Terrestrial and microgravity boiling heat transfer in a dielectrophoretic force field

In order to maintain steady nucleate boiling in microgravity another force must be imposed on the boiling process to replace the buoyancy force. The o bjective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a static elec tric field for maintaining nucleate boiling in microgravity. Semi-transpare nt Sold-film heaters are used to measure the instantaneous average heater s urface temperature and to provide a bottom view of the boiling process. Thr ee electrode geometries are designed with this heater: a diverging plate, a flat plate, and a pin electrode. Depending on the heat flux level and volt age strength, it was found that each of these electrodes is able to effecti vely move the boiling bubbles away from the vicinity of the heater surface in microgravity. Both flow visualization and measured heat transfer data ar e obtained to verify these results. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.