This study focuses on some of the fundamental issues that influence bo
iling heat transfer to a free-surface, planar jet of water. Local boil
ing curves are presented at several streamwise distances from the stag
nation line, while streamwise distributions of the surface temperature
and convection coefficient are presented for representative heat flux
es. The position downstream of the stagnation line strongly influences
heat transfer in the single-phase convection regime, has no appreciab
le effect on fully-developed nucleate boiling, but does influence the
extent of the partial boiling regime. The effect of jet velocity on he
at transfer is most pronounced in the single-phase and partial boiling
regimes, where convective transport is dominated by the hydrodynamics
of the bulk how, and not by evaporation or bubble motion. Within the
fully-developed boiling regime, the convective transport is dominated
by evaporation and intense mixing induced by bubbles leaving the surfa
ce, and heat transfer is insensitive to jet velocity.