Predicting the onset of nucleate boiling in wavy free-fabling turbulent liquid films

Ahstract-Experiments are performed to develop a fundamental understanding of boiling incipience in wavy free-falling turbulent liquid films. Incipience conditions are measured and correlated for water and a fluorocarbon (FC-72) liquid. Incipience in water films is influenced by turbulent eddies and, to a larger extent, by interfacial waves. A new approach to predicting incipience in water and other non-wetting fluids is presented. This approach utilizes physical parameters of commonly accepted incipience models and provides a means of correcting these models for the effects of turbulent eddies and roll waves. This study also demonstrates some unique incipience characteristics of fluor~r~n fihns. The weak surface tension forces of FC-72 allow droplets and liquid streams to break off the crests of incoming roll waves prior to, and during nucleate boiling. The low contact angle of FC-72 allows the liquid to penetrate deep inside wall cavities. Thus incipience from these flooded cavities requires much higher wall superheat than predicted from incipience models.