Effects Of Subcooling Research Articles

Effect of thermoelectric subcooling on COP and energy consumption of a propane heat pump

The building sector has an important impact on the environment, being responsible for 30 % of the total greenhouse gas emissions. Knowing that the energy consumption devoted to HVAC systems accounts for 50 % of the total energy consumption of buildings, it is paramount to develop environmentally friendly technologies able to provide green space heating to the building sector. To that purpose, this manuscript presents a computational study on propane vapor compression heat pumps which include thermoelectric subcooling to boost their operation. The combination of these technologies has been proven in the past to be very beneficial for refrigeration systems and this study concludes for the first time that propane heat pumps can highly benefit from thermoelectric subcooling. The widely conducted research includes the following parameters: ambient temperatures from −20 to 15 °C, voltage supplies to the thermoelectric modules from 0.5 to 10 VDC, number of thermoelectric subcooling blocks from 1 to 8 and two water inlet temperatures, 40 and 55 °C to study their influence on heating capacity, compressor and thermoelectric power consumptions, subcooling degree, propane mass flow, compressor capacity, COP, energy consumption and SCOP of the combined heat pump. The obtained results are very conclusive, COP enhancements up to 12.29 % are achieved when a thermoelectric subcooler with 16 modules is included in a propane heat pump already provided with an internal heat exchanger for an ambient temperature of −20 °C and a water inlet temperature of 55 °C. Additionally, improvements in Seasonal COP up to 9.98 % are achieved if the above-mentioned technologies integration between a vapor compression heat pump and a thermoelectric subcooler substitutes a conventional propane heat pump with an internal heat exchanger for space heating a single-story two-family house.

Experimental study of pool boiling heat transfer on hybrid surface coupled micro-pin-finned

The performance of identical hydrophilic-hydrophobic coupled micro-pin-finned surfaces was evaluated using FC-72 as the working fluid in pool boiling experiments. Three hydrophilic and hydrophobic coupled rectangular copper column surfaces (HH4, HH9, and HH16) were constructed to analyze their boiling heat transfer properties. By integrating the micro-pin-finned surface (PF) and the smooth surface (SS), the impact of various subcoolings (0 K, 15 K, and 25 K) on the critical heat flux (CHF) was explored. Surface HH16 showed the greatest sensitivity to subcooling effects on CHF, followed by HH9 and HH4, respectively. For HH9, the CHF at ΔTsub = 0 K, 15 K, and 25 K, reached 69.6 W·cm−2, 84.2 W·cm−2, and 93.7 W·cm−2, respectively. In comparison to other surfaces (PF, HH4, HH16), the CHF of HH9 climbs by 19.32 %, 8.75 %, and 10.8 % at saturated boiling, respectively. A high-quality camera captured bubble dynamics during the experiments. The results reveal that the hydrophilic and hydrophobic coupled micro-pin-finned copper surface has a greater critical heat flux (CHF) than the standard rectangular micro-pin-finned surface, although heat transfer performance (HTC) drops marginally (both saturated and subcooled boiling). Visual monitoring demonstrates that these coupled surfaces effectively prevent bubble coalescence during subcooled boiling. Additionally, this novel surface design may serve as an effective strategy to reduce drying and delay the onset of boiling crises. The CHF improvement of the HH9 on SS surface was 313.06 %, significantly higher than the 246.17 % of PF on SS, marking a performance increase of 66.89 %. The influence mechanism of the Lattice width coefficient and the Vapor column spacing coefficient on CHF were analyzed. Fluid replenishment and bubble formation behavior were applied to clarify the strengthened heat transfer and CHF triggering mechanism on the surface of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic coupled rectangular micro-pin-finned copper column surface.

