Numerical assessment and comparison of heat transfer characteristics of supercritical water in bare tubes and tubes with heat transfer enhancing appendages

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a numerical approach to model fluids in multidimensional space using the Navier-Stokes equations and databases of fluid properties to arrive at a full simulation of a fluid dynamics and heat transfer system. A numerical study on heat transfer to supercritical water (SCW) flowing in a vertical tube is carried out using the ANSYS FLUENT code and employing the SST k-ε turbulence model. The 3D mesh consists of a 1/8 section (45° radially) of a bare tube. The numerical results on wall temperature distributions under normal and deteriorated heat transfer conditions are compared to experimental results. The same geometry is then simulated with an orifice to study the effect of geometrical perturbation on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of SCW. The orifice is placed areas to test the effect on normal, deteriorated and enhanced heat transfer regimes. The flow effects and heat transfer characteristics will be studied around the appendages to arrive at a fundamental understanding of the phenomena related to supercritical water turbulence.