E-7

CORRELATION OF THE MAXIMUM HEAT FLUX

AND TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE IN THE
NUCLEATE BOILING OF CORRESPONDING
STATES LIQUIDS
C. B. Cobb and E. L. Park, Jr.

University of Missouri at Rolla

Rolla, Missouri

INTRODUCTION
Technologically, the most important point on the boiling curve is the maximum
point in the nucleate boiling region (the burnout point). In the nucleate boiling region,
heat transfer coefficients of several thousand BtuJhr-ft 2 are not uncommon; however,
upon entry into the film boiling region the heat transfer coefficient may drop by a factor
of one hundred or more. In addition to the undesirable heat transfer which is common
to the film boiling region, the heat transfer surface can be melted because of the high
resistance to heat transfer away from the heat transfer surface. Because of these factors,
a reliable equation which can be used to predict the heat flux at the burnout point is of
primary interest to investigators studying boiling heat transfer. At present, there is no
general equation which will predict the heat flux at the burnout point. One of the prob-
able reasons that the correlation of the critical heat flux has not yielded to analysis is that
there is no method, as yet, of measuring all the variables which affect the burnout point.
In fact, at present, the exact effect of several variables which may be important is not
understood. Therefore, a method of eliminating these variables which are not under-
stood is needed in order to compare data obtained under different conditions.

PREVIOUS WORK
A procedure for eliminating several variables which affect the maximum temperature
difference in the nucleate boiling region has recently been proposed by Park. This
work will be briefly described and then the possibility of applying a similar procedure to
the critical heat flux will be investigated.
Frederking [1.2] developed a qualitative equation for predicting the temperature
difference at the burnout point based on an estimate of the possible metastable states in
which a two-phase system can exist. For a given pressure, the maximum superheat occurs
at the minimum point of the metastable isotherms on a pressure-volume diagram. There-
fore, with a surface free of defects, the temperature difference at the burnout point can
be calculated if an equation of state is known for the boiling substance. Frederking
used van der Waal's equation to obtain a simple frame of reference for boiling liquids.
381
K. D. Timmerhaus (ed.), Advances in Cryogenic Engineering
Springer Science+Business Media New York 1967
382 C. B. Cobb and E. L. Park, Jr.

Thus,

( STT )
(1)
Pr = 3 Vr - 1

where P r is the reduced pressure, Tr is the reduced temperature, and Vr is the reduced
volume.
Differentiating (1) and minimizing with respect to the reduced volume gives an
expression for the maximum attainable reduced superheat Tr *:

(3VT - 1)2
T * = - -- - (2)
T 4Vr
therefore,

(3)

Since it would require a perfectly smooth surface to attain the maximum temperature
difference, fj,Tvw , Frederking suggests that the degree of metastability be defined as

fj,T bO temperature difference in an actual system

=----= (4)
fj, Tvw theoretical temperature difference

As a first approximation, Frederking assumed that the degree of metastability, '" was equal
to 0.5.
Park [3] extended Frederking's work to obtain an equation which can be used to
correlate the available data for the maximum nucleate boiling temperature difference for
liquids which follow the theory of corresponding states. Park assumed that the degree of
metastability, ", depends on the heat transfer surface geometry, the number of potentially
active nucleation sites, and the reduced temperature. Physical properties of a liquid which
follows the law of corresponding states are a function only of the reduced temperature [4.5].
Therefore inclusion of the reduced temperature in the functional relationship will
account for any effects arising from the physical properties of the liquid being boiled.
Therefore, " can be specified by an equation of the form

= 1'(1), N, TT) (5)

where g, is the geometric factor and N is the number of potentially active nucleation sites.
If (5) is valid,,, should be equal for liquids, which follow the law of corresponding states,
that are boiled on the same heat transfer surface. A plot of Lyon, Kosky, and Harman's
data [6] for oxygen and nitrogen boiling on the same surface (shown by Park [3]) shows
that is not dependent on the liquid being boiled.
The effect of surface conditions and the effect of the surface geometry can be
eliminated by setting a reference value of" on each surface, and dividing all the E'S by
this reference value; that is,,, at a given reduced pressure will be assumed as a reference
value. This procedure yields

(6)