Flow Pattern, Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Behaviors of Micro-Channel Flow Boiling

Abstract

Two-phase flow of R-134a with high confinement number was experimentally carried out in this study. Flow boiling conditions for different orientations were controlled to take place in a stainless steel tube having a diameter of 0.5 mm. Based on a saturation pressure of 8 bar, a heat flux range of 2–26 kW/m2, and a mass flux range of 610–815 kg/m2s, a constant surface heat flux condition was controlled by applied DC power supply on the test section. The flow behaviors were described based on flow pattern and pressure drop data while heat transfer mechanisms were explained by using heat transfer coefficient data. In this work, nucleate boiling was observed, and the importance of the change in the flow direction was neglected, corresponding to the confinement number of around 1.7.