Phase Change, Nucleation, And Cavitation

Abstract

Abstract This first chapter will focus on the mechanisms of formation of two-phase mixtures of vapor and liquid. Particular attention will be given to the process of the creation of vapor bubbles in a liquid. In doing so we will attempt to meld together several overlapping areas of research activity. First, there are the studies of the fundamental physics of nucleation as epitomized by the books of Frenkel (1955) and Skripov (1974). These deal largely with very pure liquids and clean environments in order to isolate the behavior of pure liquids. On the other hand, most engineering systems are impure or contaminated ih ways that have important effects on the process of nucleation. The later part of the chapter will deal with the physics of nucleation in such engineering environments.