Forced convection boiling in a stator-rotor-stator spinning disc reactor

Boiling of a pure fluid inside the rotor-stator cavities of a stator-rotor-stator spinning disc reactor (srs-SDR) is studied, as a function of rotational velocity ω, average temperature driving force ΔT and mass flow rate φm. The average boiling heat transfer coefficient hb increases a factor 3 by increasing ω up to 105 rad s−1, independently of ΔT and φm. The performance of the srs-SDR, in terms of hb versus specific energy input ε, is similar to tubular boiling, where pressure drop provides the energy input. The srs-SDR enables operation at , yielding values of hb not practically obtainable in passive evaporators, due to prohibitively high pressure drops required. Since hb is increased independently of the superficial vapour velocity, hb is not a function of φm and the local vapour fraction. Therefore, the srs-SDR enables a higher degree of control and flexibility of the boiling process, compared to passive flow boiling. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.