Two-Phase flow heat transfer under microgravity condition

M. Parang, J. B. Tipton, J. D. Garth

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Two-phase flows under microgravity conditions appear in a large number of important applications in fluid handling and storage, and spacecraft thermal and power system (e.g., condensers, evaporators, piping system.) The physics of this ubiquitous flow is however very complex and not well understood. Through the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunity Program, a group of undergraduate students from the University of Tennessee had the privilege to investigate this issue in reduced gravity aboard the KC-135 "Weightless Wonder". The first objective of their experiment was to simulate two-phase flow using a mixture of liquid water and air. The second objective was to investigate the relationship between heat transfer and phase distribution in pipe flows. The experimental apparatus was designed, built and tested by the undergraduate students. It consisted of a closed water loop using clear 1" ID pipe and a centrifugal pump. Downstream of the pump, an aluminum manifold injected air circumferentially around the pipe wall to simulate twophase flow. The flow was then passed through a test section, which could be either a smooth pipe flow, or a flow through a pipe fitted with an augmentation device insert. After the inserts, a resistance heater supplied a constant heat flux to a six-inch section of pipe. Thermocouples before and after the heated section recorded the resulting change in flow temperature. The flow visualization indicates that in the smooth pipe flow a liquid water film remains attached to the pipe wall. The temperature measurements indicate a 15 to 20% reduction in heat transfer from the wall to the fluid for pipes with the insert. The heat transfer reduction is attributed to the removal and replacement of the liquid water film by the rapid mixing of the two phases caused by the flow through the pipe insert.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication41st Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit
PublisherAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc.
ISBN (Print)9781624100994
DOIs
StatePublished - 2003
Externally publishedYes
Event41st Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit 2003 - Reno, NV, United States
Duration: Jan 6 2003Jan 9 2003

Publication series

Name41st Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit

Conference

Conference41st Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit 2003
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityReno, NV
Period01/6/0301/9/03

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