• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.546-553
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• 2022

Narrow rectangular channels are employed in nuclear research reactors that use plate-type nuclear fuels, high heat-flux compact heat exchangers, and high-performance micro-electronics cooling systems. Two-phase flow in narrow rectangular channels is important, and it needs to be better understood because it is considerably different than that in round tubes. In this study, mechanistic models were developed for the flow regime transition criteria for various flow regimes in co-current air-water two-phase flow for vertical downward flow inside a narrow rectangular channel. The newly developed criteria were compared to a flow regime map of downward air-water two-phase flow inside a narrow rectangular channel with a 2.35-mm gap width under ambient temperature and pressure conditions. Overall, the proposed model showed good agreement with the experimental data.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.66-72
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• 2004

The heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of $CO_{2}$ are substantially different from those for CFC and HCFC refrigerants. In addition, geometric effects on two-phase flow patterns of $CO_{2}$ are also very significant in many respects. Therefore, two-phase flow patterns of $CO_{2}$ in a narrow rectangular channel or a small diameter tube whose gap size or hydraulic diameter is less than 2 mm are very important to understand heat transfer characteristics and to develop an appropriate heat transfer correlation. In the present study, the evaporation process of $CO_{2}$ in a narrow rectangular channel is visualized at various test conditions, and then the effects of operating conditions are analyzed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.1796-1809
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• 2021

The subchannel of a research reactor used to generate high power density is designed to be narrow and rectangular and comprises plate-type fuels operating under downward flow conditions. Critical heat flux (CHF) is a crucial parameter for estimating the safety of a nuclear fuel; hence, this parameter should be accurately predicted. Here, machine learning is applied for the prediction of CHF in a narrow rectangular channel. Although machine learning can effectively analyze large amounts of complex data, its application to CHF, particularly for narrow rectangular channels, remains challenging because of the limited flow conditions available in existing experimental databases. To resolve this problem, we used four CHF correlations to generate pseudo-data for training an artificial neural network. We also propose a network architecture that includes pre-training and prediction stages to predict and analyze the CHF. The trained neural network predicted the CHF with an average error of 3.65% and a root-mean-square error of 17.17% for the test pseudo-data; the respective errors of 0.9% and 26.4% for the experimental data were not considered during training. Finally, machine learning was applied to quantitatively investigate the parametric effect on the CHF in narrow rectangular channels under downward flow conditions.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.429-439
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• 2003

Counter-current two-phase flows of air- water in narrow rectangular channels with offset strip fins have been experimentally investigated in a 760 mm long and 100 mm wide test section with 3.0 and 5.0 mm gap widths. The two-phase flow regime, channel-average void fractions and two-phase pressure gradients were studied. Flow regime transition occurred at lower superficial velocities of air than in the channels without fins. In the bubbly and slug flow regimes, elongated bubbles rose along the subchannel formed by fins without lateral movement. The critical void fraction for the bubbly-to-slug transition was about 0.14 for the 3 mm gap channel and 0.2 for the 5 mm gap channel. respectively. Channel-average void fractions in the channels with fins were almost the same as those in the channels without fins. Void fractions increased as the gap width increased, especially at high superficial velocity of air. The presence of fins enhanced the two-phase distribution parameter significantly in the slug flow, where the effect of gap width was almost negligible. Superficial velocity of air dominated the two-phase pressure gradients. Liquid superficial velocity and channel gap width has only a minor effect on the pressure gradients.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.441-446
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• 2007

An experimental study on the countercurrent two-phase flow in narrow rectangular channels has been peformed. Countercurrent flow limitation (CCFL) was investigated using air and water in 760mm long, 100mm wide, vertical test sections with 1 and 3mm channel gaps. Tests were systematically performed with downward liquid superficial velocities and upward gas velocities covering 0 to 0.125 and 0 to 3.5m/s ranges, respectively. As the gap width of rectangular channel increased the CCFL water superficial velocity decreased for the given air superficial velocity. Slight increase of the air superficial velocity resulted in the abrupt decrease of water velocity when $j_g=2{\sim}4m/s$. The critical superficial velocity of air, at which the downward flow of water was no longer allowed, also decreased with the increase of gap width. The experimental results were compared with the previous correlations, which were mainly for round tubes, and the qualitative trends were found to be partially acceptable. However the quantitative discrepancies were hardly neglected. New correlation of CCFL was developed and showed good agreement with the experimental data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.195-206
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• 2014

