Comparison of the Friction-Loss Coefficient for the Gap of Two Contact Surfaces and a Crack

A leak-detection method has been developed by measuring the pressure variation between the inner and outer heat transfer tubes of a double-wall tube steam generator. An experiment was carried out to measure the leak rate in the gap between two surfaces pressed with a hydraulic press in order to simulate the phenomena, and a correlation was determined for the leak rate in a micro gap. However, in the correlation, the gap width and friction coefficient were coupled with the surface roughness, which affects the two parameters. The two parameters were separated using a surface-contact model to develop a correlation for the friction coefficient. The correlation was compared with the existing correlations used for crack analysis. Although the applied ranges of Reynolds numbers were different, the developed correlation for Reynolds numbers of 0.1.0.35 showed similar tendencies to existing correlations used for higher Reynolds numbers