Numerical Simulation of Subcooled Flow Boiling Using a Bubble Tracking Method

The process of bubble nucleation in subcooled flow boiling was visualized using a high speed camera to show that the bubble size can be significantly different between the nucleation sites. However, the bubble size is usually assumed constant in the numerical simulation of subcooled flow boiling. To explore the effect of the bubble size distribution on the void fraction in subcooled flow boiling, numerical simulations were performed using a bubble tracking method in which the size and position of each bubble are calculated individually using a Lagrangian coordinates. In the present simulation, the void fraction was greater when the bubble size distribution was taken into consideration. Since the bubble tracking method requires many correlations, further improvement is necessary. The present numerical results however indicate that the bubble size distribution should be taken in to consideration to evaluate the void fraction in subcooled flow boiling accurately.