The effect of inlet constriction on bubble growth during flow boiling in microchannels

Flow boiling through microchannels is characterized by nucleation of vapor bubbles on the channel walls. In parallel microchannels connected through a common header, formation of vapor bubbles often results in flow mal-distribution that leads to reversed flow in certain channels. One way of eliminating the reversed flow is to incorporate flow restrictions at the channel inlet. In the present study, a nucleating vapor bubble placed near the restricted end of a single microchannel is numerically simulated. Placing restrictions at channel inlet increased the incoming liquid velocity for the same flow rate that prevented explosive bubble growth and reversed flow. It is proposed that channels with increasing cross-sectional area may be used to promote unidirectional growth of the vapor plugs and prevent reversed flow.     

Numerical simulation of boiling enhancement on a microstructured surface

Significant efforts have been made to augment nucleate boiling by surface modification with micro-machined structures, but a general predictive approach for heat transfer enhancement has not yet been developed. In this work, complete numerical simulations are performed for boiling enhancement on a microstructured surface by employing the sharp-interface level-set method, which is modified to handle the contact angle and the evaporative heat flux from the liquid microlayer on an immersed solid surface. The effects of cavity diameter and surface modification such as concentric grooves and multi-step cavities on bubble growth and boiling heat transfer are investigated.     

Computations of film boiling. Part I: numerical method

A numerical method for direct simulations of boiling flows is presented. The method is similar to the front tracking/finite difference technique of Juric and Tryggvason [Int. J. Multiphase Flow 24 (1998) 387], where one set of conservation equations is used to represent the mass transfer, heat transfer, and fluid flow in the liquid and the vapor, but improves on their numerical technique by elimination of their iterative algorithm. The justification of the mathematical formulation is presented and the numerical method and the code is validated by comparison of the results with the exact solutions of a few analytical problems. A grid refinement test for film boiling on a horizontal surface shows the convergence of results.     

Direct numerical simulation of hydrogen-enriched lean premixed methane-air flames

The effect of hydrogen blending on lean premixed methane-air flames is studied with the direct numerical simulation (DNS) approach coupled with a reduced chemical mechanism. Two flames are compared with respect to stability and pollutant formation characteristics—one a pure methane flame close to the lean limit, and one enriched with hydrogen. The stability of the flame is quantified in terms of the turbulent flame speed. A higher speed is observed for the hydrogen-enriched flame consistent with extended blow-off stability limits found in measurements. The greater flame speed is the result of a combination of higher laminar flame speed, enhanced area generation, and greater burning rate per unit area. Preferential diffusion of hydrogen coupled with shorter flame time scales accounts for the enhanced flame surface area. In particular, the enriched flame is less diffusive-thermally stable and more resistant to quenching than the pure methane flame, resulting in a greater flame area generation. The burning rate per unit area correlates strongly with curvature as a result of preferential diffusion effects focusing fuel at positive cusps. Lower CO emissions per unit fuel consumption are observed for the enriched flame, consistent with experimental data. CO production is greatest in regions which undergo significant downstream interaction. In these regions, the enriched flame exhibits faster oxidation rates as a result of higher levels of OH concentration. NO emissions are increased for the enriched flame as a result of locally higher temperature and radical concentrations found in cusp regions.     

Modeling and numerical investigation of hydrogen nucleate flow boiling heat transfer

Liquid hydrogen flow boiling heat transfer in tubes is of great importance in the hydrogen applications such as superconductor cooling, hydrogen fueling. In the present study, a numerical model for hydrogen nucleate flow boiling based on the wall partition heat flux model is established. The key parameters in the model such as active nucleation site density, bubble departure diameter and frequency are carefully discussed and determined to facilitate the modeling and simulation of hydrogen flow boiling. Simulation results of the numerical model show reasonably well agreement with experimental data from different research groups in a wide operation condition range with the means absolute error (MAE) of 10.6% for saturated and 5.3% for subcooled flow boiling. Based on the model, wall heat flux components and void fraction distribution of hydrogen flow boiling are studied. Effects of mass flow rate and wall heat flux on the flow boiling heat transfer performance are investigated. It is found that in the hydrogen nucleate flow boiling, the predominated factor is the Boiling number, rather than the vapor quality. A new simple correlation is proposed for predicting hydrogen saturated nucleate flow boiling Nusselt number. The MAE between the correlation predicted and experimentally measured Nusselt number is 13.6% for circular tubes and 12.5% for rectangular tubes. The new correlation is applicable in the range of channel diameter 4–6.35 mm, Reynolds number 64000–660,000, saturation temperature 22–29 K, Boiling number 8.37 × 10^?5–2.33 × 10^?3.     

