Multi-Dimensional Numerical Simulation of Burnout on Horizontal Surface in Pool Boiling

Multidimensional numerical simulation of the atmospheric saturated pool boiling is performed under high heat fluxes, near to and at the occurrence of burnout conditions. Heat flux through the vessel bottom wall is varied and its influence on the pool boiling dynamics is analysed. Dynamics of vapour generation on the heating wall is modelled through the density of nucleation sites and the bubble residence time on the wall. The nucleation sites are determined by a random function. The applied numerical grid is able to represent the nucleation sites on the heating wall for both fresh (polished) and aged (rough) heaters at the atmospheric pool boiling conditions. Results are presented for short time period after the initiation of heat supply and vapour generation on the heating surface, as well as for quasi steady-state conditions after two seconds from pool boiling initiation. The results show a replenishment of the heating surface with water and partial surface wetting for lower heat fluxes, while heating surface dry-out is predicted for high heat fluxes. The influence of the density of nucleation sites and the bubble residence time on the wall on the pool boiling dynamics is investigated. Numerical simulations show that decrease of the density of nucleation sites and increase of bubble residence time on the heating surface (characteristics pertinent to fresh-polished heaters) lead to the reduction of critical heat flux values. Obtained results are in excellent agreement with the recent experimental investigations of the upward facing burnout conditions on the horizontal heated plate. Details of the developed numerical procedure are presented. The introduced method of random spatial and temporal generation of the vapour at the heated wall is a new approach. It enables the macroscopic representation of the population of microscopic vapour bubbles, which are generated at nucleation sites on the heater wall, and which burst through liquid micro-layer in thermal-hydraulic conditions close to the burnout. The applied numerical and modelling method has shown robustness by allowing stable calculations for wide ranges of applied modelling boiling parameters (density of nucleation sites and bubble residence time).