Numerical simulation study of boiling Critical Heat Flux characteristics of graphene nanofluids

IVR-ERVC (In-Vessel Retention – External Reactor Vessel Cooling) is a critical accident management method for ensuring the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) lower head. One of the most crucial aspects within this method is to enhance the CHF (Critical Heat Flux) on the outer surface of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) lower head. This paper explores the application of graphene nanofluids in IVR-ERVC. This paper uses computational fluid dynamics to numerically simulate the CHF characteristics of graphene nanofluids under different undercooling, mass flow rate, concentration, tilt angle, and gap size conditions and analyzes the impact of different factors on CHF and the coupling effects between different factors. The undercooling range is 5 K–100 K, the mass flow rate range is 150 kg/(m2∙s) to 3000 kg/(m2∙s), the concentration range is 0–1%, the inclination angle range is 0°–90°, and the gap sizes are 10 mm and 20 mm. The results show that the CHF can be effectively improved by adding nano-graphene into the base solution, and the CHF increases with the increase of subcooling degree, mass flow rate, concentration, dip Angle and gap size. Within the simulation range, the strengthening effect on CHF weakens when raising the undercooling and mass flow rate. And the larger the concentration and inclination angle within the simulation range, the better the enhancement effect on CHF. The maximum increase was 290%, while the average increase was 75.6%.This article studies the coupling effects between different parameters through numerical simulation. It can be concluded that increasing the mass flow rate weakens the enhancement of subcooling and concentration on CHF, increasing the subcooling weakens the enhancement effect of mass flow rate and concentration on CHF, and increasing the concentration enhances the enhancement effect of subcooling and mass flow rate on CHF. Enhance the mass flow rate will weaken tilt angle effect, while increasing the concentration will enhance the strengthening effect of tilt angle on CHF.

Experimental thermal performance of deionized water and iron oxide nanofluid for cold thermal storage.

Phase change materials enhance the thermal comfort of buildings by utilizing stored thermal energy. In large air-conditioning systems, ice storage plays a crucial role in managing peak power loads. This experimental study explores the freezing characteristics of deionized water containing suspended iron oxide nanoparticles in spherical containers for cold storage. The synthesized nanofluid phase change material (NFPCM) was investigated for its freezing behavior under surrounding fluid temperatures of - 2°C and - 6°C. The uniformity in charging of NFPCM is the unique feature prevalent in the first quarter of the charging, with 50% mass frozen observed. An increased surface heat flux of 200% was achieved using NFPCM at Tsurr = -6°C. The chiller operational time is optimally reduced by 75% by considering twice the container design's phase change materials. Adding iron oxide nanoparticles and partial charging is suitable for uniform heat transfer for the shorter freezing duration in cooling applications. The novelty of the present study is that the proposed NFPCM nearly nullifies the subcooling effects of deionized water without using nucleating agents. This NFPCM appreciably enhances power competence, yielding large-scale air-conditioning systems' desired economic impact and sustainability. The reported results align with Sustainable Development Goals (7-Affordable and Clean Energy and 13-Climate Action).

Study of Sintering Behavior of Methane Hydrate Particles on the Wall Surface.

The sintering of hydrate aggregates on the pipe wall is a major form of hydrate deposition. Understanding the sintering behavior of hydrates on the wall is crucial for promoting hydrate safety management and preventing pipeline blockage. However, limited research currently exists on this topic. In this study, the cohesive force strength of hydrate particles on the wall surface under different conditions was directly measured using a high-pressure micromechanical force device (HP-MMF). Subsequently, the effects of subcooling and glycine on the cohesive force were investigated. The results indicate that the cohesive force is influenced by different growth states during the process of free water on the wall surface gradually growing into hydrate. Three states with larger measured values during the growth process were selected for research. Observation showed that increased subcooling strengthened sintering by accelerating the growth rate of the hydrate film, resulting in a significant increase in cohesive force. The role of glycine in the methane hydrate system was then evaluated. Glycine was found to reduce the degree of sintering by reducing the growth rate of the hydrate film, thereby decreasing the cohesive force. The optimal concentration in the system was determined to be 0.25 wt %. Moreover, compared with low subcooling (1 °C), glycine had a better effect at high subcooling (5 °C). At 5 °C subcooling and the optimal concentration, the cohesive force in the wall droplet state decreases from 677.38 to 489.02 mN/m, the cohesive force at the low-saturation state decreases from 951.79 to 543.32 mN/m, and the cohesive force at the high-saturation state decreases from 1194.95 to 641.76 mN/m. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the cohesive force behavior of gas hydrate on the inner wall of the pipeline and provide basic data for reducing the risk of hydrate blockage.

