Numerical simulation of heat transfer deterioration phenomenon in supercritical water through vertical tube

In this study, a numerical investigation of heat transfer deterioration (HTD) in supercritical water flowing through vertical tube is performed by using six low-Reynolds number turbulence models. All low-Reynolds models can be extended to reproduce the effect of buoyancy force on heat transfer and show the occurrence of localized HTD. However, most k–ε models seriously over-predict the deterioration and do not reproduce the subsequent recovery of heat transfer. The V2F and SST models perform better than other models in predicting the onset of deterioration due to strong buoyancy force. The SST model is able to quantitatively reproduce the two heat transfer deterioration phenomena with low mass flux which have been found in the present study.