An experimental study of the thermohydraulic characteristics of flow boiling in horizontal pipes: Linking spatiotemporally resolved and integral measurements

Abstract

Abstract Data are presented from experiments of flow boiling in a horizontal pipe. Specifically, refrigerant R245fa was evaporated in a 12.6 mm stainless steel pipe to which a uniform heat flux of up to 38 kW/m 2 was applied. The bespoke facility operated at mass fluxes in the range 30–700 kg/m 2 \xa0s and a saturation pressure of 1.7 bar. Flow patterns were identified through high-speed imaging and the resulting flow pattern map is compared to existing maps in the literature. Predictive methods for the pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient from common correlations are also compared to the present experimental data, acting as verification of the facility and methods used for the macroscale boiling flows investigated in this work. Laser-induced fluorescence (for the identification of the liquid phase) and particle image velocimetry (for the provision of velocity-field information) were also developed and successfully applied, providing detailed spatially- and temporally-resolved interfacial property, phase distribution and liquid-phase velocity-field data, alongside traditional integral pressure drop and overall heat transfer measurements. The laser-based methods provide new insight into the hydrodynamic and thermal characteristics of boiling flows at this scale, which are linked to the integral thermohydraulic data on flow regimes, pressure drops and heat transfer. This enhanced understanding can improve the design and operation of flow-boiling applications such as organic Rankine cycles and concentrating solar power facilities operating in the direct steam generation mode.