Analysis of subcooled boiling flow with one-group interfacial area transport equation and bubble lift-off model Original Research Article

To enhance the multi-dimensional analysis capability for a subcooled boiling two-phase flow, the one-group interfacial area transport equation was improved with a source term for the bubble lift-off. It included the bubble lift-off diameter model and the lift-off frequency reduction factor model. The bubble lift-off diameter model took into account the bubbleʹs sliding on a heated wall after its departure from a nucleate site, and the lift-off frequency reduction factor was derived by considering the coalescences of the sliding bubbles. To implement the model, EAGLE (elaborated analysis of gas–liquid evolution) code was developed for a multi-dimensional analysis of two-phase flow. The developed model and EAGLE code were validated with the experimental data of SUBO (subcooled boiling) and SNU (Seoul National University) test, where the subcooled boiling phenomena in a vertical annulus channel were observed. Locally measured two-phase flow parameters included a void fraction, interfacial area concentration, and bubble velocity. The results of the computational analysis revealed that the interfacial area transport equation with the bubble lift-off model showed a good agreement with the experimental results of SUBO and SNU. It demonstrates that the source term for the wall nucleation by considering a bubble sliding and lift-off mechanism enhanced the prediction capability for the multi-dimensional behavior of void fraction or interfacial area concentration in the subcooled boiling flow. From the point of view of the bubble velocity, the modeling of an increased turbulence induced by boiling bubbles at the heated wall enhanced the prediction capability of the code.