Microlayer evaporation during bubble growth in nucleate boiling

We experimentally investigate the near-wall heat transfer at single bubble growth in nucleate saturated pool boiling of water at atmospheric pressure. Our focus is on the evaporation of the micro-metric thin film of liquid (microlayer) that is formed between the heating wall and the bubble. High speed and high resolution optical techniques are employed. Synchronous and simultaneous measurements of the microlayer thickness, wall temperature and bubble macroscopic shape are performed by white light interferometry, infrared thermography and side-wise shadowgraphy, respectively. We measure the wall temperature of an ITO heating film through a transparent to the infrared waves porthole. The heating is provided by an infrared laser. The wall heat flux is numerically reconstructed by using the experimental wall temperature data. We reveal a temporal rise of the thermal resistance of the liquid–vapor interface during the microlayer evaporation, which corresponds to a decrease of the accommodation coefficient. We attribute it to the progressive accumulation of impurities at the interface during evaporation. The contribution of microlayer evaporation to the overall bubble growth is about 18%.