ICMS ' 2000 The Physics of Boiling at Burnout
The basic elements of a new experimental approach for the investigation of burnout in pool boiling are presented. The approach consists of the combined use of ultrathin (nano-scale) heaters and high speed infrared imag|ng of the heater temperature pattern as a whole, in conjunction with highly detailed control and characterization of heater morphology at the nano and micron scales. It is shown that the burnout phenomenon can be resolved in both space and time. Ultrathin heaters capable of dissipating power levels, at steady-state, of over 1 MW/m 2 are demonstrated. A separation of scales is identified and it is used to transfer the focus of attention from the complexity of the two-phase mixing layer in the vicinity of the heater to a micron-scaled microlayer and nucleation and associated film-disruption processes within it.
The mechanism and prediction of critical heat flux in inverted geometries
Abstract Recent interest in a severe accident management scheme known as ‘In-Yessel Retention’ has created the need to establish the coolability limits of large, inverted geometries. In this paper, full-scale simulations conducted at UCSB's ULPU facility are examined at the microscopic level. Because of the peculiar geometry, it has become possible to directly visualize the boiling transition phenomenon, and with the help of microthermocouples to quantitatively identify the mechanism of dryout. Altogether, a new boiling transition regime was identified, with a significant coupling between overall systems dynamics and the microphenomena. This leads the way to the a priori prediction of critical heat flux and factors that may influence it.
Experiments and Universal Growth Relations for Vapor Bubbles With Microlayers
Solutions for bubble growth rates including the effects of inertia, heat transfer, and microlayer evaporation were obtained in generalized coordinates. Experimental growth rate data, covering a wide range of superheats, were obtained under precisely controlled conditions. The theoretical development appears to provide a satisfactory a priori prediction of these data. In particular, the Γ-effect predicted earlier is fully corroborated by these data which are the first to cover an extended range of this parameter.