AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE TWO-PHASE FLOW ADJACENT TO A WIRE IN NUCLEATE BOILING UNDER AN ELECTRIC FIELD

An experimental study of the two-phase flow near a heated wire in nucleate pool boiling is presented. A nonuniform electric field of cylindrical geometry was imposed to the heater. The two-phase flow parameters were measured using specifically developed local phase-detection optical probes. Tile study includes experiments varying the vertical distance from the heater (z) and measurements of the void fraction and the impact rate in a plane perpendicular to the heater (y-z). The results show that the void fraction decreases with applied voltage and with (z). The dependence of the void fraction and the impact rate with heal flux is complex, with a strong decrement in the impact rate and void fraction near the critical heat flux when voltage is applied. The maximum void fraction and impact rate move from the vertical centerline (z) to a position 3 heater radii away.