Experimental studies on mist/steam cooling in a heated horizontal tube have been performed. Wall temperature distributions have been measured under various main steam flow rates, droplet mass ratios, and wall heat fluxes. Generally, the heat transfer performance of steam can be significantly improved by adding mist into the main flow. An average enhancement of 100% with the highest local heat transfer enhancement of 200% is achieved with 5% mist. When the test section is mildly heated, an interesting wall temperature distribution is observed: the wall temperature increases first, then decreases, and finally increases again. A three-stage heat transfer model with transition boiling, unstable liquid fragment evaporation, and dry-wall mist cooling, has been proposed and has shown some success in predicting the wall temperature of the mist/steam flow. The PDPA measurements have facilitated better understanding and interpreting of the droplet dynamics and heat transfer mechanisms. Furthermore, this study has shed light on how to generate appropriate droplet sizes to achieve effective droplet transportation, and has shown that it is promising to extend present results to a higher temperature and higher pressure environment.

The shear rheology and the corresponding microstructure evolution during transient flow of a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (LCP; Vectran V400P) are reported; the polymer does not display a crystalline melting phenomenon. The steady shear viscosity displays three regions that are typical of LCPs. However, the transient shear stress displays a local stress maximum at a strain of ≈ 2, a local minimum at a strain of ≈ 20, and then a stress overshoot at a strain of ≈ 100 before attaining a steady state value. The transient first normal stress difference exhibits a distinct overshoot at ≈ 100 strain units. The steady‐state first normal stress difference is always positive in the tested shear rate range 0.1–10 s–1. In situ rheo‐optical characterization revealed that the melt shows a threaded texture at rest. Upon start up of shear flow, this threaded texture becomes deformed, and the domains initially appear to stretch and align in the shearing direction. Next, the domains break up, and a significant drop in the optical intensity is observed. These microstructural features are used to explain the presence of the first maximum and the minimum observed in the transient shear stress. Polym. Eng. Sci. 45:187–197, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers.

The effects of annealing time and temperature on the texture and transient shear rheological behavior of a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer were investigated. The texture evolution during annealing included two processes: the reduction of the defect density and the increase of the domain size but decrease of the domain number. We confirmed that the threaded texture caused the first shear stress peak and the shear stress minimum during shear flow startup. More importantly, using the wide-angle X-ray diffraction technique, we determined that the second shear stress peak during flow startup can be attributed to the evolution of the molecular orientation.