An Analytical and Experimental Study of the Vortex Subcooler — a New Concept in Mass Transfer Cooling

A simple evaporation method for cooling cryogenic liquids to their normal boiling point, or lower, is presented. The method employs a relatively small, in-line device, known as the vortex subcooler, to accomplish rapid mass transfer cooling without the use of moving parts. The unit induces partial vaporization of the liquid in a vortex tube through localized pressure reductions.

The performance of a small unit, based on the continuity, momentum, and general energy equations, is developed and the theoretical results for superheated water, liquid nitrogen and liquid hydrogen are shown. These theoretical results compare favorably with experimental results obtained from a prototype unit, of comparable size, operating with superheated water.