Effect of sub-cooling on fuel channel behaviour during LOCA for Indian PHWR

During LOCA with ECCS failure, the removal of decay heat from the channel to a moderator plays a significant role in determining the fuel bundle temperatures. An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the effect of change in moderator temperature (65 ℃, 75 ℃, and 85 ℃) on the fuel channel at a steady state of 900 ℃ center pin temperature. The results show that at different moderator temperatures, there is insignificant variation in the temperature of PT, whereas for CT appreciable temperature gradient has been observed. The maximum heat transfer coefficient for CT was attained at 65 ℃ moderator temperature. Even with an increase in moderator temperature, channel integrity is maintained, and the moderator acts as an ultimate heat sink for all three moderator temperatures.

Bubbling triggered crystallization of xylitol phase change material for controllable heat retrieval: The subcooling effect

Towards long-term seasonal latent heat storage, the PCMs with strong supercooling are recommended as the heat storage medium. Nevertheless, the suitable techniques activating latent heat release is also of significance in the period of heat supply. The present work investigated the N2 bubbling triggered crystallization of supercooled xylitol. Special attention was paid to the subcooling effect. The N2 bubbling was identified to be a potential technique to trigger crystallization of xylitol at moderate degrees of subcooling. It was found that efficient crystallization issues were obtained with degrees of subcooling from 40 °C to 60 °C, while uncrystallization was obtained with both lower and higher subcooling. The recorded temperature history curves show that subcooling effect has strong influence on the crystallization behavior. The crystallization points tend to decline from 51.9 °C to 42.3 °C with degree of subcooling rising from 40 °C to 50 °C. The crystallization durations extend with subcooling effect enhancing. Fortunately, bubbling technique has slight influence on the properties of formed xylitol crystals. Moreover, the subcooling significantly influences the transportation behavior of bubbles. Particularly, The specific growth rates of bubbles are determined to be as low as 0.005 mm/min with the lowest degree of subcooling 10 °C, and continue to rise over 20 times when the subcooling reaches to 60 °C. The interfaces of bubbles as potential nucleation sites were deemed to be one of the important issues to activate heterogeneous nucleation, thus trigger crystallization. The present investigation is helpful to understand the fundamentals of bubbling effect on crystallization with broad range of subcooling.

Experimental investigation for the operational performance improvement of cryogenic piston-type pump using subcooling effect for liquid hydrogen stations

This paper investigates the impact of subcooling degree and exhaust pressure on the performance of a high-pressure piston pump for pressurizing cryogenic liquid. We fabricate a lab-scale cryogenic liquid pump, conduct experiments with liquid nitrogen, and observe the significant effect of subcooling changes on the pump performance. The lab-scale pump achieves up to 30 bar of exhaust pressure and up to 45.4 g exhaust mass per cycle. This paper introduces the concept of duty cycle for the exhaust mass as a measure of pump performance. The results show that as the subcooling degree and the exhaust pressure increase, the duty cycle and the exhaust mass also increase, improving the pump performance. However, the increase in performance does not happen proportionally, and an optimal subcooling degree must be selected. This paper establishes a generalized computational model to predict the pump performance, achieving the mean absolute errors of 1.8 bar and 0.3 g/s in pressure and mass flow rate, respectively. The model can predict the exhaust mass during one stroke cycle of the pump with an approximation error of 10 %. In addition, the model predicts that pressurizing liquid hydrogen to 900 bar requires subcooling degree and its duty cycle cannot reach 100 % by reduction of specific volume. The findings suggest that subcooling can be used to enhance cryogenic liquid pump performance, and the optimal subcooling degree can be determined during the design of piston pumps to achieve high pressure.

