Bubble Behavior and Mean Diameter in Subcooled Flow Boiling

Bubble behavior and mean bubble diameter in subcooled upward flow boiling in a vertical annular channel were investigated under low pressure and mass flux conditions. A high-speed video system was used to visualize the subcooled flow boiling phenomenon. The high-speed photographic results indicated that, contrary to the common understanding, bubbles tend to detach from the heating surface upstream of the net vapor generation point. Digital image processing technique was used to measure the mean bubble diameter along the subcooled flow boiling region. Data on the axial area-averaged void fraction distributions were also obtained using a single-beam gamma densitometer. Effects of the liquid subcooling, applied heat flux, and mass flux on the mean bubble size were investigated. A correlation for the mean bubble diameter as a function of the local subcooling, heat flux, and mass flux was obtained.