Exploration of Impinging Water Spray Heat Transfer at System Pressures near the Triple Point

The heat transfer of a water spray impinging upon a surface in a very low pressure environment is of interest to cooling of space vehicles during launch and re-entry, and to industrial processes where flash evaporation occurs. At very low pressure, the process occurs near the triple point of water, and there exists a transient multiphase transport problem of ice, water and water vapor. At the impingement location, there are three heat transfer mechanisms: evaporation, freezing and sublimation. A preliminary heat transfer model was developed to explore the interaction of these mechanisms at the surface and within the spray.