Flow boiling heat transfer and pressure fluctuation characteristics in a divergent channel with inclined downward-facing heater

The core catcher cooling system is used in nuclear power plant to mitigate the core meltdown accident through flow boiling heat transfer. In order to better understand the flow boiling characteristics in the system, experimental research was conducted on an inclined channel. The flow channel is oriented 15° with a divergent downward-heating surface. The two-phase flow behavior and pressure fluctuations were capture by a high-speed camera and pressure transducer. The inlet mass flux and subcooling effects on flow boiling characteristics were deeply investigated. The inlet mass flux and subcooling conditions are within 100–400 kg/m2s and 1–30 K, respectively. The results showed that the boiling curves shift to the higher wall superheat with the increase of mass flux, and the effect of subcooling is weak. The bubble dynamic images by the high-speed camera showed that the bubbles continue to grow and coalesce during the sliding process along the wall. Large bubble blankets are formed periodically upon the boiling surface beyond a heat flux threshold, and they would undergo a rapid condensation process after departing the heating area, which leads to the liquid reversal and accompanied by strong pressure fluctuations. Further, beyond a certain subcooling and heat flux, two-phase flow instability phenomenon appears, which is characterized by complete condensation of bubble blanket accompanied by pressure shocks, meanwhile, the heat transfer coefficient decreases and the wall superheat increases sharply. The bubble blanket frequency could be obtained by the Fast Fourier Transform analysis of pressure, which is positively correlated with the heat flux and is negatively correlated with the mass flux and subcooling. Furthermore, a dimensionless correlation of reduction factor (RF) was proposed, which directly related the bubble blanket characteristics to the thermal–hydraulic parameters.

Experimental investigation on the methane storage by forming sH hydrate

Methane storage via clathrate hydrates is a promising method, the structure H (sH) hydrate can be formed at more moderate conditions compared to structure I (sI) hydrate and has a larger storage capacity than structure II (sII) hydrate. In this work, CH4 storage by forming sH hydrate in the tert-butyl methyl ether (TBME) solution was explored at an initial pressure of 5.0 MPa and within the temperature range of 274.15– 278.15 K. The CH4/TBME hydrate phase equilibrium condition was first determined with the isochoric pressure searching method, and the results revealed that the measured equilibrium data of CH4/TBME hydrate at different TBME concentrations were almost consistent. The effect of TBME concentration (0– 4.29 mol%), promoter type and sub-cooling on the hydrate formation kinetics and gas uptake was systematically investigated. The results showed that the hydrate formation rate increased with the increase of TBME concentration. The CH4 uptake achieved 117.7 ± 3.6 v/vw (volume ratio of gas to water at standard condition) in the 4.29 mol% TBME system, which was significantly increased than that of pure water (44.1 ± 5.0 v/vw). The cocamidopropyl dimethylamine (CDA) further improved the CH4/TBME hydrate formation kinetics and gas uptake, the CH4 storage capacity attained 145.6 ± 1.7 v/vw, which was slightly higher than that of the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) system (143.6 ± 3.0 v/vw). As the sub-cooling increased, the formation kinetic profiles of CH4/TBME hydrate changed from a two-step to a one-step drop, indicating that the shift of mixed sH and sI hydrates to single sH hydrate. Additionally, the time taken for hydrate growth in the presence of TBME was significantly decreased than the pure water system, and the adding of CDA and SDS further shorten it. The CH4 recovery in each test was above 95.0 % and no foam generated during hydrate dissociation for the CDA-contained system. The stability test of CH4/TBME hydrate indicated that around 86 % CH4 was still enclosed in the hydrate phase after one week. This study would contribute to the application of the hydrate-based methane storage technology in future.

