Influence of near-wall modelling on boiling flow simulation

The capability of the three-dimensional two-fluid codes to simulate the local boiling flow processes has been assessed. Boiling flow experiments of Roy et al. [Roy, R.P., Kang, S., Zarate, J.A., Laporta, A., 2002. Turbulent subcooled boiling flow—experiments and simulations, J. Heat Transfer 124, 73-93] and Lee et al. [Lee, T.H., Park, G.C., Lee, D.J., 2002. Local flow characteristics of subcooled boiling flow of water in a vertical concentric annulus. Int. J. Multiphase Flow 28, 1351-1368], both performed in annular vertical channels were used as an experimental benchmark data set. The boiling flow is strongly affected by local mechanisms in the boundary layer near the heated wall. In this paper, the influence of near-wall modelling on the distribution of flow parameters at flow boiling has been analyzed. A generic wall function model for 3D two-fluid codes, based on surface roughness analogy has been proposed instead of commonly used single-phase log-law model. The new model has been implemented in the code CFX-4.4. In general, better agreement of phase velocities with experimental data were obtained with the new model. Presented results show that the influence of nucleating bubbles on the near-wall velocity profile should be taken into account. The second goal of this paper is to compare the NEPTUNE_CFD simulations against CFX-4.4 results and experimental data.     

基于两相CFD的非均匀加热圆管CHF预测方法研究

为建立非均匀加热工况临界热流密度（CHF）预测方法，以对换热系统的安全分析提供新的辅助手段，本研究采用欧拉两流体模型和壁面沸腾模型，对非均匀加热圆管的CHF进行预测。通过数值计算得到不同热流密度下近壁面空泡份额和壁面温度的分布，将壁面温度出现二次峰值和此时近壁面空泡份额的峰值位置分别作为CHF发生的依据和CHF发生的点，并用此方法对2种不同功率分布圆管的CHF进行研究。研究结果表明，预测得到临界时的平均热流密度及临界发生的位置都与实验结果符合较好。因此，本研究建立的数值预测方法能够用于非均匀加热圆管CHF的预测。      

基于两流体模型的流动沸腾瞬态数值模拟程序

基于两流体模型与固壁非稳态导热模型,结合相关关联式组合,建立了流道内流动沸腾传热的瞬态数值模拟程序。通过不同入口瞬态下流道两相流动沸腾过程的算例计算分析,确认了程序进行流动沸腾瞬态模拟的能力。通过对不同固壁加热条件下流动沸腾行为的算例计算,检验了该程序进行流壁耦合行为模拟的功能。程序可进一步向系统分析程序和子通道程序发展。     

Modeling of low-pressure subcooled boiling flow of water via the homogeneous MUSIG approach

Applying a three-dimensional two-fluid model coupled with homogeneous multiple size group (MUSIG) approach, numerical simulations of upward subcooled boiling flow of water at low pressure were performed on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code CFX-10 with user defined FORTRAN program. A modified bubble departure diameter correlation based on the Unal's semi-mechanistic model and the empirical correlation of Tolubinski and Kostanchuk was developed. The water boiling flow experiments at low pressure in a vertical concentric annulus from reference were used to validate the models. Moreover, the influences of the non-drag force on the radial void fraction distribution were investigated, including lift force, turbulent dispersion force and wall lubrication force. Good quantitative agreement with the experimental data is obtained, including the local distribution of bubble diameter, void fraction, and axial liquid velocity. The results indicate that the local bubble diameter first increases and then decreases due to the effect of bubble breakup and coalescence, and has the maximum bubble diameter along the radial direction. Especially, the peak void fraction phenomenon in the vicinity of the heated wall is predicted at low pressure, which is developed from the wall repulsive force between vapor bubbles and heated wall. Nevertheless, there is a high discrepancy for the prediction of the local axial vapor velocity.     

