Observation of High Heat Flux Boiling Structures in a Horizontal Pool by a Total Reflection Technique

Abstract

The experiments were carried out for a horizontal pool boiling of saturated water using a transparent ITO heating surface. Details of boiling structure near the heated surface have been clearly observed by applying the total reflection and diagonal view techniques in a synchronized manner. Mechanisms for the bubble coalescence and dry area expansion processes were clearly identified. The base of the large massive bubble was mostly dry with some trapped liquid. The appearance of this large dry area at high heat flux close to CHF was basically resulted from the multiple steps of bubble coalescences which occur while the bubbles are growing, attached to the boiling surface not before they depart from the boiling surface. The thin liquid layer with distributed vapor stems was not observed under the large massive bubble.