Abstract
Evaporation of thin film deposited downstream menisci of slug flows is of major importance in the two-phase heat transfer phenomena occurring inside micro/mini-channels or in pulsating heat pipes. The aim of this study is consequently to analyze, by means of experimental infrared thermography, the heat transfers involved in the motion of a semi-infinite slug flow (one liquid slug followed by one single vapour bubble) in a heated capillary copper tube. Between the liquid and vapour phases the meniscus deposits a thin liquid film at the wall; this film brings about intense heat transfer at the wall by evaporation, leading to a highly significant decrease of external wall temperature. This phenomenon is better understood using infrared temperature measurements, which help to analyze the heat transfer characteristics present during evaporation. Given the highly transient nature of the process, the thickness of the deposited film is a parameter of major importance. After validation of the measurement method with tests involving no fluid or only liquid flow, the experimental results, with water being used as a working fluid, are compared to those of a numerical thermal model of which the parameters are well-known. The results drawn from the model rather accurately predict those obtained in the experiments and facilitate further analysis by presenting, for example, the evolution of liquid film thickness or heat flux density in conjunction with the wall temperature fields. It has been found that the thin film length is a first-order function of the initial thickness of the deposited film, the meniscus velocity, and the heat flux density at the wall, including the release of stored heat energy in the wall that is caused by the temperature difference before and after passage of the meniscus. This study represents a step towards better understanding the local physical phenomena governing the operation of pulsating heat pipes.
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