Numerical study of bubble growth and boiling heat transfer on a microfinned surface

The bubble growth and boiling heat transfer on a microfinned surface are studied numerically by solving the conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy. The bubble shape is tracked by a sharp-interface level-set method, which is modified to include the effect of phase change and to treat the contact angle and microlayer heat flux on an immersed solid surface. The present computation demonstrates that the microfinned surface enhances boiling heat transfer significantly compared to a plain surface. The effects of fin spacing and height on the bubble growth and heat transfer are investigated to find the optimal conditions for boiling enhancement.     

Subcooled flow boiling heat transfer in narrow passages

Subcooled flow boiling heat transfer coefficients for refrigerants R11 and HCFC123 in smooth copper tubes of small diameter have been investigated experimentally. The parameter ranges examined are: tube diameters of 0.92 and 1.95 mm; heat fluxes 11-170 kW m⁻²; mass fluxes 110-1840 kg m⁻² s⁻¹. The range of liquid Reynolds numbers encompassed by the data set is 450 to 12,000.The data in the subcooled and saturated regions are well represented by the simple addition of convective and nucleate boiling heat transfer contributions

     

Direct numerical simulation of nonpremixed flame-wall interactions

The objective of the present study is to use detailed numerical modeling to obtain basic information on the interaction of nonpremixed flames with cold wall surfaces. The questions of turbulent fuel-air-temperature mixing, flame extinction, and wall-surface heat transfer are studied using direct numerical simulation (DNS). The DNS configuration corresponds to an ethylene-air diffusion flame stabilized in the near-wall region of a chemically inert solid surface. Simulations are performed with adiabatic or isothermal wall boundary conditions and with different turbulence intensities. The simulations feature flame extinction events resulting from excessive wall cooling and convective heat transfer rates up to 90 kW/m². The structure of the simulated wall flames is studied in terms of a classical mass-mixing variable, the fuel-air based mixture fraction, and a less familiar heat loss variable, the excess enthalpy variable, introduced to provide a measure of nonadiabatic behavior due to wall cooling. In addition to the flame structure, extinction events are also studied in detail and a modified flame extinction criterion that combines the concepts of mixture fraction and excess enthalpy is proposed and then tested against the DNS data.     

A numerical simulation of pool boiling using CAS model

This paper presents a new numerical model, called the CAS model, for boiling heat transfer. The CAS model is based on the cellular automata (CA) technique that is integrated into the popular SIMPLER algorithm for CFD problems. In the model, the CA technique deals with the microscopic nonlinear dynamic interactions of bubbles while the traditional CFD algorithm is used to determine macroscopic system parameters such as pressure and temperature. The popular SIMPLER algorithm is employed for the CFD treatment. The model is then employed to simulate a pool boiling process. The computational results show that the CAS model can reproduce most of the basic features of boiling and capture the fundamental characteristics of boiling phenomena. The heat transfer coefficient predicted by the CAS model is in excellent agreement with the experimental data and existing empirical correlations.     

两相圆孔射流颗粒喷入方法关键问题的直接数字模拟研究

对两相圆孔射流颗粒喷入方法的关键问题进行了直接数值模拟研究.气相采用可压缩的N-S方程直接求解,颗粒相采用拉格朗日方法( Lagrangian)跟踪实际颗粒的运动.主要探讨了空间发展的两相圆孔射流在采用直接数值模拟算法的前提下,颗粒喷入的方法以及喷入方法对两相圆孔射流中不同直径颗粒的扩散特点.在拉格朗日坐标系下实际跟踪了每一个颗粒运动的轨迹,通过反复的数值试验研究发现,颗粒喷入方法是可信的,得到数值模拟结果成功地再现了不同直径颗粒扩散特性.     