Critical Heat Flux Prediction Method Based on Two-Phase Turbulence Model

In this paper, we present an analytical methodology to predict forced convective CHF (Critical Heat Flux) for DNB (Departure from Nucleate Boiling) type boiling transition that occurs inside of uniformly heated round tubes. Axial directional two-phase flow analysis was conducted based on one-dimensional two-fluid model and typical constitutive models. At the same time, the radial directional distribution of void fraction at any axial location was calculated based on the bubble diffusion model, which was coupled with two-phase turbulence model for boiling bubbly flow. The calculated void fraction showed the wall peak distribution, and was compared with experimental data, which was derived from subcool boiling experiments. IPNVG (Incipient Point of Net Vapor Generation), which means the starting point of two-phase flow analysis, was also investigated well, since it was revealed that IPNVG had a significant influence on CHF prediction. By using this methodology for calculating radial directional void fraction distribution, we carried out CHF prediction for water on the assumption that DNB would occur when the local void fraction near the heated wall exceeds a critical value. The predicted CHF agreed well with experimental data, and the accuracy was within about 20%.     

流道方位及运动对沸腾两相流动传热行为的影响

基于两流体模型与固壁非稳态导热模型,结合有关关联式组合与参数综合比选下的模型验证,建立分析流道内沸腾流动传热的瞬态数值模拟程序。通过引入运动下附加加速度模型,研究流道形位与运动等因素对流道内沸腾流动与传热的影响。诸因素对沸腾传热系数、流动压降、固壁温度以及传热流动的瞬态行为影响的计算分析结果对相关堆芯流道的试验设计与应用具有指导意义。     

A unified model considering force balances for departing vapour bubbles and population balance in subcooled boiling flow

Population balance equations combined with a three-dimensional two-fluid model are employed to predict subcooled boiling flow at low pressure in a vertical annular channel. The MUltiple-SIze-Group (MUSIG) model implemented in CFX4.4 is extended to account for the wall nucleation and condensation in the subcooled boiling regime. A model considering the forces acting on departing bubbles at the heated surface is formulated. This model provides the capacity of complex analyses on the bubble growth and departure for a wide range of wall heat fluxes and flow conditions.Comparison of model predictions against local measurements is made for the void fraction, bubble Sauter mean diameter and gas and liquid velocities covering a range of different mass and heat fluxes and inlet subcoolings. Good agreement is achieved with the local radial void fraction, bubble Sauter mean diameter and liquid velocity profiles against measurements. However, significant weakness of the model is evidenced in the prediction of the vapour velocity. Work is in progress to circumvent the deficiency of the MUSIG boiling model by the consideration of additional momentum equations to better represent the momentum forces acting on the range of bubble sizes in the bulk subcooled liquid.     

过冷流动沸腾中汽泡脱离直径的理论研究

汽泡脱离直径模型是壁面沸腾计算中的一个重要子模型。为了正确预测过冷流动沸腾中的壁面传热情况,研究结合新改进的汽泡生长模型,采用力平衡方法对过冷流动沸腾中的汽泡脱离直径进行了模拟。汽泡生长模型同时考虑了微液层、过热层和汽泡顶部过冷液体层对汽泡生长所做的贡献,并采用饱和沸腾与过冷沸腾2个实验对其进行了验证,结果表明预测曲线与实验值吻合良好。另外,选取了3个过冷流动沸腾实验来验证汽泡脱离直径模型,模拟结果均在可接受的误差范围内。     

An improved mechanistic critical heat flux model and its application to motion conditions

The motion of the flow channel will create a new acceleration field other than gravitational acceleration field for the fluid flow in the heated channel. And the new acceleration field will create new forces acting on bubbles, which will make the intermittent vapor blankets and bubbles in the near-wall region behave in a different way. In order to investigate the influence of this new arisen acceleration field on the occurrence of critical heat flux (CHF), an improved model based on microscopic mechanism of bubble dynamics is developed with the liquid sublayer dryout mechanism which has been well investigated by the previous researchers. Forces exerted on the vapor blankets have been taken into account to determine the liquid sublayer thicknesses and relative velocities of the vapor blankets through force balances in the radial direction and axial direction, respectively. At the same time, the proposed liquid sublayer dryout model presents pretty good prediction ability for saturated flow boiling CHF. The parametric trends of CHF in terms of mass flow rate, inlet subcooling and pressure for both the subcooled and saturated flow boiling are studied qualitatively and quantitatively. The effects of accelerations induced by channel motions in both the flow direction and the normal direction to the heated wall are investigated. Comparisons between the prediction results and the experimental data show good precision and accuracy.     

