How to obtain pool boiling heat transfer coefficients for tubes from wire experiments

Abstract

Experiments for pool boiling are simpler when performed on horizontal wires than on horizontal tubes. It is shown how nucleate boiling results from wire experiments can be transformed into heat transfer coefficients for tubes. Thus, heat transfer coefficients can be obtained for tubes of 6 to 25 mm in diameter or 30 mm and larger (including horizontal flat plates) from experiments on a 0.1 mm thick platinum wire. Comparison with a large number of heat transfer coefficients from literature show good agreement with the equations introduced here.