Critical Heat Flux for Subcooled Water Flowing Normal to a Cylinder

Abstract

Empirical data are presented which show the effects of diameter, water velocity, and subcooling on the critical heat flux from an electrically heated, cylindrical lube or wire. The maximum flux which can be accommodated in subcooled nucleate boiling is found to vary directly with the water velocity and subcooling and inversely with a fractional power of the heater diameter. The exponent which describes the diameter dependence is itself a function of both velocity and subcooling. Measurements of the critical flux are reported for water at atmospheric pressure over a range of subcooling from 3 to 100 deg F, velocity from 0.5 to 11 ft/sec, and heater diameter from 0.010 to 0.189 in. Visual and photographic observations indicate a marked effect of subcooling on the flow mechanism near the critical heat flux. High subcooling prevents the formation of the vapor cavity which was described in the previous paper [1] for nearly saturated water, although the failure of nucleate boiling still occurs at the rear of the cylinder and is accompanied by a concentration of vapor in that region.