Non-Hydrodynamic Aspects of Pool Boiling Burnout

Abstract

More than 400 pieces of test sections—flat plates made of various metals and alloys—were placed in saturated water under atmospheric pressure and heated to physical destruction by passing electric current directly through them. Several non-hydrodynamic parameters have marked effect upon the critical heat flux, which indicates that purely hydrodynamic theories are not directly applicable to general prediction of the critical heat flux. The critical heat flux data was found to be well correlated with the heat capacity per unit surface area of the test section: The critical heat flux is reduced with decrease of this parameter, while with increasing parameter it approaches a certain asymptotic value. The fluctuation of surface temperature due to alternate contact with vapor and liquid was calculated by the proposed model, and the trend of dryout duration was estimated from the critical heat flux data. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.