Yixiang Liao - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Yixiang Liao
Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow, Jan 4, 2022
Bubbly flow still represents a challenge for large-scale numerical simulation. Among many others,... more Bubbly flow still represents a challenge for large-scale numerical simulation. Among many others, the understanding and modelling of bubble-induced turbulence (BIT) are far from being satisfactory even though continuous efforts have been made. In particular, the buoyancy of the bubbles generally introduces turbulence anisotropy in the flow, which cannot be captured by the standard eddy viscosity models with specific source terms representing BIT. Recently, on the basis of bubble-resolving direct numerical simulation data, a new Reynolds-stress model considering BIT was developed by Ma et al. (J Fluid Mech, 883: A9 (2020)) within the Euler-Euler framework. The objective of the present work is to assess this model and compare its performance with other standard Reynolds-stress models using a systematic test strategy. We select the experimental data in the BIT-dominated range and find that the new model leads to major improvements in the prediction of full Reynolds-stress components.
Physics of Fluids
Heat transfer on a vapor bubble rising in superheated liquid is investigated by direct numerical ... more Heat transfer on a vapor bubble rising in superheated liquid is investigated by direct numerical simulation. The vapor–liquid system is described by the one-fluid formulation with the level set method capturing the interface. The proportional-integral-derivative controller is employed to keep the bubble's location fixed and evaluate interfacial forces. The heat transfer performance featured by the Nusselt number is evaluated based on the energy balance. Simulations are carried out for the bubble Reynolds number ranging from 20 to 500 and Morton number from 1.10 × 10−10 to 3.80 × 10−4. The aim of this paper is to shed some light on the effect of bubble deformation and oscillation on interfacial heat transfer. The results show that the front part of the bubble contributes to the majority of the interfacial heat transfer, while the rear part mainly affects the oscillation amplitude of the total heat transfer. The interface stretch during bubble oscillation is considered as a key me...
Frontiers in Energy Research
In nuclear reactor safety research, the countercurrent gas-liquid two-phase flow in the hot leg o... more In nuclear reactor safety research, the countercurrent gas-liquid two-phase flow in the hot leg of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) has attracted considerable attention. Previous work has proven that the algebraic interfacial area density (AIAD) model implemented in ANSYS CFX can effectively capture the gas-liquid interface and avoid the loss of information regarding the interfacial structure, which occurs after phase averaging in the Euler–Euler two-fluid approach. To verify the accuracy of the AIAD module implementation in ANSYS Fluent, the model based on the experimental data from the WENKA facility is validated in this work. The effects of the subgrid wave turbulence model, turbulence damping model, and droplet entrainment model are simultaneously investigated, which have been shown to be important in the previous work with CFX. The results show that the simulations are considerably and significantly deviate from the experiments when the turbulence damping is not considered. Th...
Volume 6: Beyond Design Basis Events; Student Paper Competition, 2013
ABSTRACT Today Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) codes are widely used for industrial application... more ABSTRACT Today Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) codes are widely used for industrial applications in the case of single phase flows as in automotive or aircraft industries, but multiphase flow modeling had gain an increasing importance in the last years. Safety analyses on nuclear power plants require reliable prediction on steam-water flows in case of different accident scenarios. This is particularly true for passive safety systems as the GEKO component of the KERENA reactor. Here flashing may occur in the riser. In such a case high gas volume fractions and the churn-turbulent flow regime may occur. So far, the codes for the prediction of churn-regime have not shown a very promising behavior in the past. In this paper, a two-fluid multi-field hydrodynamic model has been developed based in the Euler-Euler framework. The main emphasis of this work has been on the modeling and applicability of various interfacial forces between dispersed gaseous phases and the continuous liquid, as well as bubble-bubble interactions, and the evolution of different bubble sizes in an adiabatic vertical pipe inside the churn-turbulent flow regime. All the expected mechanistic models that intervene in this flow pattern have been taken into account including drag force, wall force, lift force, turbulent dispersion, and bubble induced turbulence. Bubble breakup and coalescence has been defined (Liao et al., 2011), and in order to design a polydispersed model related to reality, the inhomogeneous MUSIG approach (Krepper et al., 2008) has been used to defined an adequate number of bubble size fractions, each with their own velocity field. Based on these models, a series of simulations were made on the framework of ANSYS CFX 14.0, and all of the calculations were further validated with experimental data extracted from the TOPFLOW facility at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Different water and gas flow rates were used inside the churn-turbulent flow regime, as well as for the transition from bubbly to churn flow. The calculated cross-section averaged bubble size distributions, gas velocities, and time averaged radial profile for the gas fraction have shown a promising agreement with the experimental data. Nevertheless there are also clear deviations which indicate shortcomings of the present modelling. In order to further improve the modeling of this flow regime, a discussion based on the results will be used to shown a series of limitations of the actual modeling and possible solutions to be implemented in future works.
