Effect of Inlet Restriction on Flow Boiling Heat Transfer in a Horizontal Microtube

Abstract

Flow boiling heat transfer in a horizontal microtube with inlet restriction (orifice) under uniform heating condition is experimentally investigated using FC-72 as working fluid. A stainless steel microtube with an inner diameter of 889 μm is selected as main microtube. Two microtubes with smaller diameters are assembled at the inlet of main microtube to achieve the restriction ratios of 50% and 20%. The experimental measurement is carried out at mass fluxes ranging from 160 to 870 kg/m2·s, heat fluxes varying from 6 to 170 kW/m2, inlet temperatures of 23 and 35 °C, and saturation pressures of 10 and 45 kPa. The effects of the orifices on two-phase pressure drop, critical heat flux (CHF), and flow boiling heat transfer coefficient are studied. The results show that the pressure drop caused by the orifice takes a considerable portion in the total pressure drop at low mass fluxes. This ratio decreases as the vapor quality or mass flux increases. The difference of normal critical heat flux in the microtubes with different orifice sizes is negligible. In the aspect of flow boiling heat transfer, the orifice is able to enhance the heat transfer at low mass flux and high saturation pressure, which indicates the contribution of orifice in the nucleate boiling dominated regime. However, the effect of orifice on flow boiling heat transfer is negligible in the forced convective boiling dominated regime.