A study of nucleate boiling in an accelerated system

Abstract

A study was made of the influence of system acceleration on nucleate boiling heat transfer in saturated distilled water at approximately atmospheric pressure. Teats were made under standard gravitational acceleration and under 2.85 times the standard gravitational acceleration. Chromel A electrical resistance wire, 0.008 inch in diameter, served as the heat transfer area. Acceleration of the system was obtained by use of the centrifuge principle. The boiling system was pivoted from the cross arm of a vertical shaft in such a manner that the acceleration was always normal to the heating wire. Heat flux rates were varied from approximately 10 to the 4th to 4 x 10 to the 5th BTU's/Hr Ft to the 2nd. The change in the heat flux as a function of the temperature difference AT between the wire temperature and the saturation temperature of the water was used as a comparison for the standard one and 2.85 times the standard gravitational field.