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VOF MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF FILMWISE CONDENSATION BETWEEN VERTICAL PARALLEL PLATES

Liu, Zhenyu LU ; Sundén, Bengt LU and Yuan, Jinliang LU (2012) In Heat Transfer Research 43(1). p.47-68
Abstract
In this study, a computational model has been developed to predict condensation heat transfer between vertical parallel plates. Transient simulations of filmwise condensation in a small two-dimensional parallel plate passage are performed. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is used to track the vapor liquid interface. The Geometric Reconstruction Scheme, which is a Piecewise Linear Interface Calculation (PLIC) method, is employed to keep the interface sharp. The governing equations and the VOF equation with relevant source terms for condensation are solved explicitly. The surface tension is taken into account in the modeling and it is evaluated by the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) approach. Different methods to evaluate the source terms in... (More)
In this study, a computational model has been developed to predict condensation heat transfer between vertical parallel plates. Transient simulations of filmwise condensation in a small two-dimensional parallel plate passage are performed. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is used to track the vapor liquid interface. The Geometric Reconstruction Scheme, which is a Piecewise Linear Interface Calculation (PLIC) method, is employed to keep the interface sharp. The governing equations and the VOF equation with relevant source terms for condensation are solved explicitly. The surface tension is taken into account in the modeling and it is evaluated by the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) approach. Different methods to evaluate the source terms in the VOF and energy equations are summarized based on previous studies. The simulation is performed using the CFD software package, Ansys Fluent, and an in-house developed code. This in-house code is specifically developed to calculate the source terms associated with phase change, which are deduced from the Hertz-Knudsen equation based on the kinetic gas theory. The predicted results show that a laminar regime exists at the top of the wall, where the film is the thinnest. A wavy regime appears as a series of regular ripples/waves of condensate moving downwards under the action of both gravity and shear stress in the interface area. As a further step, the simulations have been run under different surface tension, wall temperature, and inlet velocity conditions. The predictions also indicate that the wave peak height decreases with increasing surface tension and decreases with increasing inlet velocity. This has an effect on the heat transfer characteristics of the condensation process. The condensation heat transfer increases sharply by increasing the temperature difference between the wall and saturation temperature of the inlet steam. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
volume of fluid (VOF), filmwise condensation, vertical plate, CFD, modeling, phase change
in
Heat Transfer Research
volume
43
issue
1
pages
47 - 68
publisher
Begell House
external identifiers
  • wos:000303955000003
  • scopus:84860320428
ISSN
1064-2285
DOI
10.1615/HeatTransRes.2012004376
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9392ae83-a7dd-4831-9031-ec40c07d670a (old id 2826872)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:29:54
date last changed
2022-02-25 02:21:54
@article{9392ae83-a7dd-4831-9031-ec40c07d670a,
  abstract     = {{In this study, a computational model has been developed to predict condensation heat transfer between vertical parallel plates. Transient simulations of filmwise condensation in a small two-dimensional parallel plate passage are performed. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is used to track the vapor liquid interface. The Geometric Reconstruction Scheme, which is a Piecewise Linear Interface Calculation (PLIC) method, is employed to keep the interface sharp. The governing equations and the VOF equation with relevant source terms for condensation are solved explicitly. The surface tension is taken into account in the modeling and it is evaluated by the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) approach. Different methods to evaluate the source terms in the VOF and energy equations are summarized based on previous studies. The simulation is performed using the CFD software package, Ansys Fluent, and an in-house developed code. This in-house code is specifically developed to calculate the source terms associated with phase change, which are deduced from the Hertz-Knudsen equation based on the kinetic gas theory. The predicted results show that a laminar regime exists at the top of the wall, where the film is the thinnest. A wavy regime appears as a series of regular ripples/waves of condensate moving downwards under the action of both gravity and shear stress in the interface area. As a further step, the simulations have been run under different surface tension, wall temperature, and inlet velocity conditions. The predictions also indicate that the wave peak height decreases with increasing surface tension and decreases with increasing inlet velocity. This has an effect on the heat transfer characteristics of the condensation process. The condensation heat transfer increases sharply by increasing the temperature difference between the wall and saturation temperature of the inlet steam.}},
  author       = {{Liu, Zhenyu and Sundén, Bengt and Yuan, Jinliang}},
  issn         = {{1064-2285}},
  keywords     = {{volume of fluid (VOF); filmwise condensation; vertical plate; CFD; modeling; phase change}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{47--68}},
  publisher    = {{Begell House}},
  series       = {{Heat Transfer Research}},
  title        = {{VOF MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF FILMWISE CONDENSATION BETWEEN VERTICAL PARALLEL PLATES}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1615/HeatTransRes.2012004376}},
  doi          = {{10.1615/HeatTransRes.2012004376}},
  volume       = {{43}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}