Analysis of Two-Phase Pressure Drop Fluctuation Characteristics in a Single Mini-Channel

Two-phase pressure drop fluctuations during flow boiling in a single mini-channel were experimentally investigated. Degassed water was tested in circular cross section mini-channels with the hydraulic diameter of 1.0 mm at liquid mass fluxes range of 21.19-84.77 kg m-2 s-1 and heat fluxes of 0~155.75 kW m-2. Effects of heat flux and mass flux on pressure drop fluctuations were discussed based on the time and frequency domain analysis of the measured pressure drop. Two types of fluctuations were identified, which are the incipient boiling fluctuation (IBF) and the explosive boiling fluctuation (EBF) respectively. The IBF is a low frequency low amplitude fluctuation, which relates to the bubble dynamics when incipient boiling occurs. It is sensitive to the thermal and flow conditions. With the increase of heat flux and mass flux, the IBF is suppressed. The EBF is a low frequency high amplitude fluctuation, which occurs near the critical heat flux.