A dry-spot model of critical heat flux applicable to both pool boiling and subcooled forced convection boiling

Abstract

A phenomenological model of critical heat flux (CHF) applicable to both pool boiling and subcooled forced convection boiling is developed using the dry-spot model proposed recently and existing correlations for active site density, bubble departure diameter and heat transfer coefficient in nucleate boiling. For the active nucleation site density Kocamustafaogullari and Ishii’s model is used including the concept of a suppression factor. The Chen correlation is used for the estimation of total heat flux in nucleate boiling. Comparisons of the model predictions with experimental data for pool boiling of water and subcooled upward flow boiling of water in vertical, uniformly-heated round tubes yield an averaged CHF ratio of 0.93 and a root-mean-square error of 41.3%. The data set compared for CHF in subcooled forced convection boiling covers wide ranges of operating conditions (0.1⩽ P⩽14.0 MPa, 0.00033⩽ D⩽0.0375 m; 0.002⩽ L⩽2 m; 660⩽ G⩽90,000 kg/m 2 s; 70⩽Δ h i ⩽1456 kJ/kg). By the modification of the suppression factor only the predictive capability of the present model is greatly improved with a r.m.s. error of 20.5%.