Preliminary physical analysis of a single-bubble pool-boiling experiment in space: Effect of subcooling and possible non-condensable residuals

The purpose of this work is to study the boiling heat transfer mechanisms in microgravity. Single bubbles growing without departure up to a centimetric size on a single artificial nucleation site are investigated under well-controlled pool-boiling conditions in the framework of the RUBI experiment on the International Space Station. Subcooling is one of the important parameters defining the bubble growth process. In this work, we conduct a first physical analysis of the experiment. The bubble diameter is evaluated in time using a developed algorithm. Several stages are highlighted. It is shown that subcooling has a significant effect on all stages of bubble life and can even lead to a partial collapse. A numerical model is developed to help a better understanding of the phenomenon. Some observations couldn't be explained without evoking the presence of non-condensable residuals. The amount of those is estimated.

Combination effect of sectioned microcolumn array and wettability gradient on condensation: CFD numerical approach

Droplets nucleation renewable rate and liquid film thickness are the critical factors influencing condensation heat transfer performances. In this paper, four microcolumn array structures were designed based on the premise by increasing droplets removal rate and avoiding the flooding problem. The sectioned cylindrical microcolumn array and the surface wettability gradients were coupled to enhance condensation. The liquid-vapor interface evolution of the droplets, heat flux, and condensation heat transfer coefficient were numerically investigated and compared. Additionally, the subcooling effect was studied for the sectioned cylindrical microcolumn arrays with two-stage wettability gradients. The sectioned top demonstrated fixed droplets sliding direction and the area-average heat flux on the sectioned cylindrical microcolumn array could reach a maximum of 1228.44 kW·m−2, which was 54.6% greater than the cylindrical microcolumn array. The effectiveness of the proposed structures in removing droplets and rapidly draining water was validated. The sectioned cylindrical microcolumn array with two-stage wettability gradients demonstrated the best performances, with the area-average heat flux improved by 70.6%, 10.3%, and 6.9% compared to the other three structures. As the surface subcooling increased, the condensation enhancement of the sectioned cylindrical microcolumn array with two-stage wettability gradients became more obvious.

Experimental investigation and correlation analysis of pool boiling heat transfer on the array surfaces with micro-fins using FC-72 for the electronic thermal management

Pool boiling heat transfer characteristics were investigated on the both homogeneous and fractal array micro-pin-finned surfaces using FC-72 as working fluid. Two distinct fractal geometry pattern surfaces (Array4 and Array9) were designed to further explore their boiling heat transfer performance. The effect of different subcoolings (0 K, 15 K and 25 K) has also been analyzed combining fractal array surfaces. Bubble dynamics were captured using a high-speed camera. The results present the the array micro-pin-finned surfaces with less heat transfer area ratio can achieve similar or even higher CHF compared to the uniform micro-pin-finned surface (PF0.3–0.2–2), especially for subcooled boiling (ΔTsub = 25 K). Notably, bubbles nucleate and grow prior to reaching the micro-pin-finned unit region. This phenomenon is evident in visual images, indicating that the fractal array effectively impedes bubble coalescence, particularly during subcooled boiling. Besides, this fractal array surface can provide liquid supply channels and prevent dry-out. The mechanism behind the heat transfer enhancement and CHF triggering is elucidated based on liquid replenishment and bubble coalescence behaviors. A CHF prediction model was established considering the effect of liquid subcooling, rectangular array distribution, and micro-fins feature size. And the prediction results from this model show well agreement with experimental values and data points from literature, with mean absolute deviation being less than ± 15 %.

