AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF STEAM INJECTION INTO A UNIFORM WATER-FLOW THROUGH POROUS-MEDIA

An experimental study of steam injection into a porous media was carried out in a 2-dimensional plane porous channel. The steam was injected into a uniform downward water flow in a vertically aligned porous channel. The steam-water interface was carefully observed to understand the underlying physics. Two steam injection rate bounds were found for a given water flow rate and water subcooling. The upper bound is the steam flow rate at which the steam zone grows without limit and the lower bound is the steam flow rate at which a steam zone is just initiated. The bounds were determined experimentally for a porous channel with different permeabilities and thermal conductivities. For large particle size, chaotic oscillation of steam water interface was observed. The oscillation is believed to enhance heat and momentum transfer mechanisms. The steam zone size and shape were measured to evaluate heat transfer characteristics. The average Nusselt number is presented in terms of steam and water Reynolds numbers and the Stefan number.