HEAT TRANSFER TO A BOILING LIQUID – NUMERICAL STUDY

Abstract

Due to extensive research efforts within the past thirty years, the mechanisms by which bubbles transfer energy during pool boiling are relatively well understood and have various applications in reactors, rockets, distillation, air separation, refrigeration and power cycles. In this paper, CFD analysis of heat transfer characteristics in nucleate pool boiling of saturated water in atmospheric conditions is performed in order to find out the influence of heat flux intensity on pool boiling dynamics. The investigation is carried out for four cases of different heat flux intensities and obtained results for velocity fields of liquid and void fractions are discussed. Grid independent test is also performed to improve the accuracy of calculation. In this way, complete picture of two-phase mixture behaviour on heated wall is represented.