Study of Condensation during Direct Contact between Steam and Water in Pressure-Relief Tank

Abstract

Direct contact condensation (DCC) is a phenomenon observed when steam interacts with subcooled water, exhibiting higher heat and mass transfer rates compared to wall condensation. It has garnered significant interest across industries such as nuclear, chemical, and power due to its advantageous characteristics. In the context of pressure-relief tanks, understanding and optimizing the DCC process are critical for safety and efficiency. The efficiency of pressure-relief tanks depends on the amount of steam condensed per unit of time, which directly affects their operational parameters and design. This study focuses on investigating the direct gas–liquid contact condensation process in pressure-relief tanks using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Through experimental validation and a sensitivity analysis, the study provides insights into the influence of inlet steam parameters and basin temperature on the steam plume characteristics. Furthermore, steady-state and transient calculation models are developed to simulate the behaviour of the pressure-relief tank, providing valuable data for safety analysis and design optimization. There is a relatively high-pressure area in the upper part of the bubble hole of the pressure-relief tube, and the value increases as it is closer to the holes. The steam velocity in the bubbling hole near the 90° elbow position is higher. This study contributes to the understanding of steam condensation dynamics in pressure-relief tanks. When the steam emission and pressure are fixed, the equilibrium temperature increases linearly as the initial temperature increases (where a = 1, b = 20 in y = a x+ b correlation), the equilibrium pressure increases nearly exponentially, and the equilibrium gas volume decreases. When the steam emission and initial temperature are fixed, the equilibrium temperature does not change as the steam discharge pressure increases. The correlations between the predicted equilibrium parameters and the inlet steam parameters and tank temperature provide valuable insights for optimizing a pressure-relief tank design and improving the operational safety in diverse industrial contexts.