An empirical correlation for the entrainment fraction at the onset of annular flow based on 2006 CHF look-up table

Abstract

The critical heat flux (CHF) of gas-liquid flow plays an important role in the safety of industrial equipment. At present, the liquid film dryout model is widely used for predicting CHF in gas-liquid annular flow. Most parameters in this model can be determined by some empirical correlations which are valid under different conditions. However, up to now, the entrainment fraction at the onset of annular flow is always assumed due to the lack of relevant experimental data. In this paper, the normalized data of the 2006 CHF look-up table (LUT) which has been adopted widely, especially in the nuclear industry, were used. Firstly, the empirical correlations, provided for the onset of annular flow and the limiting quality, were employed. In the valid pressure and mass flux range of these correlations, the selected database from LUT was confirmed. Secondly, the liquid film model was built. The entrainment fraction at the onset of annular flow was obtained when the calculated CHF by the model agreed with the corresponding value in LUT. A parallel look-up table for it was developed. Its correlation including the Weber and the liquid Reynolds number at outlet was proposed. The errors are mostly within ±30%. Finally, its reliability on the other conditions in LUT, which are beyond the valid range of the empirical correlations used for determining the database, was discussed. All the conditions whose errors are outside ±30% of the predictions by the provided correlation were marked in the tables.