Experimental investigation on the mechanism of pressure oscillation for steam jet in stable condensation region

The pressure oscillations for steam jet in stable condensation region are investigated experimentally. Steam at pressure 0.2-0.6 MPa is injected into subcooled water at one atmosphere pressure with steam mass flux ranging from 298 to 865 kg/(m2 s), with water subcooling from 70 to 40 K. The steam plume shapes have been recorded and are compared with the pressure oscillation. The pressure oscillation for steam jet in stable condensation region is caused by the oscillation of steam plume length. When the steam plume length is the longest, the pressure oscillation has negative peak value and vice versa. Based on the experimental data and the change of steam plume shapes, a new phenomenological model of pressure oscillation is developed. The model also provides a method to obtain the steam plume length using the pressure oscillation. The prediction errors of the peak pressure oscillation are within ±30% of experimental values.