Interferometric and numerical study of the temperature field in the boundary layer and heat transfer in subcooled flow boiling

An interferometric study and a numerical simulation are presented of the combined process of the bulk turbulent convection and the dynamic of a vapor bubble which is formed in the superheated boundary layer of a subcooled flowing liquid, in order to determine the heat transfer to the flowing subcooled liquid. In this investigation focus has been given on a single vapor bubble at a defined cavity site to provide reproducible conditions. In the experimental study single bubbles were generated at a single artificial cavity by means of a CO₂-laser as a spot heater at a uniformly heated wall of a vertical rectangular channel with water as the test fluid. The experiments were performed at various degrees of subcooling and mass flow rates. The bubble growth and the temporal decrease of the bubble volume were captured by means of the high-speed cinematography. The thermal boundary layer and the temperature field at the phase-interface between fluid and bubble were visualized by means of the optical measurement method holographic interferometry with a high temporal and spatial resolution, and thus the local and temporal heat transfer could be quantified. The experimental results form a significant data basis for the description of the mean as well as the local heat transfer as a function of the flow conditions. According to the experimental configuration and the obtained data the numerical simulations were performed. A numerical method has been developed to simulate the influence of single bubbles on the surrounding fluid which is based on a Lagrangian approach to describe the motion of the bubbles. The method is coupled to a large-eddy simulations by the body force term which is locally evaluated based on the density field. The obtained experimental data correspond well with the numerical predictions, both of which demonstrate the thermo- and fluiddynamic characteristics of the interaction between the vapor bubble and the subcooled liquid.