Note

This document has been made accurate to the best of our knowledge, however
there is no liability for errors. If there is an error discovered, please notify the
company with complete details. Experimental results provided (if any) are for the
sole purpose of guidance and influence of different variables on accuracy and
precision of experimental results must be considered.
 Warning
This unit has been designed to be safe for users during operation. As with any other sophisticated
piece of equipment, danger exist if equipment is mishandled or not maintained properly.
Presence of competent personnel during the operation of equipment is advised.

It is the user’s responsibility to exercise safe practices during the operation of this unit.

Hot Surface Electric Shock

The ESOLS Boiling Heat Transfer Unit (SMT-HT-24) is a bench top unit designed for study
of different modes of boiling by utilizing a refrigerant (R141b) inside a sealed glass cylinder
containing a heating element and copper coil. The copper coil with cold water passing through it
serves a condensing duty. The temperatures of liquid and vapor phase refrigerant, inlet and outlet
temperatures and flowrate of cooling water along with vessel pressure are shown on the LCD
GUI.
Specifications:

Condensation Coil
Heating Vessel Touch LCD
Heater
Control Panel
Heating Vessel:

 Glass Cylinder (I.D: 140 mm, Length: 300 mm, thickness: 5mm)

Heater:

 Power: 350W
 Total Surface Area: 0.029 m2
 Diameter of individual filament: 10 mm
 Typical submerged height: 150 mm

Condensing Coil:

 Material of construction: Copper

 Dimensions of copper tube: 6 X 10 mm
 No. of turns: 5
 Length of copper tube: 1550 mm
Theoretical Fundamentals:

Heat transfer is the movement of thermal energy dictated by a temperature difference between
two points. The study of heat transfer helps in understanding the process and the time a material
takes to reach a certain temperature. Heat transfer takes place in multiple modes, such as
conduction, which is the heat transfer without any macroscopic movement. Conduction is
governed by Fourier’s Law: The energy flux (rate of energy transfer per unit area; W/m) is
proportional to the temperature gradient.

q = - k.A (dT/dX)

Convection is the transfer of heat due to the bulk movement of fluids. As such convection only
applies to heat transfer within a fluid or between a solid and a fluid but not the heat transfer
within a solid. This heat transfer is achieved by the movement of molecules within the fluid. The
term convection can refer to either mass transfer and/or heat transfer. Radiation is the transfer of
energy due to electromagnetic waves when thermal energy is converted by the movement of the
charges of electrons and protons in the material. When a body radiates, the energy comes from
the entire depth of the body, not just the surface.

The process of convection is governed by the Newton’s law of cooling.

q = h.A.ΔT
 Where ΔT = Tsurface - Tfluid

Different phases of boiling can be represented by a graph between heat flux and the temperature
difference between surface temperature and saturation temperature of the liquid being heated.
The graphical relationship is called as ‘Boiling Curve’.

Boiling Curve for Water

 Properties of R141b

Natural convection observed from origin to point A, where the fluid motion and heat transfer
from heating surface to fluid is governed by natural convection. In the phase from A to C,
bubbles start forming at an increasing rate. This is called as nucleate boiling. In the A-B section
bubbles formed are in the state of isolated nucleation sites, which then start to merge together to
form continuous columns of vapor in the B-C region. Heat flux increases at a faster rate in the A-
B region due to entrainment of liquid to heater surface, while after the point B, the heat flux
increases at comparatively slower rate. The point C demonstrate the maximum heat flux and is
called as the critical heat flux point.

After this point, the majority of heater surface is covered by a vapor film, which inhibits the heat
transfer. The boiling phenomena transits into the ‘Film boiling’ region, where the vapors
completely cover the heater surface and heat transfer reaches to a minimum, called as
Leidenfrost point. After this point the radiation from heating surface to liquid also enhances
significantly, causing an increase in heat transfer rate.
Experiments:

Objective: To visually observe the influence of heating on fluid behavior and different
forms of evaporation.

Procedure:

 Make sure that the 3 colored headers are connected to the heating element monitoring
module. Connect the monitoring module to power supply and turn on the module.
 Turn on the main unit. Set the refrigerant liquid temperature at an appropriate initial
value.
 Turn on the electrical heater and cooling water. Adjust both to low settings. Cooling
water should be less than 32 oC
 Allow the condition to stabilize and observe the liquid temperature at frequent intervals.
 Carefully observe the convection currents for the liquid surrounding the heater.
 Increase the wattage of the heater in small increments. Adjust the cooling water flow rate
to keep the vapor pressure at desired constant value. Nucleate boiling will soon start and
will increase until vigorous boiling is seen.
 On further increase in the power input the nature of the boiling will be seen to change
dramatically.
 The electrical power input should now be reduced to zero.
Objective: The Heater Heat Flux and Surface Heat Transfer Coefficient Determination at
Different Heat Input

