A hydrodynamic critical heat flux model for saturated pool boiling on a downward facing curved heating surface

A theoretical model is developed to predict the critical heat flux (CHF) limit for saturated pool boiling on the outer surface of a heated hemispherical vessel. The model considers the existence of a microlayer underneath an elongated vapor slug on a downward facing curved healing surface. The micro-layer is treated as a thin liquid film with numerous micro-vapor jets penetrating it. The micro-jets have the characteristic size dictated by Helmholtz instability. Local dryout is considered to occur when the supply of fresh liquid from the two-phase boundary layer to the micro-layer is not sufficient to prevent depletion of the liquid film by boiling. A boundary layer analysis, treating the two-phase motion as an external buoyancy-driven flow, is performed to determine the liquid supply rate and thus the local critical heat flux. The model provides a clear physical explanation for the spatial variation of the CHF observed in experiments and for the weak dependence of the CHF data on the physical size of the vessel. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.