Fluids, 2018
The complexity of flashing flows is increased vastly by the interphase heat transfer as well as i... more The complexity of flashing flows is increased vastly by the interphase heat transfer as well as its coupling with mass and momentum transfers. A reliable heat transfer coefficient is the key in the modelling of such kinds of flows with the two-fluid model. An extensive literature survey on computational modelling of flashing flows has been given in previous work. The present work is aimed at giving a brief review on available theories and correlations for the estimation of interphase heat transfer coefficient, and evaluating them quantitatively based on computational fluid dynamics simulations of bubble growth in superheated liquid. The comparison of predictions for bubble growth rate obtained by using different correlations with the experimental as well as direct numerical simulation data reveals that the performance of the correlations is dependent on the Jakob number and Reynolds number. No generally applicable correlations are available. Both conduction and convection are important in cases of bubble rising and translating in stagnant liquid at high Jakob numbers. The correlations combining the analytical solution for heat diffusion and the theoretical relation for potential flow give the best agreement.
A generalized model for bubble coalescence and breakup has been developed, which is based on a co... more A generalized model for bubble coalescence and breakup has been developed, which is based on a comprehensive survey of existing theories and models. One important feature of the model is that all important mechanisms leading to bubble coalescence and breakup in a turbulent gas-liquid flow are considered. The new model is tested extensively in a 1D Test Solver and a 3D CFD code ANSYS CFX for the case of vertical gas-liquid pipe flow under adiabatic conditions, respectively. Two kinds of extensions of the standard multi-fluid model, i.e. the discrete population model and the inhomogeneous MUSIG (multiple-size group) model, are available in the two solvers, respectively. These extensions with suitable closure models such as those for coalescence and breakup are able to predict the evolution of bubble size distribution in dispersed flows and to overcome the mono-dispersed flow limitation of the standard multi-fluid model. Besides, I would like to extend my gratitude to all support staff at the Institute of Safety Research for their assistance, especially the secretaries, Claudia Losinski, Petra Vetter, Annett Richter and special thanks to the computer administrator Torsten Berger. I am most thankful to the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology for funding my research work through the program of competence maintenance in nuclear technology. Finally, a great thanks to my husband Wenxing, for his love and continuous support, and my children Ye and Lei.
In the present study we propose new coalescence and breakup closures for the inhomogeneous multip... more In the present study we propose new coalescence and breakup closures for the inhomogeneous multiple bubble size group (MUSIG) model. The major purpose is to consider bubble coalescence and breakup due to different mechanisms and to develop a general applicable constitutive model for CFD applications. For bubble coalescence the new model includes coalescence due to turbulence, laminar shear, wake entrainment and eddy capture. Bubble breakup mechanisms encompass turbulent fluctuation, laminar shear and interfacial slip velocity. The new models were implemented in ANSYS-CFX and applied to the case of turbulent air-water mixtures in a large vertical pipe (DN 200). Simulation results for the evolution of radial gas volume fraction, bubble size distribution were compared to as default used closure models of Luo & Svendsen and Prince & Blanch [1, 2] as well as TOPFLOW experimental data. Better prediction of bubble size distribution is accomplished.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational multiphase fluid dynamics (CMFD) methods hav... more Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational multiphase fluid dynamics (CMFD) methods have attracted great attentions in predicting single-phase and multiphase flows under steady-state or transient conditions in the field of nuclear reactor engineering. The CFD research circle is rapidly expanding, and the CFD topic has been covered in many international conferences on nuclear engineering, such as ICONE, NURETH, NUTHOS, and CFD4NRS, which greatly extends the forum to exchange information in the application of CFD codes to nuclear reactor safety issues. Currently, more and more scholars are devoting their efforts to CFD study in the nuclear engineering community, and a series of valuable research results have emerged in recent years. Therefore, this research topic was proposed, and the issue was organized by Tian from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Petrov from University of Michigan, Erkan from the University of Tokyo, Liao from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, and Wang from...
