In this work a characterization of a horizontal heated pipe has been performed. This characterization consists in a steady state analysis of the thermohydraulic behavior of a boiling heated channel with subcooled liquid at the inlet. The temperature, velocities and pressure profiles along the heated section have been analyzed and the length of the single- and two-phase flow regions have been characterized. Without axial conduction and due to the big difference in the magnitude of the single- and two-phase heat transfer coefficient, steep temperature gradients were observed. By adding the effect of axial conduction, more heat is removed from the single phase region and added to the two-phase region through the wall. The net effect was a decrease in length of the two-phase flow region and consequent increase of the single-phase region. It was also observed that the axial conduction decreases the gradients in the wall temperature profile but it does not influence markedly its temperature differences with the fluid. (c) 2011 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.