Procedure:

 Make sure that the 3 colored headers are connected to the heating element monitoring
module. Connect the monitoring module to power supply and turn on the module.
 Turn on the main unit. Set the refrigerant liquid temperature at an appropriate initial
value. Turn on the heater. Let the heating power remain at 0.
 Turn on the cooling water supply and maneuver the inlet flowrate to a constant value
using the inlet valve. Temperature of cooling water should be consistently maintained
below the boiling point of refrigerant.
 Increase the heat input and adjust the cooling water flow rate to maintain the pressure.
When the system stabilizes, note the required parameters.
 Continue the experiment at a very small increment of heat input until the heater surface
temperature is about 120o C.
 From the data, calculate the heat flux, Φ (kW), and the surface heat transfer coefficient, U
(kW/m2 K) between liquid and metal.
 Calculate the actual heat flux by dividing the power being drawn by the heater with the
surface area of heater.
 Plot Φ vs. ΔT
Observations:

Area of heating surface: 0.029 m2

Liquid Heater Surface Heat

Heat surface ΔT=Ts - Heat Flux,
Refrigerant Heat Transfer
Sr. Temperature T1 Φ=Q/A
Temp Input, Q Coefficient,
o
C K (kW/m2)
o
C W U=Φ/ΔT (kW/m2 K)

1.

2.

3.
Objective: Study of heat transfer to cooling water and condensation behaviors.

Procedure:

 Make sure that the 3 colored headers are connected to the heating element monitoring
module. Connect the monitoring module to power supply and turn on the module.
 Turn on the main unit. Set the refrigerant liquid temperature at an appropriate initial
value. Turn on the heater. Let the heating power remain at 0.
 Turn on the cooling water supply and maneuver the inlet flowrate to a constant value
using the inlet valve. Temperature of cooling water should be consistently below the
boiling point of refrigerant. Adjust the heater power at required level.
 Against different heating power input, record the inlet and outlet temperatures of cooling
water once reasonable stability is reached.
 Calculate the Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient using the formula outlined below.

Note:

Equations for the calculation of the Condenser Overall heat transfer coefficient

Heat transfer rate at cooling coil, Qw = mwCp (Tcw, out – Tcw, in)

φ 1−φ 2
Log mean temperature difference, φm = φ1
ln( )
φ2

Where,

Φ1 = refrigerant vap. Temp - Water inlet temperature

Φ1 = refrigerant vap. Temp - Water outlet temperature

Qw
Overall heat transfer coefficient, U =
A×φm

Area = 0.04869 m2
Observations:

Cooling
Liquid Cooling
Heater Water Flow Mass
Refrigerant Water
Sr. Power Outlet Rate Flowrate
Temp Inlet Temp
W Temp L/min Kg/min
o
C o
C o
C

1.

2.

3.
Objective: Plotting of boiling curve for R141b and study of influence of pressure and
temperature.

Procedure:

 Make sure that the 3 colored headers are connected to the heating element monitoring
module. Connect the monitoring module to power supply and turn on the module.
 Turn on the main unit. Set the refrigerant liquid temperature at an appropriate initial
value. Turn on the heater. Let the heating power remain at 0.
 Against different heating power input, record the liquid pool temperatures and heating
surface temperature once reasonable stability is reached.
 Once the pressure reaches 0.4 bar, Turn off the heater. Plot the superheat (heater surface
temp – liquid refrigerant temperature) at X axis vs heat flux at Y axis.
 Once the unit cools down to ambient pressure, turn on the water supply. Water
temperature should be below the boiling point of refrigerant.
 Against varying heat power, record the liquid refrigerant temp, heater surface
temperature and pressure of the vessel. Pressure should remain reasonably consistent due
to flow of cold cooling water. Again, plot the superheat (heater surface temp – liquid
refrigerant temperature) at X axis vs heat flux at Y axis.
Observations:

Liquid Heater
Heater
Heat flux Refrigerant Surface Superheat Pressure
Sr. Power
W/m2 Temp Temp o
C (bar)
W o
C o
C
1.

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.
Software Interface:
The unit also comes with the ESOLS Software package.

 To
utilize
the

software package, connect the unit with 220V power supply and turn on the unit. Turn
the toggle switch toward ‘software control’.
 Open the software application. Click on the stop icon in case the application already
running. Select the relevant communication port (COM Port) from the dropdown menu.
There might be multiple communication ports shown in the drop-down value, as the CPU
is communicating with multiple internal and external devices simultaneously. Usually,
the last COM port is the one that is being used to communicate with the unit.
 On the top right panel, process variables from the unit are being displayed, as well as the
heater switch. On the bottom pane, graphical relationship between heat flux and
superheat, which is the difference between liquid pool temperature (which can be
observed on the software interface) and heating surface temperature (which can be
observed on the heating element monitoring module) can be plotted. Axis boundary
control of this graph is also given on the bottom left corner.
 Put in appropriate values of maximum and minimum values of each axis of this graph in
the relevant data field.
 To plot this graph, put the value of heater surface temperature and heater power
(observed on the separate module) in the relevant data field. When the value of liquid
pool temperature has reasonably stabilized, press the plot graph button to plot a data
point.
  Vary the heater power and repeat the above step when reasonable stability has been
achieved.

