Film boiling heat transfer and vapour film collapse on spheres, cylinders and plane surfaces Original Research Article

An experimental study of transient film boiling was conducted, with different coolant velocities, on two spheres with different diameters, two cylindrical specimens of different lengths in parallel flow, a cylinder in cross flow and two flat plates with different lengths. A frame by frame photographic study on the nature of the vapour/liquid interface and the collapse modes has revealed a new mode for film collapse, in which an explosive liquid–solid contact is followed by film re-formation and the motion of a quench front over the hot surface. Steady state tests were carried out on a plate similar to the short plate used in the transient experiments and the heat transfer, film stability and collapse results are compared with those of the transient investigation. Heat transfer coefficients and heat fluxes during film boiling were found essentially to depend on specimen temperature and water subcooling. In contrast, the influences on heat transfer of specimen size and water velocity were relatively small for the ranges studied. A theoretical model predicted heat transfer coefficients to within 10% of experimental values for water subcoolings above 10 K and within 30% in all cases.