Nuclear Engineering and Design
Nuclear Engineering and Design
International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow
Abstract The phenomena of initially subcooled liquid flashing into vapour due to depressurization... more Abstract The phenomena of initially subcooled liquid flashing into vapour due to depressurization frequently occur in the nature and technology. They are very complex systems, and the fluid dynamics is affected by the interplay of many different sub phenomena, including bubble nucleation, evaporation, condensation, coalescence, and breakup. Research on the flashing flows has received much attention, but CFD modelling and simulation of such scenarios is still challenging, because knowledge is often insufficient for a precise mathematical description of the physical problems. Attempts of numerical analysis having been made before are all based on the assumption of mono-disperse bubbles by prescribing either the size or number density or using a mixture model, which deviates largely from the physical picture. In the present work, a CFD-PBM coupled approach is extended for the investigation of bubble dynamics in a flashing pipe flow. The comparison with experimental data demonstrates that the model is effective in capturing the physics of vapour bubbles’ generation and growth as well as their spatial motion and distribution during the decompression. Although further polishing of the bubble coalescence and breakup as well as interphase momentum and turbulence transfer models is necessary, the agreement between measured and simulated cross-section averaged flow parameters such as void fraction, liquid temperature and bubble size distribution is satisfying. The wide range of bubble size changing confirms the necessity of using a poly-disperse approach instead of mono-disperse assumptions.
International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids
Nuclear Engineering and Design
Abstract A unified set of closures have been applied to simulating different configurations and f... more Abstract A unified set of closures have been applied to simulating different configurations and fluids, i.e. pipe flow and bubble column, air/water and air/liquid metal. The simulated velocity, void fraction and turbulence profiles were compared with the measured ones. Starting from the baseline model for poly-disperse flows the present work is intended to prove the performance of a recently published model for bubble-induced turbulence, which was established on the basis of physical analyses and direct numerical simulation data. The model is shown to work well under various conditions without any need of tuning, and significant improvement in the prediction of turbulence parameters in comparison to other models is demonstrated. This is a great step towards developing the baseline closure concept. Finally, a brief discussion on the further development and future work regarding Eulerian closure models was given.
International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 2016
Abstract The condensation of saturated steam bubbles in sub-cooled water inside a vertical pipe w... more Abstract The condensation of saturated steam bubbles in sub-cooled water inside a vertical pipe was studied by poly-disperse CFD simulations. Six test cases with varied pressure, liquid sub-cooling and diameter of the gas injection orifices were simulated. Baseline closures presented for non-drag forces in previous work were found to be reliable also in non-isothermal cases. The effect of bubble coalescence and breakup is over-weighting in the region close to steam injection in case of small orifice diameter. With the increase of orifice diameter, breakup becomes dominant in determining bubble size change. The effect of interphase heat transfer coefficient correlations was investigated. The widespread Ranz–Marshall correlation was found to under-estimate the condensation rate, especially at high pressure levels. In contrast, satisfying agreement with the experimental data was obtained by the Tomiyama correlation.
Flash evaporation of superheated liquid to vapour by depressurization is frequently encountered i... more Flash evaporation of superheated liquid to vapour by depressurization is frequently encountered in the nature and technology, but computational fluid dynamics modelling and simulation of such scenarios is still at the embryo stage. Attempts having been made before are all based on the assumption of mono-disperse bubbles by prescribing either the size or number density, which deviates largely from the physical picture. In the present work the poly-disperse multiple-size-group approach is used for the first time to simulate the water evaporation process under pressure release transients. Complex bubble dynamics and non-equilibrium processes such as bubble nucleation, growth, coalescence and breakup as well as interfacial heat transfer are accounted for. The comparison with experimental data demonstrates that the model is effective in capturing the temporal course of vapour bubbles’ generation and growth as well as their spatial distribution. The agreement between measured and simulate...
