Interfacial characteristics of steam jet condensation in subcooled water pipe flow – An experimental and numerical study

Subsonic and sonic steam jet condensation in subcooled water pipe flow is investigated experimentally and numerically. Steam plumes are captured using a high-speed camera, and thermal hydraulic parameters and heat and mass transfer are revealed by a two-fluid model coupled with a phase change model. As the Reynolds number of water increases, the steam plumes show a conical shape and gradually shorten in length. The steam dynamic pressure suddenly drops at the nozzle outlet, and the water dynamic pressure rises sharply to the maximum at the end of the two-phase region where the steam volume fraction is 0.001. Starting from the single-phase region, the pressure, velocity and temperature of the jet are self-similar. The heat and mass transfer mainly occur in the two-phase region with steam volume fractions between 0.01 and 0.99, and the mass transfer reaches the maximum at the phase interface with the steam volume fraction of 0.60.