基于OpenFOAM的过冷流动沸腾数值模拟

过冷流动沸腾现象被广泛应用于工业生产和动力系统中,对该现象的准确预测是两相流CFD模拟的重要研究方向。本文详细阐述了该模拟过程中的欧拉两流体模型及相关辅助模型,基于开源CFD平台OpenFOAM,模拟了4.5 MPa下竖直圆管内的过冷流动沸腾,得到了截面空泡份额、液相平均温度及壁面温度沿轴向的分布。计算结果与实验值符合良好,说明了模型的有效性和程序的正确性。本文可为在OpenFOAM中添加新的模型及开发新的求解器以模拟过冷流动沸腾问题提供参考。     

Sabena: Subassembly boiling evolution numerical analysis

This paper describes the computer code SABENA that has been used in subassembly sodium boiling evolution numerical analysis as a contribution to fast breeder reactor safety analysis. SABENA is a two-fluid model subchannel code system to calculate coolant boiling and two-phase flow in a rod bundle together with external loop characteristics which affects the overall boiling behavior in the bundle section. With the use of relatively simple but reasonable constitutive models, the SABENA code has been applied to and validated against many multi-pin sodium boiling problems. The results have shown excellent agreement with the experiments. The numerical methods and models employed in the code have proven to be robust and efficient in light of the extreme severity of the conditions characterizing low-pressure sodium boiling.     

Analysis of subcooled boiling flow with one-group interfacial area transport equation and bubble lift-off model

To enhance the multi-dimensional analysis capability for a subcooled boiling two-phase flow, the one-group interfacial area transport equation was improved with a source term for the bubble lift-off. It included the bubble lift-off diameter model and the lift-off frequency reduction factor model. The bubble lift-off diameter model took into account the bubble's sliding on a heated wall after its departure from a nucleate site, and the lift-off frequency reduction factor was derived by considering the coalescences of the sliding bubbles. To implement the model, EAGLE (elaborated analysis of gas-liquid evolution) code was developed for a multi-dimensional analysis of two-phase flow. The developed model and EAGLE code were validated with the experimental data of SUBO (subcooled boiling) and SNU (Seoul National University) test, where the subcooled boiling phenomena in a vertical annulus channel were observed. Locally measured two-phase flow parameters included a void fraction, interfacial area concentration, and bubble velocity. The results of the computational analysis revealed that the interfacial area transport equation with the bubble lift-off model showed a good agreement with the experimental results of SUBO and SNU. It demonstrates that the source term for the wall nucleation by considering a bubble sliding and lift-off mechanism enhanced the prediction capability for the multi-dimensional behavior of void fraction or interfacial area concentration in the subcooled boiling flow. From the point of view of the bubble velocity, the modeling of an increased turbulence induced by boiling bubbles at the heated wall enhanced the prediction capability of the code.     

CFD application to prediction of void distribution in two-phase bubbly flows in rod bundles

This paper is concerned with the prediction of the void fraction distribution in two-phase bubbly flows in fuel rod bundles. Special attention has been devoted to the phenomena which govern the void fraction distribution in the lateral direction of a channel. A two-fluid model of two-phase flow has been formulated and implemented into a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. The model has been used for the prediction of the void distribution in three different channels: a circular channel (inside diameter (ID), 34.5 mm) with a single heated rod of 13.9 mm outside diameter (OD), and circular channels (ID, 71 mm) with six heated rods (13.8 and 13.9 mm OD each). The predicted axial and lateral avoid fraction distributions in subcooled and bulk boiling regions have been area averaged in three lateral zones and compared with experimental data: in all cases, satisfactory agreement between the predictions and measurements has been obtained.     

