BOIL1.

ppt

Boiling (Chapter in Outline Notes

Boiling Heat Transfer )

Components of Course: What Stage are We Up To?

Types of exchangers, revision of OHTCs, fouling factors. Heat exchanger selection. Thermal performance analysis (NTUs) for co- & counter-current exchangers. Multi-pass exchangers (S&T). Condensation & boiling. Radiation.

Outline
Important for reboilers on distillation columns, steam boilers Mechanisms Example

Mechanisms
Consider (first) situation in which wall temperatures are controlled (by condensing steam or other vapour) Different to controlled heat flux (controlled by electrical, radiant, nuclear power input)

As Wall Temperature is Increased

Temperature driving force for boiling is that between wall & boiling point of liquid. Heat-transfer coefficient = ratio of heat flux to temperature driving force. Initially, only forced convection heating occurs; not boiling heat transfer

Two Basic Mechanisms

Nucleate boiling: strings of bubbles rise from surface; liquid moves into surface; more vapour generated

Film boiling: at higher heat fluxes, vapour blankets surface, heat-transfer coefficient decreases

Design Aim
Keep heat fluxes low enough so that nucleate boiling occurs, where heat-transfer coefficients are best Critical heat flux; where bubbles start to join to form vapour blanket Leidenfrost temperature; temperature above which vapour blanket is continuous across wall

Controlled Heat Flux

An Important Point
Suppose that you are asked to calculate heat-transfer rate for heat exchanger which is required to do some boiling duty. All heat-transfer calculations are subject to some uncertainty. Boiling heat-transfer calculations are more uncertain than single-phase and boiling calculations.

Mechanisms
Why are heat-transfer coefficients for boiling much more difficult to predict than those for condensation? Film-wise condensation occurs for any normally rough or rougher surface. Drop-wise condensation is very rare (only on very smooth surfaces).

 Once a film forms in condensation, surface roughness does not matter much, since film covers surface bumps. Contrast: With nucleate boiling, bubbles always start at surface. Number, type & shape of crevices, bumps, etc, always governs ease with which bubbles leave surface.

 Since bubbles insulate surface from liquid, ease with which they leave surface is very important in governing heat-transfer rate.

Pool Boiling vs Forced Convection

Key distinctions: Pool boiling - natural convection, flow patterns driven by heat transfer Forced convection - fluid is moved across surface

Forced Convection
Same basic processes as in pool boiling. Some transitions: single-phase forced convection sub-cooled nucleate boiling: Tw > Tsat, but bulk fluid sub-cooled saturated nucleate boiling: vapour quality > 0

Dryout
film is completely evaporated quality < 1 droplets in gas forced convection heat transfer heat-transfer coefficient drops wall temperature increases dangerous if heat flux is constant scale formation, corrosion are accelerated

Example: Pool Boiling, Pot on Stove

(presented in detail in Outline Notes Boiling Heat Transfer chapter )) Critical heat flux: Zuber correlation For estimating wall temperature, heattransfer coefficient for pool boiling must be estimated. The correlation of Cooper (1984) is often used - see Outline Notes. Conclusions of example : nucleate boiling will always occur, because pot would melt before critical heat flux is reached.

Actual Designs
Like condensers, mainly shell & tube, not plate (high pressure drops in narrow plate gaps, problems in finding suitable gasket materials) Thermosyphon design common (vertical, in-tube); difficult because it relies on (strong) natural convection to drive fluid flow, which drives heat transfer, etc

Conclusions
Boiling more difficult than condensation to predict accurately because (unpredictable) nature of surface has a larger effect Behaviour is different for controlled heat flux cf controlled wall temperature