Effect of Electric Field Distribution Generated in a Microspace on Pool Boiling Heat Transfer

Abstract

This study describes the effect of an electric field on nucleate boiling and critical heat flux (CHF) in pool boiling. A dielectric liquid of AE3000 was used as the working fluid. A heating surface was polished to a surface roughness of 0.05 خ¼m. A microsized electrode, in which slits were provided, was designed to generate a nonuniform electric field and produce electrohydrodynamic (EHD) effects with the application of high dc voltages. The obtained results confirmed CHF enhancement as the EHD effects increased CHF to 86.2 W/cm2 with a voltage of −3000 V, which was four times greater than pool boiling in the absence of the electrode. The usual traveling wave on the bubble interface, induced by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, was modified by adding the EHD effects. The traveling wave model exhibits the essential features of the phenomenon and shows good agreement with the experimental data.