Effect of convex surface curvature on the onset of nucleate boiling of subcooled fluid flow in vertical concentric annuli

An experimental study has been carried out to investigate the effect of the transverse convex surface curvature of core tubes on heat transfer in concentric annular tubes. Water is used as the working fluid. Three annuli having a different radius of the inner cores, Ri=3.18mm, 6.35mm, and 12.70mm with a fixed ratio of Ri/Ro=0.5 are used over a range of the Reynolds number between about 40,000 and 80,000. The inner cores are made of smooth stainless steel tubes and heated electrically to provide constant heat fluxes throughout the whole length of each test section. Experimental result shows that heat flux values on the onset of nucleate boiling of the smaller inner diameter model is much higher than that of the larger size test model