Improvement of the subcooled boiling model for the prediction of the onset of flow instability in an upward rectangular channel

Abstract

The MARS code has been assessed for the prediction of onset of flow instability (OFI) in a vertical channel. For assessment, we built an experiment database that consists of experiments under various geometry and thermal-hydraulic condition. It covers pressure from 0.12 to 1.73 MPa; heat flux from 0.67 to 3.48 MW/m2; inlet sub-cooling from 39 to 166 °C; hydraulic diameters between 2.37 and 6.45 mm of rectangular channels and pipes. It was shown that the MARS code can predict the OFI mass flux for pipes reasonably well. However, it could not predict the OFI in a rectangular channel well with a mean absolute percentage error of 8.77%. In the cases of rectangular channels, the error tends to depend on the hydraulic diameter. Because the OFI is directly related to the subcooled boiling in a flow channel, we suggest a modified subcooled boiling model for better prediction of OFI in a rectangular channel; the net vapor generation (NVG) model and the modified wall evaporation model were modified so that the effect of hydraulic diameter and heat flux can be accurately considered. The assessment of the modified model shows the prediction of OFI mass flux for rectangular channels is greatly improved.

Keywords

• Subcooled boiling
• Onset of flow instability
• Rectangular channel
• The MARS code