Effects of heat exchanger tube geometries on nucleate pool boiling heat transfer in a scaled in-containment refueling water storage tank

Abstract

To determine the combined effects of the heat exchanger tube geometries of advanced light water reactors (ALWRs) passive residual heat removal system (PRHRS) on the nucleate pool boiling heat transfer in a scaled in-containment refueling water storage tank (IRWST), a total of 1,966 data (1,076 with horizontal tubes and 890 with vertical tubes) for q″ versus ΔT has been obtained using various combinations of tube diameters, surface roughness, and tube orientation. The experimental results show that (1) for both horizontal and vertical tubes, increased surface roughness enhances heat transfer whereas increased tube diameter decreases heat transfer, (2) both effects of the surface roughness and the tube diameter on the nucleate pool boiling heat transfer are significantly greater for vertical tubes than horizontal tubes, (3) the effectiveness of two heat transfer mechanisms, i.e., enhanced heat transfer dur to liquid agitation by bubbles generated and reduced heat transfer by the formation of large vapor slugs and bubble coalescence, depends on the combined effects of the heat flux, surface roughness, and the tube orientation. In addition, two different forms of empirical heat transfer correlations are obtained that fit present experimental data within +35 and −20%.