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Title: Nonlinear aspects of high heat flux nucleate boiling heat transfer. Part 2, Results

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10139163· OSTI ID:10139163

This paper describes the results of a study aimed at understanding nonlinear aspects of the macrolayer-controlled heat transfer process associated with high heat flux nucleate boiling and the critical heat flux. Simulations of realistic heater surfaces have been carried out by detailed microscopic modeling of the surfaces. Individual nucleation sites are allowed to activate or deactivate depending on the thermal conditions that prevail at the site. The results indicate that significant spatial and temporal temperature variations can occur on the surface, and that thermal interactions among sites can result in some sites operating extremely intermittently. Surface-averaged temperatures show highly nonlinear behavior. This suggests the possibility of the system exhibiting chaotic behavior under appropriate experimental conditions. It is proposed that such nonlinear behavior is one of the reasons why mechanistic predictive capabilities for the boiling process have remained elusive.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
10139163
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-94-725; CONF-941142-1; ON: DE94009294; IN: TSA-6-94-R106
Resource Relation:
Conference: American Society of Mechanical Engineers` winter annual meeting,Chicago, IL (United States),6-11 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English