Experimental Analysis of Flow Boiling in Horizontal Annulus-The Effect of Heat Flux on Bubble Size Distributions

Subcooled flow boiling was experimentally investigated in a horizontal annulus with a temperature-controlled boiling surface and transparent outer pipe facilitating visualization. Boiling occurs on a copper tube with a diameter of 12 mm in an annulus with a 2 mm gap. Refrigerant R245fa is used as a working fluid. The focus of this study is to explore the effect of heat flux variation on the boiling flow patterns at approximately constant inlet flow conditions of the working fluid (fixed mass flux and inlet fluid temperature). Subcooled flow boiling is recorded by a high-speed camera, images are analyzed by a neural network to determine the bubble size distributions and their variation with the heat flux. The experimental setup being a part of the laboratory THELMA (Thermal Hydraulics experimental Laboratory for Multiphase Applications) at the Reactor Engineering Division of Jozef Stefan Institute, analysis methods and measurement results are presented and discussed.

Automated summary

This study experimentally investigates the subcooled flow boiling phenomenon and explores the effect of heat flux on the flow patterns. The results are based on high-speed camera recordings and image analysis.