Boiling Characteristics of Small Multitube Bundles

Boiling characteristics of multitube bundles have been investigated experimentally. Small bundles of up to nine rows were used. Void fraction profiles in the test vessel, tube surface temperatures, power input to individual tubes, and critical heat fluxes were measured for different bundle arrangements and boiling conditions. The data were used to study the system hydrodynamics, bundle heat transfer coefficients, and bundle critical heat flux. The data showed that for lower heat fluxes, the heat transfer characteristics are affected by the system hydrodynamics resulting in higher heat transfer coefficients, whereas at higher heat fluxes nucleate boiling is the dominant mechanism. The data also showed that within a tube bundle, the vapor rising from lower tubes enhances the CHF characteristics of the upper tubes.