Numerical Predictions of Heat Transfer to Supercritical Helium in Turbulent Flow Through Circular Tubes

A numerical method is used to calculate heat transfer to supercritical helium in turbulent flow through circular tubes with constant wall heat flux. Comparisons of numerical predictions to experimental data showed good agreement. Numerical results were obtained for pressures from 2.5 to 20 atm and these results were correlated in terms of a heat flux parameter. A preliminary study of heat transfer in the thermal entry region showed the increase of the film coefficient to be larger for higher heat fluxes and for cases where the inlet bulk enthalpy was above the pseudocritical value.