Numerical Study of Single Bubble Growth on and Departure from a Horizontal Superheated Wall by Three-dimensional Lattice Boltzmann Method

Abstract

A three-dimensional hybrid lattice Boltzmann method was used to simulate the progress of a single bubble’s growth and departure from a horizontal superheated wall. The evolutionary process of the bubble shapes and also the temperature fields during pool nucleate boiling were obtained and the influence of the gravitational acceleration on the bubble departure diameter (BDD), the bubble release frequency (BRF) and the heat flux on the superheated wall was analyzed. The simulation results obtained by the present three-dimensional numerical studies demonstrate that the BDD is proportional to g− 0.301, the BRF is proportional to g− 0.58, and the averaged wall heat flux is proportional to g0.201, where g is the gravitational acceleration. These results are in good agreement with the common-used experimental correlations, indicating the rationality of the present numerical model and results.