Experimental evaluation of local bubble parameters of subcooled boiling flow in a pressurized vertical annulus channel

Abstract Experiments were performed to quantify the local bubble parameters such as void fraction, bubble velocity, interfacial area concentration, and Sauter mean diameter for the subcooled boiling flow of a refrigerant R-134a in a pressurized vertical annulus channel. Optical fiber void probe and double pressure boundary visualization windows were installed at four measurement stations with different elevations, thus enabling the quantification of local bubble parameters and observation of global boiling structure. Using high-resolution traverse systems for the optical fiber void probes and the heating tube, the radial profiles of the bubble parameters and their axial propagation can be evaluated at any elevation of the whole heating region. At this first phase of the experiments, three tests were conducted by varying the pressure, heat flux, mass flux, and local liquid subcooling. The radial profiles of the bubble parameters were obtained at seven elevations. The pressure condition of the present experiments covered the normal operating pressure of PWRs according to the similarity criteria. The present experimental data will be useful for thorough validation and improvement of the CMFD (Computation Multi-Fluid Dynamics) codes and constitutive relations.