Enhancement of boiling in highly wetting fluids

Abstract

The boiling of a highly wetting dielectric fluid, in an oscillating environment, has been investigated. Because of low surface tension, these liquids require very high superheat to initiate nucleate boiling. This high degree of superheat required can be reduced by oscillation of the fluid. This oscillation removes the bubbles, which are forming in the nucleation sites on the wire, which allows new bubbles to form. The amplitude and frequency of the oscillation has been varied in an attempt to find optimum values. All attempted oscillation amplitudes and frequencies reduced the required superheat necessary to initiate nucleate boiling. Some oscillation amplitudes and frequencies were more effective than others. No global optimum amplitude or frequency was specifically located. Several local optimum values were found. Once oscillation amplitude was found to produce equal required superheat values at various frequencies, thus appearing to be independent of frequency