Electrical/Control Maintenance and Troubleshooting:

 Once every 6 months, check the wires with the heater for any sign of wear and
tear on the insulation. If any is found, get the wire replaced by a competent
electrician.
 Once every 15 days, thoroughly inspect the main power cable and industrial
connector for any sign of damage. Call competent electrician if any is found.
 If values from temperature or any other sensor do not appear on LCD, press re-set
button.
 In the case where sensor values are not displayed on the software, remove the
connector cable and switch the toggle back to LCD display. Then again connect
the connector cable with the unit and switch the software display toggle on.
 In case of issues with control panel, refer to following table:

Issue Probable cause Solution

Any electrical load (heater) is

being turned on without being
turned on from LCD.
Any electrical load (heater) is
not working and is not being
turned ON on LCD and LED
indicator.
Completely irresponsive GUI
Sensor is showing unrealistic
values
Get SSR replaced by a
Fault in solid state relay
competent electrician.
Call the ESOLS technician for
LCD is defective
further assistance.
LCD is defective
Call the ESOLS technician for
further assistance.
Programming Bug
Sensor is damaged
Call the ESOLS technician for
further assistance.
Sensor wire is damaged

Sensor is showing ‘nan’
Open the front panel and check
for any unlatched wire header.
Sensor wire is de-attached
Call the ESOLS technician for
further assistance.

Safety Precautions
 The experiment instructions, in particular the safety instructions, must be read
thoroughly prior to starting the unit. Before commencing an experiment, all the
participants must have been guided about the safety precautions and proper
handling of the unit. All the participants must use personal protective equipment
for safety.

 Do not tamper with refrigerant inlet or drain valve. The refrigerant is prone to
escape from the heating vessel.

 Make sure there is no moisture before operating the electrical equipment and the
control panel else there is a risk of electric shock. Do not try to remove the base
cover of heater during operation.

 Do not attempt to inhale or in any manner consume the refrigerant.

Sample Calculations:

Sr. Heater Flux Liquid Heater Superheat Surface Heat

Power kW/m2 Refrigerant Surface (∆ T ) Transfer

W Temp Temp o
C Coefficient,
U=Φ/ΔT
 o
C o
C (kW/m2 K)

1
124 4.275862 33.84 51 17.16 249.1761

2 154 5.310345 33.84 55 21.16 250.9615

3
183 6.310345 34.81 62 27.19 232.0833

4
212 7.310345 35.79 66 30.21 241.9843

5
230 7.931034 35.79 69 33.21 238.8146

6
254 8.758621 35.79 75 39.21 223.3772

7
280 9.655172 35.79 80 44.21 218.3934

8
323 11.13793 36.77 87 50.23 221.7386

9
360 12.41379 36.77 93 56.23 220.7682

10
407 14.03448 37.26 100 62.74 223.6927

11
452 15.58621 38.24 107 68.76 226.6755

12
530 18.27586 39.21 121 81.79 223.4486

Condenser Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient:

Vol. flow rate = 2.30 LPM
Mass flow rate = 0.038 kg/s
Cp = 4.187 kJ/kg K
Cooling water inlet temp. = 28.46 oC
Cooling water outlet temp. = 28.90 oC
Refrigerant vapor temp. = 34.33 oC
Area = 0.04869 m2

Heat transfer rate at cooling coil, Qw = mwCp (Tcw, out – Tcw, in)

Heat transfer rate at cooling coil, Qw = 0.038 x 4.187 (28.90 – 28.46)

Heat transfer rate at cooling coil, Qw = 0.07 kW or 70 W

φ 1−φ 2
Log mean temperature difference, φm = φ1
ln( )
φ2

Where,
Φ1 = refrigerant vap. Temp - Water inlet temperature

Φ1 = refrigerant vap. Temp - Water outlet temperature

5.87−5.43
Log mean temperature difference, φm = 5.87
ln( )
5.43

Log mean temperature difference, φm = 5.65 K

Qw
Overall heat transfer coefficient, U =
A×φm

70
Overall heat transfer coefficient, U =
0.04869× 5.65

Overall heat transfer coefficient, U = 254 W/m2 K

Boiling Curve for R141b (With Cooling Water)

 ΔT vs Heat flux
20
18
16
14
12
Heat flux

10
8
6
4
2
0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Temp difference