Experimental studies of shell-side fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in a submerged combustion vaporizer

In this paper, an experimental apparatus was set up to study the two-phase mixture flow and heat transfer over a horizontal tube bundle on the shell-side of the submerged combustion vaporizer (SCV). The influences of the static water height, superficial flue gas velocity and heat load on the heat transfer characteristics were systematically examined. The experimental results revealed some interesting observation of the SCV, such as the circulation flow of water bath accompanying a great deal of gas bubbles and the highly thermal efficiency due to the direct-contact heat transfer between the highly turbulent two-phase mixture and staggered tube bundles. Finally, based on the experimental data, a new dimensionless, semi-theoretical empirical correlation was developed for two-phase mixture convection heat transfer over the staggered tube bundle on the shell-side of SCV. The discussion and correlation provided a framework for designing the SCV.