The Influence of the Heating Condition on the Void Fraction in a Boiling Channel

The void fraction profile in a boiling channel is essential in analyzing convective flow boiling, where several investigations have been conducted. But due to the difficulty in the treatment of the non-thermodynamic equilibrium phenomena under subcooled conditions, the issues in comprehensive void fraction profile has not been solved, yet. To improve the understanding of these phenomena, detailed measurement results are required. In this investigation, by using five kinds of test sections, i.e. I.D.=3 mm L=400 mm, I.D.=5 mm L=200, 400, 1000 mm, and I.D.=10 mm L=400 mm, the void fraction was measured quantitatively over the whole length. For the measurements, thermal neutron radiography at the B-4 port of the Kyoto University Research Reactor was used. This facility is designed for the visualization of forced convective flow boiling in vertical tubes. To introduce the performance of this facility, this paper presents the measurement results of void fraction and the estimation results briefly.