Model of vapor slug growth in the channels of power engineering equipment with sodium coolant

Abstract

The problem of vapor volume growth in superheated liquid is very important both in practical and in theoretical aspects as the behavior of the solitary bubble governs the general patterns and the proceeding character of the boiling process. On the basis of the analysis of experimental and theoretical works, we create the physical and the numerical model of vapor volume growth in superheated sodium in power engineering equipment channels. On that basis, we implement the program module, making it possible to calculate the sodium boiling process under superheating. We perform a numerical analysis of the dependence of the vapor volume growth rate on the superheating value, the liquid film thickness, and the coefficient of the heat transfer with the wall. The numerical modeling results are compared to experimental data on the boiling of the sodium in the column and with the data on the sodium boiling under a decrease of the mass flow rate in the contour.