Effects of heating configuration and operating parameters on heat transfer and interfacial physics of microgravity flow boiling with subcooled inlet conditions – Experiments onboard the International Space Station

This study is part of the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE), a collaborative effort between the Purdue University Boiling and Two-Phase Flow Laboratory (PU-BTPFL) and the NASA Glenn Research Center. The FBCE fitted with the Flow Boiling Module (FBM) was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in August 2021 and experiments were successfully performed from February to July 2022 to amass a large microgravity-flow-boiling database. This study is focused on heat transfer and flow visualization of microgravity flow boiling of n-Perfluorohexane in a rectangular channel of 5.0 mm height, 2.5 mm width (heated), and 114.6 mm length, with subcooled inlet conditions. High-speed-video photography is utilized to present flow patterns and temporal interfacial behavior. Heat transfer results are presented in the form of flow boiling curves and both parametric curves and streamwise profiles of wall temperature and heat transfer coefficient. Firstly, the parametric effects of mass velocity (199.4 – 3200.0 kg/m2s), inlet subcooling (0.2 – 46.0°C), and inlet pressure (124.2 – 176.7 kPa), on the aforementioned aspects are assessed for double-sided heating to establish them for a microgravity environment. Of these three parameters, mass velocity and inlet subcooling mostly determine the microgravity flow boiling behavior, while inlet pressure plays an insignificant role. Flow patterns for double-sided heating are more complex than those for single-sided heating due to interaction between the two vapor layers. Vapor interaction is minimized at high subcoolings and high mass velocities due to strong condensation offered by the subcooled bulk liquid layer separating them. Despite the different flow patterns, both single- and double-sided heating generally result in similar parametric trends and local heat transfer coefficients for similar operating conditions. Flow instabilities manifest as temporal flow anomalies and temperature oscillations, and their severity increases with increasing boiling number. Secondly, the effects of heating configuration are analyzed by comparing and contrasting several aspects of single- and double-sided heating data. The heat fluxes at which onset of nucleate boiling degradation (ONBD) and critical heat flux (CHF) occur are distinctly different for single- and double-sided heating. There exists a threshold inlet subcooling demarcating the dominance of flow acceleration and condensation effects in vapor removal from the near-wall region and replenishment of fresh liquid for boiling. Above the threshold, condensation from the near-wall region is dominant and single-sided heating yields higher heat fluxes, and below it, acceleration is dominant and double-sided yields higher heat fluxes. At mass velocity in the range of 200 – 2400 kg/m2s, the threshold inlet subcooling lies in the approximate range of 20 – 30°C (corresponding inlet quality of roughly -0.40 – -0.20).

Study on two-phase flow instability of parallel helical tubes in steam generator of small modular reactors

The flow instability phenomenon within parallel helical tubes is experimentally studied. The oscillation characteristics of wall temperature are comprehensively discussed. In the experiment, the pressure of the test section is in the range of 2.7–6.0 MPa, the mass flux is in the range of 100–300 kg/m2s, the degree of inlet subcooling is in the range of 10–75 °C, and the inlet throttling is in the range of 82–328. This study reveals different effects of inlet subcooling. Specifically, increasing the inlet subcooling under high mass flux enhances the stability of parallel helical tubes. However, increasing the inlet subcooling under low mass flux and low subcooling weakens the stability. The oscillation period to mixture transit time ratio is small at high inlet subcooling and increases with decreasing subcooling. Furthermore, this study shows that the onset of wall temperature oscillation is closely related to the dryout phenomenon, and that the oscillation amplitude increases with increasing local quality. Finally, this study demonstrates that the flow instability can be accurately predicted using time-domain method. The simulation results show satisfactory accuracy, with the prediction errors of ± 15% for the instability threshold and oscillation period, and ± 20% for the wall temperature oscillation amplitude.

