On the Gas Entrapment and Nucleation Site Density During Pool Boiling of Saturated Water

A model to describe the effect of wettability on nucleation site density is presented. First, from Helmholtz free energy analysis, a criterion for the entrapment condition in a uniform temperature field is developed. Second, the stability condition of preexisting gas/vapor nuclei during the heating process and the minimum superheat required to initiate nucleation are determined. The prediction of the entrapment condition and the incipient temperature are consistent with the experimental observations made on surfaces having naturally existing cavities. Third, a naturally formed cavity on a heater surface is modeled as a spherical cavity. The cumulative active nucleation site density for a specified contact angle is expressed in terms of the cumulative density of cavities existing on the surface as N_a = P_as · N_as where N_as is the heater surface cumulative cavity density with cavity mouth angles less than a specified value and P_as is a function of contact angle and cavity mouth angle. The model successfully predicts active site densities for different contact angles.