Direct Numerical Simulation of Particle Dispersion in the Flow Around a Circular Cylinder

The major objective of the paper is to use direct numerical simulation method to get the dispersion patterns of different Stokes number particles in cylinder wake at low Reynolds numbers. The gas fluid structure is simulated by a spectral-element method with third-order accuracy. Non-reflecting boundary condition is specified for the outlet downstream boundary. Lagrangian approach is used to trace particle trajectory. The simulation results show factors to be considered to characterize the particle dispersion and find different particle dispersion pattern in a circular cylinder wake and in a plane wake.     

Direct numerical simulation of the effect of an electric field on flame stability

The role of electric fields in stabilising combustion is a well-known phenomenon. Among the possible mechanisms favouring the anchorage of the flame base, the ion-driven wind acting directly on flow momentum ahead of the flame base could be the leading one. Direct numerical simulation has been used to verify this hypothesis and lead to a better understanding of diffusion flame base anchoring in the presence of an externally applied voltage. In this context, a simplified modelling approach is proposed to describe combustion in the presence of electric body forces. The model reproduces the tendencies of experimental observations found in the literature. The sensitivity of the flame lift-off height to the applied voltage is studied and the modification of the velocity field ahead of the flame base induced by the electric volume forces is highlighted.     

Direct numerical simulation and analysis of a hydrogen/air swirling premixed flame in a micro combustor

A three dimensional spatially developing hydrogen/air premixed flame in a micro combustor with a moderate Reynolds number and a high swirl number is studied using direct numerical simulation. The inflow mixture is composed of hydrogen and air at an equivalent ratio of 1.0 in the jet core region, and pure air elsewhere. The maximum axial velocity at the inlet is 100 m/s. A fourth-order explicit Runge–Kutta method for time integration and an eighth-order central differencing scheme for spatial discretization are used to solve the full Navier–Stokes (N–S) equation system. A 9 species 19-step reduced mechanism for hydrogen/air combustion is adopted. Vortex and turbulence characteristics are examined. Two instabilities, namely Kalvin–Helmholtz instability and centrifugal instability, are responsible for the transition from laminar flow to turbulence. A cone-like vortex breakdown is observed both in the isothermal swirling flow and in the swirling flame. One dimensional premixed laminar flame is studied, the structure of which is compared with that of the multi-dimensional one. Probability density functions of the curvature and tangential strain rate are presented. It is shown that the flame curvature has a near zero mean, and the flame aligns preferentially with extensive strain. Finally, the turbulent premixed flame regime diagram is used to characterize the flame. It is found that most of the flame elements lie in the laminar flame regime and the thin reaction zones regime.     

Direct numerical simulation of a differentially heated cavity of aspect ratio 4 with Rayleigh numbers up to 10 - Part I: Numerical methods and time-averaged flow

A set of direct numerical simulations of a differentially heated cavity of aspect ratio 4 with adiabatic horizontal walls is presented. The five configurations selected here (Rayleigh numbers based on the cavity height and ) cover a relatively wide range of Ra from weak to fully developed turbulence. A short overview of the numerical methods and the methodology used to verify the code and the simulations is presented. The time-averaged flow results are presented and discussed in this first part. Significant changes are observed for the two highest Ra for which the transition point at the boundary layers clearly moves upstream. Such displacement increases the top and bottom regions of disorganisation shrinking the area in the cavity core where the flow is stratified. Consequently, thermal stratification values are significantly greater than unity (1.25 and 1.41, respectively).     

Photographic study of high-flux subcooled flow boiling and critical heat flux

This study examines both high-flux flow boiling and critical heat flux (CHF) under highly subcooled conditions using FC-72 as working fluid. Experiments were performed in a horizontal flow channel that was heated along its bottom wall. High-speed video imaging and photomicrographic techniques were used to capture interfacial features and reveal the sequence of events leading to CHF. At about 80% of CHF, bubbles coalesced into oblong vapor patches while sliding along the heated wall. These patches grew in size with increasing heat flux, eventually evolving into a fairly continuous vapor layer that permitted liquid contact with the wall only in the wave troughs between vapor patches. CHF was triggered when this liquid contact was finally halted. These findings prove that the CHF mechanism for subcooled flow boiling is consistent with the interfacial lift-off mechanism proposed previously for saturated flow boiling.     