Applied Thermal Engineering
Nuclear Engineering and Design
Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow, Jan 4, 2022
Bubbly flow still represents a challenge for large-scale numerical simulation. Among many others,... more Bubbly flow still represents a challenge for large-scale numerical simulation. Among many others, the understanding and modelling of bubble-induced turbulence (BIT) are far from being satisfactory even though continuous efforts have been made. In particular, the buoyancy of the bubbles generally introduces turbulence anisotropy in the flow, which cannot be captured by the standard eddy viscosity models with specific source terms representing BIT. Recently, on the basis of bubble-resolving direct numerical simulation data, a new Reynolds-stress model considering BIT was developed by Ma et al. (J Fluid Mech, 883: A9 (2020)) within the Euler-Euler framework. The objective of the present work is to assess this model and compare its performance with other standard Reynolds-stress models using a systematic test strategy. We select the experimental data in the BIT-dominated range and find that the new model leads to major improvements in the prediction of full Reynolds-stress components.
Physics of Fluids
Heat transfer on a vapor bubble rising in superheated liquid is investigated by direct numerical ... more Heat transfer on a vapor bubble rising in superheated liquid is investigated by direct numerical simulation. The vapor–liquid system is described by the one-fluid formulation with the level set method capturing the interface. The proportional-integral-derivative controller is employed to keep the bubble's location fixed and evaluate interfacial forces. The heat transfer performance featured by the Nusselt number is evaluated based on the energy balance. Simulations are carried out for the bubble Reynolds number ranging from 20 to 500 and Morton number from 1.10 × 10−10 to 3.80 × 10−4. The aim of this paper is to shed some light on the effect of bubble deformation and oscillation on interfacial heat transfer. The results show that the front part of the bubble contributes to the majority of the interfacial heat transfer, while the rear part mainly affects the oscillation amplitude of the total heat transfer. The interface stretch during bubble oscillation is considered as a key me...
Frontiers in Energy Research
In nuclear reactor safety research, the countercurrent gas-liquid two-phase flow in the hot leg o... more In nuclear reactor safety research, the countercurrent gas-liquid two-phase flow in the hot leg of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) has attracted considerable attention. Previous work has proven that the algebraic interfacial area density (AIAD) model implemented in ANSYS CFX can effectively capture the gas-liquid interface and avoid the loss of information regarding the interfacial structure, which occurs after phase averaging in the Euler–Euler two-fluid approach. To verify the accuracy of the AIAD module implementation in ANSYS Fluent, the model based on the experimental data from the WENKA facility is validated in this work. The effects of the subgrid wave turbulence model, turbulence damping model, and droplet entrainment model are simultaneously investigated, which have been shown to be important in the previous work with CFX. The results show that the simulations are considerably and significantly deviate from the experiments when the turbulence damping is not considered. Th...
Volume 6: Beyond Design Basis Events; Student Paper Competition, 2013
ABSTRACT Today Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) codes are widely used for industrial application... more ABSTRACT Today Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) codes are widely used for industrial applications in the case of single phase flows as in automotive or aircraft industries, but multiphase flow modeling had gain an increasing importance in the last years. Safety analyses on nuclear power plants require reliable prediction on steam-water flows in case of different accident scenarios. This is particularly true for passive safety systems as the GEKO component of the KERENA reactor. Here flashing may occur in the riser. In such a case high gas volume fractions and the churn-turbulent flow regime may occur. So far, the codes for the prediction of churn-regime have not shown a very promising behavior in the past. In this paper, a two-fluid multi-field hydrodynamic model has been developed based in the Euler-Euler framework. The main emphasis of this work has been on the modeling and applicability of various interfacial forces between dispersed gaseous phases and the continuous liquid, as well as bubble-bubble interactions, and the evolution of different bubble sizes in an adiabatic vertical pipe inside the churn-turbulent flow regime. All the expected mechanistic models that intervene in this flow pattern have been taken into account including drag force, wall force, lift force, turbulent dispersion, and bubble induced turbulence. Bubble breakup and coalescence has been defined (Liao et al., 2011), and in order to design a polydispersed model related to reality, the inhomogeneous MUSIG approach (Krepper et al., 2008) has been used to defined an adequate number of bubble size fractions, each with their own velocity field. Based on these models, a series of simulations were made on the framework of ANSYS CFX 14.0, and all of the calculations were further validated with experimental data extracted from the TOPFLOW facility at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Different water and gas flow rates were used inside the churn-turbulent flow regime, as well as for the transition from bubbly to churn flow. The calculated cross-section averaged bubble size distributions, gas velocities, and time averaged radial profile for the gas fraction have shown a promising agreement with the experimental data. Nevertheless there are also clear deviations which indicate shortcomings of the present modelling. In order to further improve the modeling of this flow regime, a discussion based on the results will be used to shown a series of limitations of the actual modeling and possible solutions to be implemented in future works.
