Buoyancy effects on film boiling heat transfer from a sphere at low velocities

Abstract

A theoretical model is developed for the forced convection film boiling phenomenon over a heated sphere moving vertically downwards in the water. Unprecedented compared with the previous analytical studies, this model accounts for the buoyancy effects while solving the momentum and energy equations in the vapour phase to obtain the velocity and the temperature distribution in terms of the vapour boundary layer thickness. To calculate the vapour boundary layer thickness, an energy balance is applied at the vapour–liquid interface. The flow of liquid around the sphere is considered to be governed by potential theory, and the energy equation in liquid is then solved for the known velocity distribution. We find that the vapour boundary layer thickness increases with an increase in the sphere temperature, the bulk water temperature and a decrease in the free stream velocity. This further results in a decrease in the film boiling heat transfer coefficient. The present study concludes that at low free stream velocities ( ${<}0.5\, {\rm m}\,{\rm s}^{-1}$ ) buoyancy becomes significant in delaying the separation, and when the velocity is further reduced the separation angle approaches $180^{\circ}$ .