-boiling and correlation structure (based on fundamental considerations) for HTC have also been discussed. Further, other existing correlations for Nusselt number, void-fraction, flow-regime transition, and pressure-drop have been used to develop a general but first order engineering estimates-methodology for design of annular flow-boilers and flow-condensers. The first order estimates-methodology, thus developed for annular flow-boiler operations, was used to: (i) make a priori estimates of flow predictions towards choosing suitable instrumentations for the design of a particular test-section and associated flow-loop needed for a new high heat-flux flow-boiling experiments involving water as a working fluid), and (ii) define a range of experimental operating conditions -- for a low heat-flux test-section and flow-loop (involving FC-72 as working fluid) facility from which experimental data needed to be obtained to throw light on the flow-physics being modeled by the CFD code. Furthermore, preliminary results from a different low heat-flux experiments are briefly discussed here and then compared with rigorous CFD simulations to achieve better understanding of the flow-physics.