Effect of multiple holes on the performance of sparger during direct contact condensation of steam

Abstract An experimental study has been carried out to investigate the performance of a I-type sparger in view of pressure oscillation and thermal mixing in a pool. Its pitch-to-hole diameter, P / D , varies from 2 to 5. The test conditions are restricted to the condensation oscillation regime. In the present study, two different hole patterns, staggered and parallel types, are employed under the various test conditions. The amplitude of the pressure pulse shows a peak at the pool temperature range of around 45–85 °C, which depends on P / D and the steam mass flux. The effect of the hole pattern on the pressure load is relatively smaller than that of P / D . The results show that the dominant frequency increases with the subcooling temperature of pool water and P / D . A correlation of the dominant frequency is proposed in terms of the pitch-to-hole diameter ratio and other dimensionless thermal hydraulic parameters.