Triggering the boiling crisis: a study of the dry spot spreading mechanism

Vladislav S Janeček (1) , Vadim S. Nikolayev (2)

1 PMMH - Physique et mécanique des milieux hétérogenes (UMR 7636)
2 SPHYNX - Systèmes Physiques Hors-équilibre, hYdrodynamique, éNergie et compleXes

In this article we describe the boiling crisis (departure from nucleate boiling) as a transition between two regimes of bubble growth: " bubble departure " and " bubble spreading, " which occur for small and large heat fluxes, respectively. The threshold heat flux is the critical heat flux (CHF). Our assumptions are based on existing experimental observations. The boiling crisis is assumed to be triggered by spreading of dry spots under individual bubbles that occurs due to the apparent contact angle growth, when the apparent contact angle attains 90°. Such a mechanism is studied via numerical simulation of the single bubble growth. The apparent contact angle is obtained from the hydrodynamic modeling of the vicinity of the triple contact line (microregion). The microregion model is based on the lubrication approximation extended to treat high interface slopes. The microregion model is compared to previous experimental and numerical data obtained for moderate heater superheating values. The macroregion is modeled within a simplified 2D quasistationary approach that neglects the fluid motion. The CHF obtained from such a formulation is calculated as a function of gravity level and the heater wetting properties. The results agree qualitatively with existing experimental data.

Keywords: CHF; DNB; boiling crisis; bubble growth; bubble departure; contact line

Domains: Physics [physics]

Vladislav S Janeček, Vadim S. Nikolayev. Triggering the boiling crisis: a study of the dry spot spreading mechanism . Interfacial Phenomena and Heat Transfer, 2014, 2, pp.363 - 383. ⟨10.1615/InterfacPhenomHeatTransfer.2015012273⟩. ⟨cea-01498146⟩