Thome - ch01 - Introduction-2015

July 10, 2015 7:49 Encyclopedia of Two-Phase Heat Transfer and Flow I - 9.75in x 6.
5in b1881-set-I-v1-ch01 page 1
Chapter 1
Encyclopedia of Two-Phase Heat Transfer and Flow I Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com
Introduction
by NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY on 10/15/15. For personal use only.
The simultaneous flow of two phases in a conduit is encountered in many engineering

applications, such as: conventional steam power plants, geothermal power plants,
solar energy power plants, steam generators, heat exchangers, boilers, condensers
and evaporators, cooling systems, petroleum production, oil and gas transport,
nuclear reactors and climate control in space.
Following are the most common typical examples:
1. Heat Exchangers
Heat exchangers are common equipments in steam, solar and geothermic power
plants, cooling systems and chemical processes (Fig. 1). Two-phase flow is
encountered due to evaporation or condensation processes in the heat exchangers.
Figure 1. Fin type condenser — evaporator for air conditioners.
1
July 10, 2015 7:49 Encyclopedia of Two-Phase Heat Transfer and Flow I - 9.75in x 6.5in b1881-set-I-v1-ch01 page 2
2 Modeling of Gas Liquid Flow in Pipes
2. Oil and Gas Transport

In the production of oil and/or gas, two-phase flow exists in the wellbore as well as
in the transportation lines, which may be very long for the case of off-shore wells.
Transportation of liquid/gas mixtures over long distances, from the platform to the
shore is a considerable engineering and scientific challenge, primarily due to the
topological variation of the sea bed.
Note that oil and gas pipelines are always in the form of a two-phase flow
mixture. If one starts with a pure gas line, liquid is produced and accumulated due
to retrograde condensation. On the other hand when liquid oil rises in the wellbore,
gas fraction increases due to the decrease of the static head.

Figure 2 presents a schematic of an off-shore production system. Oil and gas
are produced from a reservoir, pressed to the platform via the wellbore (that can be
inclined) and then it is transported via a long line to shore. This system contains
a variety of complex two-phase flow situations. The long line to shore may have
horizontal and inclined sections. Liquid can accumulate in lower elbows and gas at
top elbows, giving rise to complex transient flow situations and to the creation of
long liquid slugs that can be hazardous to the separators on shore.
3. Geothermal Energy Plants

Steam and liquid water flow are produced in geothermal wells and are used to
generate power, either by using the steam as the working fluid (Fig. 3) or as a heat
source to generate power (Fig. 4). Two-phase flow occurs in the production lines as
well as in the heat exchangers of the power plants.
GAS
SEPARATOR
CHOKE
W
FLO
ED
IN
VERTICAL FLOW
CL
IN
HORIZONTAL FLOW STOCK

TANK
DI
RE
CT
IO
NA
L
WELLBORE FL
OW
RESERVOIR
FLOW THROUGH POROUS MEDIUM
Figure 2. Oil/gas production system.

Introduction 3
Figure 3. Schematic of a flash steam geothermal power plant.
Figure 4. Schematic of a geothermal binary cycle power plant.
4. Solar Energy Power Plants

The search for renewable energy sources along with the demand for clean energy
generation, promoted the use of solar energy which seems to be a promising mean
for achieving these purposes. An attractive way of utilizing solar energy for power
is to construct an array of parallel pipes, each at the focal center of parabolic mirrors
that focus solar radiation on the heated pipes (Figs. 5–7). At present, synthetic oil
is used as the heated fluid and steam is generated in a secondary heat exchanger as
shown in Fig. 5. Since the purpose is to generate steam, it would be more efficient to
evaporate water directly in the heated pipes. Unfortunately, the use of direct steam
generation (DSG) may possess problems, owing to possible uneven flow distribution
among the parallel pipes, even for equal heating of the pipes, due to the generation
of two-phase gas–liquid flow in the pipes during evaporation.
5. Micro Electronic Devices

Micro electronic devices produce considerable amount of heat that has to be

removed. Air blowers are the simplest way of cooling these devices. As the density
of the semiconductor devices increase, the power dissipation increases dramatically
requiring improved methods of heat removal. Heat exchangers based on parallel
micro channels that absorb heat by a fluid, single-phase or two-phase, seem to be
the solution for heat dissipation of dense semiconductor devices (Fig. 8). The design
of two-phase flow in such micro channels is a challenging problem.
Figure 5. Solar power plant based on trough technology with synthetic oil as the heat transfer fluid.
Introduction 5
Figure 6. Close-up view of the trough construction.
Figure 7. Solar power plant in California, trough technology.


