Comparative analysis of single and multiphase numerical frameworks for subcooled boiling flow in an internal combustion engine coolant jacket

Journal article, 2023

Computational analysis of nucleate boiling occurring in liquid cooled applications, such as internal combustion engines is often implemented within a single phase Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) framework, owing to low vapor fractions involved. With increase in specific power and the resulting higher thermal loads, accounting for the presence of the vapor phase using a multiphase framework is required in certain conditions, despite the higher computational costs. While detailed resolution of the liquid and vapor phases in nucleate boiling using a two fluid model is excessively computationally expensive, the homogeneous mixture multiphase framework is a good compromise between resolution and computational cost. In this article a numerical wall boiling model is implemented within both, a single phase and the mixture multiphase frameworks. Results from the two approaches are compared with measurements in a channel flow. The results from both approaches are in good agreement with experiments. The single phase approximation is valid when the vapor generation is low. The sensitivity of the results to the computational grid is also discussed in detail. Further, the two frameworks are used to simulate the heat transfer in the coolant jacket of a four-cylinder petrol engine. The results from the numerical simulations are compared with measurements. Both computational frameworks compare reasonably well with the measurements in terms of local metal temperature. However, the advantage of accounting for the vapor phase using the mixture multiphase framework is evident when the parameter related to vapor bubble interactions is analyzed in detail.