Nucleate and film boiling on a microheater under pulse heating in a microchannel

Using MEMS technology, a Pt microheater (60 × 100 µm²) fabricated on a glass wafer is placed in a silicon-based microchannel of trapezoidal cross section. With the aid of a high-speed CCD and based on Pt's linear temperature-resistance characteristic, flow boiling phenomena and temperature response on the surface of the microheater in the microchannel under pulse heating are observed and recorded. At a given mass flux, nucleate boiling and film boiling begin to appear on the microheater with increasing heat flux. A flow boiling map, showing the effects of heat and mass flux on nucleate and film boiling regimes on the microheater at a pulse heating width of 2 ms, is presented. It is found that nucleate boiling is changed to film boiling as the heat flux supplied to the microheater is increased. Furthermore, increasing mass flux increases the heat flux required for the incipience of nucleate boiling and film boiling on the microheater in the microchannel.     

Numerical simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in a microchannel heat sink with offset fan-shaped reentrant cavities in sidewall

The paper is focused on the investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in a microchannel heat sink with offset fan-shaped reentrant cavities in sidewall. In contrast to the new microchannel heat sink, the corresponding conventional rectangular microchannel heat sink is chosen. The computational fluid dynamics is used to simulate the flow and heat transfer in the heat sinks. The steady, laminar flow and heat transfer equations are solved in a finite-volume method. The SIMPLEX method is used for the computations. The effects of flow rate and heat flux on pressure drop and heat transfer are presented. The results indicate that the microchannel heat sink with offset fan-shaped reentrant cavities in sidewall improved heat transfer performance with an acceptable pressure drop. The fluid flow and heat transfer mechanism of the new microchannel heat sink can attribute to the interaction of the increased heat transfer surface area, the redeveloping of the hydraulic and thermal boundary layers, the jet and throttling effects and the slipping over the reentrant cavities. The increased heat transfer surface area and the periodic thermal developing flow are responsible for the significant heat transfer enhancement. The jet and throttling effects enhance heat transfer, simultaneously increasing pressure drop. The slipping over the reentrant cavities reduces pressure drop, but drastically decreases heat transfer.     

Modeling and analysis of flow distribution in an A-type microchannel reactor

Flow distribution among microchannels is a fatal factor affecting the performance of laminated microchannel reactors for hydrogen production. Homogeneous flow strongly depends on the structural design of the microchannel reactor. The present work concentrates on improving the flow distribution in microchannel reactors for hydrogen production by optimization of the structural design. An innovative A-type microchannel reactor for hydrogen production with one inlet/two outlets was developed and analyzed. The equivalent electrical resistance network model was used to calculate the flow distribution in the microchannel reactor which was validated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The influences of structural parameters on flow distribution in the A-type were investigated quantitatively. The calculated results showed that longer microchannels with a higher aspect ratio and a small side length in the manifolds were beneficial for attaining uniform flow distribution in the A-type microchannel reactor. Furthermore, it was found that flow distributions among the microchannels in the A-type were much more uniform than those in the conventional Z-type microchannel reactor with one inlet/one outlet. Finally, an optimization strategy was proposed to optimize the manifold geometries to obtain a comparatively even flow distribution among microchannels.     

Correlation for flow boiling heat transfer in mini-channels

In view of practical significance of a correlation of heat transfer coefficient in the aspects of such applications as engineering design and prediction, some efforts towards correlating flow boiling heat transfer coefficients for mini-channels have been made in this study. Based on analyses of existing experimental investigations of flow boiling, it was found that liquid-laminar and gas-turbulent flow is a common feature in many applications of mini-channels. Traditional heat transfer correlations for saturated flow boiling were developed for liquid-turbulent and gas-turbulent flow conditions and thus may not be suitable in principle to be used to predict heat transfer coefficients in mini-channels when flow conditions are liquid-laminar and gas-turbulent. By considering flow conditions (laminar or turbulent) in the Reynolds number factor F and single-phase heat transfer coefficient h_sp, the Chen correlation has been modified to be used for four flow conditions such as liquid-laminar and gas-turbulent one often occurring in mini-channels. A comparison of the newly developed correlation with various existing data for mini-channels shows a satisfactory agreement. In addition, an extensive comparison of existing general correlations with databases for mini-channels has also been made.