Condensation heat transfer of a feed-water heater and improvement of its performance

In this study, a condensation heat transfer model, coupled with a three-dimensional two-phase flow analysis, was developed. In the heat transfer model, the liquid film flow rate on the heat transfer tubes was calculated by a mass balance equation and the liquid film thickness was calculated from the liquid film flow rate using Nusselt's laminar flow model and Fujii's equation for the steam velocity effect. The model was verified by condensation heat transfer experiments. In the experiments, 112 horizontal, staggered tubes with an outer diameter of 16mm and length of 0.55m were used. The calculated over-all heat transfer coefficients agreed with the data within ±5% under the inlet quality conditions of 13-100%. Based on a three-dimensional two-phase flow analysis, an improved feed-water heater with support plates, which have flow holes between the upper and lower tube bundles, was designed. The total heat exchange capacity of the improved feed-water heater increased about 6%. (author)