Thesis Work – Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Sub-Cooled Droplets Injected into a Steam Environment

Subject / Assignment

Heat transfer in multiphase flows is a complex phenomenon involving interactions between liquids, gases, and solids. A key application is spray cooling of steam in pressurized water reactors (PWRs), where droplets interact with hot steam and surrounding surfaces.

As part of the AdTherM Competence Centre and its research on multiphase flows, you will:

Perform CFD simulations in OpenFOAM using different flow, turbulence, spray, droplet, and thermodynamic models.
Evaluate simulation results against experiments conducted at Vattenfall’s laboratory in Älvkarleby.
Investigate steam condensation, spray-wall interaction, and heat transfer mechanisms.
Contribute to the validation and improvement of existing heat transfer models used in industry.
Have the opportunity to participate in experimental work, including studies using a new miniature test rig and high-speed infrared imaging of droplet behavior in hot saturated steam.