Investigation on the mechanism of abnormal heat transfer of supercritical pressure water in vertically-upward tubes in the large specific heat region

Abstract

The heat transfer characteristics of water at supercritical pressures in a vertically‐upward internally‐ribbed tube are investigated experimentally to investigate the mechanism of abnormal heat transfer of supercritical pressure water in the so‐called large specific heat region. One kind optimized internally‐ribbed tube is used in this study. The tube is made of SA‐213T12 steel with an outer diameter of 31.8 mm and a wall thickness of 6 mm and the mean inside diameter of the tube is measured to be 17.63 mm. According to experimental data, the characteristics and mechanisms of the heat transfer enhancement and also the heat transfer deterioration of supercritical pressure water in the large specific heat region are discussed respectively. The heat transfer enhancement of the supercritical pressure water in the large specific heat region is believed to be a result of combined effect caused by the rapid variations of thermophysical properties of the supercritical pressure water in the large specific heat region, and the same is true of the heat transfer deterioration. The drastic changes in thermophysical properties near the pseudocritical points, especially the sudden rise in the specific heat of water at supercritical pressures, may result in the occurrence of the heat transfer enhancement, while the covering of the heat transfer surface by fluids lighter and hotter than the bulk fluid makes the heat transfer deteriorated eventually and explains how this lighter fluid layer forms. It is also found that the heat transfer deterioration of water at supercritical pressures is similar to the DNB (departure from nucleate boiling) at subcritical pressures in mechanism.