Fluids, 2018
The complexity of flashing flows is increased vastly by the interphase heat transfer as well as i... more The complexity of flashing flows is increased vastly by the interphase heat transfer as well as its coupling with mass and momentum transfers. A reliable heat transfer coefficient is the key in the modelling of such kinds of flows with the two-fluid model. An extensive literature survey on computational modelling of flashing flows has been given in previous work. The present work is aimed at giving a brief review on available theories and correlations for the estimation of interphase heat transfer coefficient, and evaluating them quantitatively based on computational fluid dynamics simulations of bubble growth in superheated liquid. The comparison of predictions for bubble growth rate obtained by using different correlations with the experimental as well as direct numerical simulation data reveals that the performance of the correlations is dependent on the Jakob number and Reynolds number. No generally applicable correlations are available. Both conduction and convection are important in cases of bubble rising and translating in stagnant liquid at high Jakob numbers. The correlations combining the analytical solution for heat diffusion and the theoretical relation for potential flow give the best agreement.
A generalized model for bubble coalescence and breakup has been developed, which is based on a co... more A generalized model for bubble coalescence and breakup has been developed, which is based on a comprehensive survey of existing theories and models. One important feature of the model is that all important mechanisms leading to bubble coalescence and breakup in a turbulent gas-liquid flow are considered. The new model is tested extensively in a 1D Test Solver and a 3D CFD code ANSYS CFX for the case of vertical gas-liquid pipe flow under adiabatic conditions, respectively. Two kinds of extensions of the standard multi-fluid model, i.e. the discrete population model and the inhomogeneous MUSIG (multiple-size group) model, are available in the two solvers, respectively. These extensions with suitable closure models such as those for coalescence and breakup are able to predict the evolution of bubble size distribution in dispersed flows and to overcome the mono-dispersed flow limitation of the standard multi-fluid model. Besides, I would like to extend my gratitude to all support staff at the Institute of Safety Research for their assistance, especially the secretaries, Claudia Losinski, Petra Vetter, Annett Richter and special thanks to the computer administrator Torsten Berger. I am most thankful to the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology for funding my research work through the program of competence maintenance in nuclear technology. Finally, a great thanks to my husband Wenxing, for his love and continuous support, and my children Ye and Lei.
In the present study we propose new coalescence and breakup closures for the inhomogeneous multip... more In the present study we propose new coalescence and breakup closures for the inhomogeneous multiple bubble size group (MUSIG) model. The major purpose is to consider bubble coalescence and breakup due to different mechanisms and to develop a general applicable constitutive model for CFD applications. For bubble coalescence the new model includes coalescence due to turbulence, laminar shear, wake entrainment and eddy capture. Bubble breakup mechanisms encompass turbulent fluctuation, laminar shear and interfacial slip velocity. The new models were implemented in ANSYS-CFX and applied to the case of turbulent air-water mixtures in a large vertical pipe (DN 200). Simulation results for the evolution of radial gas volume fraction, bubble size distribution were compared to as default used closure models of Luo & Svendsen and Prince & Blanch [1, 2] as well as TOPFLOW experimental data. Better prediction of bubble size distribution is accomplished.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational multiphase fluid dynamics (CMFD) methods hav... more Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational multiphase fluid dynamics (CMFD) methods have attracted great attentions in predicting single-phase and multiphase flows under steady-state or transient conditions in the field of nuclear reactor engineering. The CFD research circle is rapidly expanding, and the CFD topic has been covered in many international conferences on nuclear engineering, such as ICONE, NURETH, NUTHOS, and CFD4NRS, which greatly extends the forum to exchange information in the application of CFD codes to nuclear reactor safety issues. Currently, more and more scholars are devoting their efforts to CFD study in the nuclear engineering community, and a series of valuable research results have emerged in recent years. Therefore, this research topic was proposed, and the issue was organized by Tian from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Petrov from University of Michigan, Erkan from the University of Tokyo, Liao from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, and Wang from...
