K. Ariafar et al.

/ Applied Thermal Engineering 71 (2014) 519e527 521

emphasize the role which condensation plays in ejector 2.3. Nucleation rate equation
performance.
In this model, the homogeneous nucleation theory explains the
creation of a liquid phase in the form of droplets from a super-
2. Mathematical model
heated phase in the absence of foreign particles. The estimation of
the size of created droplets during the nucleation in wet steam flow
In the present study, the steam behavior is governed by the
is very difficult. The classical theory of nucleation to calculate the
EulerianeEulerian approach and two phase flow is modeled using
number of liquid droplets is written as [15]:
the compressible NaviereStokes conservation equations together
with two additional transport governing equations available in the  2 rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi  
qc rv 2s 4pr 2 s
wet steam model in FLUENT for the liquid phase mass fraction (b) I¼ exp  (9)
and the number of liquid droplets per unit volume (h). To reduce
ð1 þ qÞ rl M3 p 3Kb T
the complexity of the two phase flow model, assumptions of no slip The term qc is the condensation coefficient which was thought
between the phases, and negligible volume of the condensed liquid to have a value around 0.02e0.03 based on early experiments [16],
are used since droplet sizes are typically very small and negligible but it is now believed that this coefficient takes a value close to
interaction between the droplets is expected. unity [17] and this is the case in the FLUENT implementation. The
term q is a non-isothermal correction factor and is written as [15]:
2.1. Governing equations   
2ðg  1Þ hlv hlv
q¼  0:5 (10)
The governing equations can be written in compact Cartesian gþ1 RT RT
form according to the laws of conservation of mass, momentum
where g is the ratio of specific heats which is taken as 1.32.
and energy:
The wet steam density can be determined from the vapor den-
vr v sity rv and liquid phase mass fraction b:
þ ðrui Þ ¼ 0 (1)
vt vxi rv
r¼ (11)
1b
v v
 vP vtij
ðrui Þ þ rui uj ¼  þ (2)
vt vxj vxi vxj 2.4. Droplet growth rate

  The size of droplets is affected by two mechanisms: the transfer

v v / vT

ðrEÞ þ ðui ðrE þ PÞÞ ¼ V $ aeff þ uj tij (3) of mass from the vapor to the droplets and the transfer of heat from
vt vxi vxi
the droplets to the vapor due to the latent heat. The droplet growth
with rate can be written as [14]:
! vr P gþ1
vui vuj 2 vu ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi cp ðTd  TÞ (12)
tij ¼ meff þ  meff k dij (4) vt hlv rl 2pRT 2g
vxj vxi 3 vxk

2.2. Liquid phase mass fraction transport equation 2.5. Droplet density transport equation

The first additional transport equation governing the mass The second additional transport equation estimates the growth
fraction of the condensed liquid phase is written as [14]: of droplet numbers per unit volume of steam and is described as
[14]:
vðbrÞ !
þ V$ðrb u Þ ¼ G (5)
vt vðrhÞ !
þ V$ðrh u Þ ¼ rI (13)
vt
where G is the mass generation rate due to condensation and
evaporation, which is correlated with the nucleation rate I (number In this equation h is the number of droplets per unit volume and
of new droplets per unit volume per second) and the growth or can be written as:
demise of these droplets [14]:
b
h¼ (14)
4 vr ð1  bÞVd ðrl =rv Þ
G¼ pr Ir *3 þ 4prl hr 2 (6)
3 l vt
with Vd being the average droplet volume which is assumed to be
In the above expression, r* is the critical droplet radius; above sphere with average radius of r.
this value the droplet will grow and below this value, the droplet
will evaporate. The critical droplet radius is written as [15]: 2.6. Equation of state
2s
r* ¼ (7) The steam equation of state which relates the pressure to the
rl RTlnðsÞ
vapor density and the temperature is given by Ref. [18]:
Where s is the super saturation ratio and is defined as the ratio of  
vapor pressure to the equilibrium saturation pressure: P ¼ rv RT 1 þ Brv þ Cr2v (15)

P where B and C are the second and the third Virial coefficients given
s¼ (8)
Psat ðTÞ by the function of temperature. This Virial formulation is claimed to