Thermoeconomic and environmental analyses based single objective optimization of subcooled compression-absorption cascaded refrigeration system using evolutionary techniques

ABSTRACT This article analyses a subcooled compression-absorption cascaded refrigeration system (SCRS) in comparison with a standalone compression-absorption cascaded refrigeration system (CRS) based on thermoeconomic optimization. Three different absorbent solution/solution mixture-refrigerant combinations have been tested as working pairs in vapor absorption refrigeration system (VARS), whereas four environmentally friendly refrigerants have been utilized in vapor compression refrigeration system (VCRS). The total annual cost of the system is formulated using energy, exergy, and economic performance of the system and is minimized for optimal operational parameters by implementing five recent evolutionary optimization techniques. The effect of compression subcooling on various operational parameters of the cascaded system is reported. Amid all absorbent solution/solution mixture-refrigerant-refrigerant combinations, R290 combined with (CaCl2-LiBr-LiNO3)-H2O provides the minimum total annual cost of 13,164.8 US$ yr−1 and 15,401.9 US$ yr−1 for CRS and SCRS, respectively. Sanitized Teaching Learning Based Optimization (sTLBO) and Coyote Optimization Algorithm (COA) obtain the optimal total annual cost for most VARS-VCRS absorbent solution/solution mixture-refrigerant-refrigerant combinations. Though the coefficient of performance (COP) of an optimal SCRS is about 250% higher than its optimal CRS, higher compressor work results in a higher penalty cost for the optimal SCRS, which is almost 190% higher than the optimal CRS. A quick convergence is observed for sTLBO and COA.

Numerical Simulation of Subcooled Flow Boiling in a Threaded Tube and Investigation of Heat Transfer and Bubble Behavior

Three-dimensional subcooled flow boiling of R134a in a threaded tube was numerically simulated at the conditions of 200~400 kW/m2 heat flux, 3~20 K inlet subcooling, and 0.2~0.6 m/s inlet velocity. The bubble behavior in the horizontal threaded tube with 0.581 mm thread tooth height was observed. The effect of heat flux, inlet subcooling, and inlet velocity on bubble departure diameter and heat transfer coefficient were explored. The results presented the whole growth process of five kinds of bubbles. It was found that the bubbles either collapsed in cold liquid after leaving the heating wall or grew along the axial direction and contacted the heating wall. And there was no bubble sliding during the growth. In addition, the most important and special characteristic of bubble behavior in threaded tubes was the phenomenon of the bubble passing through the cavity. The coalescence and breakup behavior occurred after the bubble passed through the cavity. According to the discussions of the departure diameter and heat transfer coefficient, it was inferred that the bubble departure diameter increased with the increase of heat flux from 200~400 kW/m2 and subcooling from 3~20 K while decreasing with the increase of inlet velocity from 0.2~0.6 m/s. And due to the influence of the threaded tube structure, there are special points in the change of bubble departure diameter. The heat transfer coefficient of the bubbles in the threaded tube was higher than the smooth tube, which was increased by 1.5~12.5%. The heat transfer coefficient increased with the increase of heat flux and subcooling and is closely related to the bubble departure diameter.

An experimental investigation on debris bed formation from fuel coolant interactions of metallic and oxidic melts

During postulated severe accidents in a light water reactor (LWR), the core melt (corium) may relocate to the lower head and fail the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The corium is expected to undergo fuel coolant interactions (FCI) if the reactor cavity is flooded with water. Both FCI energetics and resulting debris bed coolability are of paramount importance to reactor safety, since the ex-vessel corium poses a threat to the containment integrity if steam explosion occurs or the debris bed is uncoolable, leading to release of radioactive fission products to the environment. The present study is intended to quantify the characteristics of a debris bed resulting from FCI, which are crucial to debris bed coolability. Different from the previous studies with only oxidic materials, various materials, including metallic ones of Sn, Sn-Bi and Zn as well as oxidic one of Bi2O3-WO3, were employed as the simulants of corium (mixture of UO2/ZrO2/Zr/Fe) in the present study to investigate the effects of melt materials, melt superheat and coolant subcooling on debris bed formation in a water pool. High-speed photography was applied to visualize melt jet breakup, droplets fragmentation, as well as fragments sedimentation on the pool floor. Other obtained data are debris bed shape (profile) and porosity, as well as morphology and size distribution of debris particles. The comparative results of various tests provided insights toward filling the knowledge gap on debris bed characteristics under different melt materials and compositions.

