28/07/2017 POST-DRYOUT HEAT TRANSFER

DOI: 10.1615/AtoZ.p.post-dryout_heat_transfer

Convective flow boiling downstream of the critical heat flux (CHF) location can be termed "post-dryout
Conventionally, this regime is divided into a transition boiling region (unstable or partial film boiling) and a stab
region. Transition boiling is defined as an unstable region with nucleate and film boiling occurring alternately, char
decrease in the wall heat flux as the wall temperature increases. This definition of transition boiling is useful when
fluid that has undergone CHF with bulk subcooling or low vapor qualities. However, when CHF is characterized by
high vapor qualities), the flow pattern is liquid droplets dispersed in a bulk vapor. In this case, bulk nucleate boiling
the post-dryout heat transfer mechanisms are primarily vapor convection and some form of droplet-wall interactio
appropriate to consider post-dryout heat transfer as a consequence of the fluid condition at CHF rather than in term
and film boiling as defined traditionally.

Figure 1 shows typical post-CHF flow conditions for the above two types of postulated CHF and post-dryout situ
occurs at low vapor fractions, then post-CHF behavior can be expected to be one of inverse annular flow
flow. If the flow rate is also low, then "film boiling" rather than convection will be the dominant heat transfer proc
and film thickness increase due to vaporization of the liquid, a decrease in heat transfer capability occurs as the wa
increases. This corresponds to the conventional definition of transition boiling.

If CHF occurs at high vapor fractions, the initiating mechanism is dryout of a liquid film at the wall, leading to dispe
in the post-dryout region. In this situation convection will dominate the heat transfer process, especially if the flo
Under these conditions, the heat removal capacity of the fluid can either decrease or increase as wall tempera
depending on the relative magnitudes of vapor convection and droplet-wall interaction. The usual negative-slope tra
portion of the classical boiling curve may not exist in this situation.

Figure 1. Flow patterns in post-dryout heat transfer.

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