Abstract
ln desalinization devices and some heat exchangers making use of low‐quality heat energy, both wall temperatures and heat fluxes of heated tubes are quite low and generally cannot cause boiling in flooded‐type tube bundle evaporators with a large tube spacing. But when the tube spacing is very small, boiling in restricted spaces can occur and induce a higher heat transfer than that of a falling film or pool boiling at the same heat flux. This study investigated experimentally the effects of tube spacing, positions of tubes, and heating status of tubes as well as surface status (smooth and roll‐worked) on boiling in restricted spaces in compact horizontal tube bundle evaporators under atmospheric pressure. The experimental results provide a restricted space boiling database for water in smooth and enhanced surface tube bundles. Of particular importance is information concerning the influence of tube spacing of flooded‐type tube bundle evaporators, especially for the case of zero pitch, when the neighboring tubes are contacting each other. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 30(5): 394–401, 2001