| Abstract: | A numerical method for the thermal hydraulic phenomena in a narrow flow passage is developed to evaluate the gap cooling capability. Based on a drift flux model, the two-dimensional gas-liquid two-phase flow in the annular and hemispherical heated narrow flow passages is modeled. The drift velocity correlation is combined with the flooding correlation, which describes physical phenomena under cooling limits. Experiment on thermal hydraulic phenomena in the heated narrow flow passage is performed. Boiling two-phase flow behavior and dryout phenomena are observed. The critical heat flux data is obtained from measurement of the heating surface temperature. Counter-current two-phase flow, which is a key phenomenon in the gap cooling mechanism, is reproduced by the numerical analysis appropriately. The critical heat flux is predicted by assuming that deficiency of the liquid supply against the gas upward flow leads to occurrence of dryout. Validity of the newly developed numerical method is demonstrated through comparison of the predicted critical heat flux with the present and existing data in the gap width range from 0.5 to 5 mm and the pressure range from 1 to 50 bar. |
