Flow Boiling in Horizontal Tubes: Part 3—Development of a New Heat Transfer Model Based on Flow Pattern

Abstract

A new heat transfer model for intube flow boiling in horizontal plain tubes is proposed that incorporates the effects of local two-phase flow patterns, flow stratification, and partial dryout in annular flow. Significantly, the local peak in the heat transfer coefficient versus vapor quality can now be determined from the prediction of the location of onset of partial dryout in annular flow. The new method accurately predicts a large, new database of flow boiling data, and is particularly better than existing methods at high vapor qualities (x > 85 percent) and for stratified types of flows.