Figure 8. Micro heat exchanger to cool a CPU.
6. Nuclear Reactors
In the nuclear industry, two-phase flow analysis is related to the hypothetical
occurrence of loss of coolant accident (LOCA) in pressurized water reactor (PWR).
Normally water is circulated through the nuclear core. It is pumped into the nuclear
reactor downcomer and rises along the fuel assemblies in the core where the
pressurized water temperature (PWT) rises. Thereafter, it enters the steam generator
via a hot leg. Heat is transferred to a secondary water recirculation chamber
generating the working steam. Then the water in the primary loop is pumped into a
cold leg and to the vessel downcomer (Figs. 9 and 10). The water is used as a heat
transfer fluid but at the same time it keeps the temperature of the nuclear core at
the desired level. LOCA may occur as a result of a break in the cold leg (Figs. 9
and 10) allowing the water in the vessel, which may be radioactive, to evaporate
and exit to the surrounding. The nuclear rods in the core may melt and disintegrate.
The emergency core cooling system (ECCS) is composed of pressurized emergency
water stored in large vessels that are available and ready to be used to cool the
core. However, as steam flows upward in the downcomer, emergency water may
have difficulty to enter the core. Flow of steam and water in the same conduit is a
classical two-phase flow problem. Indeed the nuclear industry is credited of being
the first to develop and use computer codes that can handle fast, two-phase transient
processes used in the thermo-hydraulic analysis.
7. Climate Control in Space Vehicles

Heat is produced in space cabins by people (for manned vehicles) and by electrical
appliances. On earth, the heat is removed by conduction and convection to the
surrounding atmosphere. In space, the only mean of heat removal is by radiation
Introduction 7
Figure 9. Schematic structure of PWR, during cold leg break, side view.
Figure 10. Schematic structure of PWR, during cold leg break, top view.

Figure 11. Space vehicle.
using radiators that emit the excess energy into the outer space. The transfer of the
heat from the cabin to the radiators is carried out by a circulating fluid. The fluids
can be single-phased or in the form of two-phase liquid/vapor. The advantage of
using a two-phase fluid owes to the latent heat, thus reducing considerably the flow
rate of the circulating fluid. Two-phase flow under zero gravity condition is a prime
research area for The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

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July 10, 2015 7:49 Encyclopedia of Two-Phase Heat Transfer and Flow I - 9.75in x 6.

5in b1881-set-I-v1-ch01 page 1

The simultaneous flow of two phases in a conduit is encountered in many engineering

Figure 1. Fin type condenser — evaporator for air conditioners.

2 Modeling of Gas Liquid Flow in Pipes

2. Oil and Gas Transport

gas fraction increases due to the decrease of the static head.

3. Geothermal Energy Plants

HORIZONTAL FLOW STOCK

FLOW THROUGH POROUS MEDIUM

Figure 2. Oil/gas production system.

Figure 3. Schematic of a flash steam geothermal power plant.

Figure 4. Schematic of a geothermal binary cycle power plant.

4. Solar Energy Power Plants

4 Modeling of Gas Liquid Flow in Pipes

5. Micro Electronic Devices

Micro electronic devices produce considerable amount of heat that has to be

Figure 6. Close-up view of the trough construction.

Figure 7. Solar power plant in California, trough technology.

6 Modeling of Gas Liquid Flow in Pipes

Figure 8. Micro heat exchanger to cool a CPU.

7. Climate Control in Space Vehicles

8 Modeling of Gas Liquid Flow in Pipes

Figure 11. Space vehicle.

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