A CFD study of fluid flow characteristics in the vicinity of a truncated sphere in a long, narrow channel

In this work, a computational fluid dynamics software (STAR-CD) has been used to study the fluid flow characteristics near a small, truncated sphere located on the floor of a long, narrow channel. The sphere represents a nucleating bubble formed in a subcooled flow boiling process. The predictions of the CFD analyses are helpful toward developing an understanding of the mechanisms which drive the formation of bubbles, and their subsequent departure from a heated surface during this process. The working fluid is water at 20 celsius. The analyses yielded velocity vectors near the sphere, pressure contours and a stagnation point on the surface of the sphere