A 3-D Eulerian-Lagrangian model of dispersed flow film boiling—II. Assessment using quasi-steady-state data and comparison with the results of 1-D analyses

Abstract

The hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian model developed in the companion paper (Part I) is assessed against several post-critical-heat-flux data sets, obtained in both reflooding and slowly advancing quench front experiments using the hot patch technique. The calculated results are generally in good agreement with the data; the good prediction of the high vapour superheats is due to the low values of the interfacial heat transfer which results from the droplet clustering around the centre of the channel. For comparison with the usual one-dimensional approaches, a one-dimensional model is also derived, which uses a single diameter representing the droplet population, and its results are compared with those obtained by the new three-dimensional model. For conditions of low mass flux and not very high void fraction at the quench front, the 1-D analyses underpredict the vapour superheat as the calculated interfacial heat transfers are presumedly too high. The limitations of the models implemented in the large reactor safety computer codes are also discussed.