Roll Wave Effects on Annular Condensing Heat Transfer in Horizontal PCCS Condenser Tube

Abstract

A horizontal in-tube condensation heat exchanger is under investigation to be used for a passive containment cooling system (PCCS) of a next generation-type BWR. The flow conditions in the horizontal condenser tube were observed both visually and by local void fraction fluctuation. The observed flow regimes at a rated condition were annular flow at the tube inlet, and turned gradually into wavy flow and smooth stratified flow along the length of the tube. It was found further that frequency of the roll waves that appear on the liquid film in the annular flow is closely related to the measured local condensation heat transfer coefficient. Based on the flow observation, the roll wave frequency and measured condensation heat transfer coefficient, a model is proposed which predicts the condensation heat transfer coefficient particularly for annular flows around the tube inlet region. The proposed heat transfer model predicts well the influences of pressure, local gas-phase velocity and film thickness.