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Boiling peak heat flux for steady inhomogeneous heat transfer in superfluid He 4

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL (United States); Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (United States); Florida State University
  2. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL (United States); Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (United States)

Superfluid helium-4 (He II) is a widely adopted coolant in scientific and engineering applications owing to its exceptional heat transfer capabilities. However, boiling can spontaneously occur on a heating surface in He II when the heat flux exceeds a threshold value $q^*$, referred to as the peak heat flux. While the parameter $q^*$ holds paramount importance in the design of He II based cooling systems, extensive research has primarily focused on its behavior in steady homogeneous heat transfer from a flat heating surface. For inhomogeneous heat transfer from curved surfaces, $q^*$ exhibits intricate dependance on parameters such as the He II bath temperature $$T_b$$, the immersion depth $$h$$, and the curvature radius $$R_0$$ of the heating surface. A comprehensive understanding on how $q^*$ depends on these parameters remains elusive. In this paper, we report our systematic study on $q^*$ for steady heat transfer from cylindrical and spherical heaters in He II. We compute $q^*$ for a wide range of parameter combinations $$(T_b, h, R_0)$$ by solving the He II two-fluid equations of motion. The generated data have allowed us to develop a robust correlation that accurately reproduces $q^*$ for all the parameter combinations we explored. Furthermore, our findings, particularly the establishment of the correlation, carry valuable implications for emergent applications that involve steady inhomogeneous heat transfer in He II systems.

Research Organization:
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP); Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0020113
OSTI ID:
2212438
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Journal Name: Physical Review. B Journal Issue: 17 Vol. 108; ISSN 2469-9950
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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