Film Boiling Heat Transfer from Relatively Large Diameter Downward-facing Hemispheres

Film boiling heat transfer coefficients for a downward-facing hemispherical surface are measured from the quenching tests in DELTA (Downward-boiling Experimental Loop for Transient Analysis). Two test sections are made of copper to maintain Bi below 0.1. The outer diameters of the hemispheres are 120 mm and 294 mm, respectively. The thickness of both the test sections is 30 mm. The effect of diameter on film boiling heat transfer is quantified utilizing results obtained from the two test sections. The measured heat transfer coefficients for the test section with diameter 120 mm lie within the bounding values from the laminar film boiling analysis, while those for diameter 294 mm are found to be greater than the numerical results on account of the Helmholtz instability. There is little difference observed between the film boiling heat transfer coefficients measured from the two test sections. In addition, the higher thermal conductivity of copper results in the higher minimum heat flux in the tests. For the test section of diameter 120 mm, the Leidenfrost point is lower than that for the test section of diameter 294 mm. Destabilization of film boiling propagates radially inward for the 294 mm test section versus radially outward for the 120 mm Test Section.