Heat transfer effect of an extended surface in downward-facing subcooled flow boiling

New BWR containment designs are considering cavity flooding as an accident management strategy. Unlike the PWR, the BWR has many Control Rod Guide Tube (CRGT) penetrations in the lower head. During a severe accident scenario with core melt in the lower plenum along with cavity flooding, the penetrations may affect the heat transfer on the ex-vessel surface and disrupt fluid flow during the boiling process. A small-scale experiment was performed to investigate the issues existing in downward-facing boiling phenomenon with an extended surface. The results were compared with a bare (flat) surface. The mass flux of 244 kg/m2 s, 215 kg/m2 s, and 177 kg/m2 s were applied in this study. CHF conditions were observed only for the 177 kg/m2 s case. The boiling curves for both types of surfaces and all flow rates were obtained. The boiling curves for the highest flow rate showed lower surface temperatures for the extended surface experiments when compared to the bare surface. The downstream location on the extended surface yielded the highest surface temperatures as the flow rate was reduced. The bubble accumulation and low velocity in the wake produced by flow around the extended surface was believed to have caused the elevated temperatures in the downstream location. Although an extended surface may enhance the overall heat transfer, a reduction in the local heat transfer was observed in the current experiments