A Possible Mechanism for the Formation of Unwettable Dry Spots on the Heated Surface under Nucleate Boiling: Part I. Basic Models and Characteristics of Heterogeneous Nucleate Pool Boiling at a Low Pressure

Abstract

The problems associated with the physics of heterogeneous pool boiling at a low pressure on a flat horizontal surface are considered. The examples of parametric mismatch between the trends are connected with the thermophysical properties and wall surface microgeometry, with the size of the working area, with the affected zone of a growing bubble, and with the contact angle at the interface between the liquid, solid, and vapor phases. A conclusion is drawn concerning the possible causes of ambiguity in the results of the simulation of nucleate pool boiling modes under calculation of the individual contribution of each of the heat transfer mechanisms (convection, liquid microlayer evaporation, and rearrangement of the thermal boundary layer after bubble detachment). It is emphasized that the problem should be solved in the 3D conjugate formulation.