A 2D numerical simulation of sub-cooled flow boiling at low-pressure and low-flow rates

The main purpose of this study is to apply a two-fluid mathematical model to numerical simulation of two-phase flow at low-pressure condition. Although models of sub-cooled boiling flow at one-dimension and high-pressure have been studied extensively, there are few equivalent studies for numerical simulation at two-dimension and low-pressure (1-2 bar) conditions. Recent literature studies on sub-cooled boiling flow at low-pressure have shown that empirical models developed for high-pressure situations are not valid at low-pressures. Since the mathematical model used in this study is accomplished at low-pressure, the transport equations for the variables of each phase are substituted in low-pressure. The governing equations of two-phase flow with an allowance to inter-phase transfer of mass, momentum and heat, are solved using a two-fluid; non-equilibrium model. The finite volume discretization scheme is used to create a linearized system of equations that are solved by SIMPLE staggered grid solution technique for a rectangular channel. Improvement of the void fraction prediction of our model for the case of low-pressure sub-cooled flow boiling conditions was achieved. It is found that the heat transfer due to evaporation and surface quenching is higher than that by convection. Good agreement is achieved with the predicted results against the experimental data’s available in the literatures for a number of test cases.     

An integral equation model for critical heat flux at subcooled and low quality flow boiling

A new theoretical model of critical heat flux (CHF) is developed for the flow boiling condition from bubble-detached to low quality range. The CHF condition is postulated to occur when the superheated liquid layer on the heated wall, which is formed under the bubbly layer from the point of the onset of significant void generation, is depleted due to the evaporation along the heated length. The model shows a very promising agreement with the uniformly heated round tube data for both water and refrigerants by simply applying well-known constitutive relationships without any tuning constant for the CHF data. The significance of the proposed model in unifying the existing models is also discussed.     

两流体模型在环形窄缝内的应用研究

采用EPRI最新开发的Chexal-Harrison相壁相间摩擦模型和简化的相壁相间传热模型,构造了适用于环形窄缝内沸腾传热和流动的两流体模型,并编制了热工水力计算程序——THYME程序.与实验数据比较,分析了环形窄缝套管在不同负荷下Relap5/Mod3.2程序和本文程序的计算结果.计算结果表明,Relap5/Mod3.2低估了环形蒸发管的蒸汽温度,本文计算结果与实验数据较为一致.     

Vapour bubble growth and recondensation in subcooled boiling flow

A physical model for the dynamics of vapour bubbles is presented, which is applicable to bubbles generated at the heated wall of channels with boiling flow. By comparing the theory with experimental data from various sources, it is shown that simultaneous agreement can be obtained with regard to bubble size, bubble lifetime and recondensation rate within the error band of experimental data by the proper choice of one fitting parameter only. The proposed model is then compared with some previously published approaches. Correlations for the dependence of bubble lifetime and bubble size on local fluid conditions are derived which are suitable for the prediction of vapour contents in heated channels with subcooled inlet flow.     

蒸汽发生器传热管一、二次侧耦合换热及管外过冷沸腾数值研究

采用两流体欧拉数学模型,结合气相和液相之间的界面传热、传质和动量交换封闭模型以及RPI壁面沸腾模型,利用ANSYS CFX 12.0对蒸汽发生器局部传热管束二次侧的过冷沸腾进行数值研究。数值研究结果与单管内过冷沸腾实验数据对比验证符合良好。结果表明,采用壁面沸腾模型能准确预测沸腾起始点的位置,同时梅花孔板的存在对二次侧流动换热特性影响显著。     

管内过冷流动沸腾CFD模型参数敏感性研究

采用CFD方法对燃料组件进行过冷流动沸腾数值模拟研究是反应堆热工水力分析的一项重要内容。本研究使用STAR CCM+基于欧拉双流体模型结合壁面沸腾模型对管内过冷流动沸腾进行数值模拟,得到了壁面温度、主流温度及空泡份额的分布。基于实验结果对网格模型、湍流模型、壁面沸腾模型及相间作用力模型的参数设置进行了敏感性分析。研究结果表明,对于欧拉双流体模型,并非网格量越多结果越准确,加热面第1层网格的高度对结果影响显著。湍流模型和曳力模型对计算结果影响较小,非曳力中的湍流耗散力及升力对结果影响较大。Li Quan或Hibiki Ishii汽化核心密度模型与Kocamustafaogullari气泡脱离直径模型组合对壁面温度及空泡份额的计算较准确。本研究可为反应堆燃料组件内过冷流动沸腾数值模拟提供参考依据。