Pool boiling on thin heaters: The role of thermal interaction among vapor stems.

摘要

We examine the issue of thermal interactions within a heater as a possible explanation for conflicting critical heat flux data on thin heaters, as reported by various investigators. While heater thermal properties have been considered in previous studies, the focus of this study is the interaction between the thermal transport process within the heater and the distribution of nucleation sites on the heater surface. It is shown that the spatial distribution of stems on the heater surface, as well as the size distribution of these stems, can affect the average surface temperatures. Such interactions are greater as the heater thickness decreases.