A model to predict the effect of contact angle on the bubble departure diameter during heterogeneous boiling

Over the past eighty years, bubble release during heterogeneous boiling has been the subject of numerous investigations. However, current understanding of factors that influence this process is still incomplete. In this paper, a model is developed to describe the effect of contact angle on the bubble departure from an upward-facing horizontal surface. Based on the concept of macro- and micro-contact angles, this model gives an explicit theoretical relation between the bubble departure diameter and the contact angle. Agreement with previous experimental data confirms the predictive ability of the present model.