An Analytical and Experimental Investigation of Bubble Waiting Time in Nucleate Boiling

Abstract

In as much as bubble nucleation theory formulated on the basis of transient conduction to the liquid in the vicinity of the heat transfer surface predicted results for bubble waiting time that were inconsistent with experimental data, a bubble nucleation theory incorporating both conductive and convective heat transfer to the liquid in the wake of a rising bubble was developed. The bubble waiting time results predicted by this theory agreed very well with experimental observations and therefore the evidence suggests that the convective heat transfer contribution is a significant feature of bubble nucleation particularly for subcooled boiling conditions.