Heat transfer characteristics in a narrow rectangular channel are experimentally investigated for upward and downward flows. The experimental data obtained are compared with existing data and predictions by many correlations. Based on the observations, there are differences from others: (1) there are no different heat transfer characteristics between upward and downward flows, (2) most of the existing correlations under-estimate heat transfer characteristics, and (3) existing correlations do not predict the high heat transfer in the entrance region for a wide range of Re. In addition, there are a few heat transfer correlations applicable to narrow rectangular channels. Therefore, a new set of correlations is proposed with and without consideration of the entrance region. Without consideration of the entrance region, heat transfer characteristics are expressed as a function of Re and Pr for turbulent flows, and as a function of Gz for laminar flows. The correlation proposed for turbulent and laminar flows has errors of ${\pm}18.25$ and ${\pm}13.62%$, respectively. With consideration of the entrance region, the heat transfer characteristics are expressed as a function of Re, Pr, and $z^*$ for both laminar and turbulent flows. The correlation for turbulent and laminar flows has errors of ${\pm}19.5$ and ${\pm}22.0%$, respectively.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06e
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• pp.229-234
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• 2001

An adiabatic counter-current vertical two-phase flow of air and water in narrow rectangular channels with offset strip fm was investigated experimentally. Tests were systematically performed with downward liquid superficial velocities and upward gas velocities covering 0 to 0.06 m/s and 0 to 2.5 m/s ranges, respectively. Two-phase flow regimes were classified by examining the video images of flow patterns in transparent test sections of 760 mm long and 100 mm wide channel with gaps of 3.0 and 5.0 mm. The channel average void fraction was measured by the quick-closing valve method. Unlike the flow regimes in the channels without fin, where bubbly, slug, chum, and annular flow were identified, only bubbly and chum flow regimes were found for the channels with offset strip fin. However the existence of fin in the channels showed negligible effects on the void fraction. Instead counter-current flow limitations were found to happen at lower air superficial velocity once offset strip fin was introduced in narrow rectangular channels.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.304-311
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• 2001

An experimental study on the countercurrent two-phase flow in narrow rectangular channels has been performed. The void fraction and the pressure gradient were investigated using air and water in 760 mm long, 100 mm wide. vertical test sections with 2, 3 and 5 mm channel gaps. Tests were systematically performed with downward liquid superficial velocities and upward gas velocities covering 0 to 0.08 and 0 to 2.5 m/s ranges. respectively. the experimental results were compared with the previous correlations, which were mainly for round tubes, and the qualitative trends were found to be in good agreements. However the quantitative discrepancies were hardly neglected. as the superficial gas velocities increased, the void fraction increased and the pressure gradient decreased, where the effects of the liquid superficial velocities were infinitesimal. as the gap width of the rectangular channel increased the void fraction and the 2-phase frictional pressure gradient approached those values for the round tubes. Equi-periphery diameter, rather than the hydraulic diameter, seemed to be more effective in the analysis of two-phase flow behavior.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.34-39
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• 2016

This paper is the numerical study on the correlation of leakage by the variation of inlet pressure and clearance in hydrostatic bearing. The main goal of this study is to apply to the design of hydro system the results that the pocket pressure and the leakage rate according to the inlet pressure and the clearance between piston and cylinder tube. Because the hydrostatic bearing in hydraulic cylinder has the narrow rectangular channel between piston and cylinder tube, so to verify the numerical scheme, it has been compared with the experimental results of Brackbill and Kandlikar. The pressure data of numerical results inside narrow rectangular channel correlate was showed a good agreement with experimental results, thereby the numerical scheme was applied to the real model that is a hydraulic cylinder with the hydrostatic bearing. In conclusion, the pressure differences between inlet and pocket were shown within 3%. Leakage rates were showed rapidly increased pattern between about 4.5 and 6.7 times because the section area to calculate the leakage rates were proportioned to a square of diameter. The correlation equation was calculated among the inlet pressure, the clearance and the leakage rate by using the linear regression.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.977-983
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• 2004

An experimental study on saturated flow boiling heat transfer of R113 was peformed in a vertical narrow rectangular channel with offset strip fins. Two-phase pressure gradients and boiling heat transfer coefficients in an electrically heated test section were measured in the range of quality $0{\sim}0.6$, mass flux $17{\sim}43kg/m^{2}s$, and heat flux of $500{\sim}3,000W/m^2$ Two-phase friction multipliers were determined as a function of Lockhart-Martinelli parameter. Local boiling heat transfer coefficients were analysed in terms of mass flux, heat flux and local vapor quality. Correlation for boiling heat transfer coefficients was proposed, which was in good agreement with experimental data.