Nucleate boiling of water from plain and structured surfaces

Heat transfer from plain surface and from surfaces with distinct nucleation sites has been investigated under saturated pool boiling condition. Surfaces have been prepared with regular array of discrete nucleation sites formed by micro-drilling. Distilled water has been used as the boiling liquid. Out of various available correlations, Rohsenow correlation [W.M. Rohsenow, A method of correlating heat transfer data for surface boiling of liquids, Trans. ASME 74 (1952) 969–976] gives best agreement with the experimental data from plain surface at low degree of superheat. A mechanistic model also provides a good trend matching with the same experimental data. With the introduction of artificial nucleation sites substantial augmentation in heat transfer for distilled water compared to the plane surface has been noted. Continuous increase in nucleation site density increases the rate of heat transfer with a diminishing trend of enhancement. A correlation similar to that of Yamagata et al. [K. Yamagata, F. Hirano, K. Nishiwaka, H. Matsouka, Nucleate boiling of water on the horizontal heating surface, Mem. Fac. Eng. Kyushu 15 (1955) 98] has been developed to fit the experimental data of plane surface. Modification of the same correlation to take care of the nucleation site density has been developed and used to predict the experimental data from augmented surfaces.