Nuclear Engineering and Design
Nuclear Engineering and Design
International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow
Abstract The phenomena of initially subcooled liquid flashing into vapour due to depressurization... more Abstract The phenomena of initially subcooled liquid flashing into vapour due to depressurization frequently occur in the nature and technology. They are very complex systems, and the fluid dynamics is affected by the interplay of many different sub phenomena, including bubble nucleation, evaporation, condensation, coalescence, and breakup. Research on the flashing flows has received much attention, but CFD modelling and simulation of such scenarios is still challenging, because knowledge is often insufficient for a precise mathematical description of the physical problems. Attempts of numerical analysis having been made before are all based on the assumption of mono-disperse bubbles by prescribing either the size or number density or using a mixture model, which deviates largely from the physical picture. In the present work, a CFD-PBM coupled approach is extended for the investigation of bubble dynamics in a flashing pipe flow. The comparison with experimental data demonstrates that the model is effective in capturing the physics of vapour bubbles’ generation and growth as well as their spatial motion and distribution during the decompression. Although further polishing of the bubble coalescence and breakup as well as interphase momentum and turbulence transfer models is necessary, the agreement between measured and simulated cross-section averaged flow parameters such as void fraction, liquid temperature and bubble size distribution is satisfying. The wide range of bubble size changing confirms the necessity of using a poly-disperse approach instead of mono-disperse assumptions.
International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids
Nuclear Engineering and Design
Abstract A unified set of closures have been applied to simulating different configurations and f... more Abstract A unified set of closures have been applied to simulating different configurations and fluids, i.e. pipe flow and bubble column, air/water and air/liquid metal. The simulated velocity, void fraction and turbulence profiles were compared with the measured ones. Starting from the baseline model for poly-disperse flows the present work is intended to prove the performance of a recently published model for bubble-induced turbulence, which was established on the basis of physical analyses and direct numerical simulation data. The model is shown to work well under various conditions without any need of tuning, and significant improvement in the prediction of turbulence parameters in comparison to other models is demonstrated. This is a great step towards developing the baseline closure concept. Finally, a brief discussion on the further development and future work regarding Eulerian closure models was given.
International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 2016
Abstract The condensation of saturated steam bubbles in sub-cooled water inside a vertical pipe w... more Abstract The condensation of saturated steam bubbles in sub-cooled water inside a vertical pipe was studied by poly-disperse CFD simulations. Six test cases with varied pressure, liquid sub-cooling and diameter of the gas injection orifices were simulated. Baseline closures presented for non-drag forces in previous work were found to be reliable also in non-isothermal cases. The effect of bubble coalescence and breakup is over-weighting in the region close to steam injection in case of small orifice diameter. With the increase of orifice diameter, breakup becomes dominant in determining bubble size change. The effect of interphase heat transfer coefficient correlations was investigated. The widespread Ranz–Marshall correlation was found to under-estimate the condensation rate, especially at high pressure levels. In contrast, satisfying agreement with the experimental data was obtained by the Tomiyama correlation.
Flash evaporation of superheated liquid to vapour by depressurization is frequently encountered i... more Flash evaporation of superheated liquid to vapour by depressurization is frequently encountered in the nature and technology, but computational fluid dynamics modelling and simulation of such scenarios is still at the embryo stage. Attempts having been made before are all based on the assumption of mono-disperse bubbles by prescribing either the size or number density, which deviates largely from the physical picture. In the present work the poly-disperse multiple-size-group approach is used for the first time to simulate the water evaporation process under pressure release transients. Complex bubble dynamics and non-equilibrium processes such as bubble nucleation, growth, coalescence and breakup as well as interfacial heat transfer are accounted for. The comparison with experimental data demonstrates that the model is effective in capturing the temporal course of vapour bubbles’ generation and growth as well as their spatial distribution. The agreement between measured and simulate...
Applied Thermal Engineering
Nuclear Engineering and Design