Experimental study on flow boiling characteristics of R-1233zd(E) of counter-flow interconnected minichannel heat sink

Two-phase mini/micro-channel heat sink is one of the most effective solutions to the heat dissipation of high-power electronic devices in a narrow space. Flow boiling instability and wall temperature nonuniformity are however the two notorious problems of two-phase mini/micro-channel heat sink that have hindered their practical applications to a large degree. This study proposed a counter-flow interconnected minichannel (CFIM) to improve the flow boiling stability and the temperature uniformity of a mechanically machined copper minichannel heat sink. Firstly, a comprehensive comparative study of CFIM and co-current minichannel (CCM) was carried out concerning two-phase flow patterns, boiling heat transfer characteristics, and wall temperature uniformity. Secondly, the effects of mass flux, subcooling and saturation temperature on the boiling heat transfer performance of the two kinds of heat sinks were further investigated. Experiments were carried out at a saturated temperature of 40 ∼ 50°C, mass flux of 291∼ 618 kg/(m2·s), and subcooling of 15 ∼ 30°C, using a new generation of environment-friendly coolant with a low boiling point, R1233zd(E). In particular, no backflow or partial dry-out is observed in the channel throughout all the tested conditions. Due to the mixing of fluid between adjacent channels with counter flow caused by interconnected slots in CFIM, low upstream vapor quality and high downstream vapor quality were avoided. Therefore, this counter-flow interconnected mechanism in the current design can be significantly enhanced in flow boiling stability and temperature uniformity, up to an effective heat flux of 230.4 W/cm2 with 51.2% increment of heat transfer coefficient, 56% increment of coefficient of performance (COP) and 48.5% reduction of pressure drop when compared with those of traditional CCM design. Overall, the research results have good guidance and reference for the application and research of two-phase minichannel heat sinks.

Rheology Properties of Cyclopentane Hydrate Slurry in the Presence of Wax Crystals

ABSTRACT There are several flow assurance problems for the energy development in deep-water, the coexistence of wax and hydrate resulting to multi-solid phase deposition is among the most difficult to overcome. The results of an experimental study on the effect of wax content, water cut, subcooling and static time on the CP hydrate-forming mixtures are reported. The droplet distribution at different wax contents is determined by using microscopic observation method. Using dynamic stress measurements method, a correlation between rheological properties and water cut is obtained. Hydrate nucleation, growth, dissociation, and slurry rheological properties, including critical time, growth time, final viscosity, and yield properties are determined. Results indicated that wax inhibit hydrate nucleation and growth, but the viscosity of hydrate slurry in waxy system is still higher than wax-free system due to the wax-hydrate aggregates contribute more to the viscosity of the system. The structure of hydrate slurry containing wax system is more stable and more difficult to be damaged by shear. Wax increases the hydrate slurry yield stress, and this effect is more significant at higher water cut and longer static times. The yield stress of the hydrate slurry was linearly related to the water cut. 35% was the critical water cut. Below the critical water cut, the slurry had better flow ability and less yield stress. Above the critical water cut, the yield stress increased significantly with water cut. The yield stress increased with increasing static time and decreases with increasing temperature. Nevertheless, the coupling effect of temperature with water cut and wax content was complex. Below 3 wt% wax content, temperature only has a significant effect on the yield stress of slurries with 40% and 50% water cut. Above 3 wt% wax content, temperature has a significant effect on the yield stress of all slurries with a 20–50% water cut. No ice formation in the CP hydrate-forming mixtures at −4°C, and the dissociation temperature of the hydrate decreases as the concentration of CP in the oil phase decreases.