Consecutive-Photo Method to Measure Vapor Volume Flow Rate During Boiling From a Wire Immersed in Saturated Liquid

A photographic measurement technique is developed to quantify the vapor volume flow rate departing from a wire during boiling. The vapor flow rate is determined by measuring the volume of bubbles after departure from the boiling surface in consecutive frames of high-speed video. The measurement technique is more accurate and easier to implement than a previously developed photographic/laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) method. Use of the high-speed camera in place of a standard video camera eliminates the requirement for LDA-acquired bubble velocity measurements. The consecutive-photo method requires relatively few video images to be analyzed to obtain steady-state vapor volume flow rates. The volumetric flow rate data are used to calculate the latent heat transfer and, indirectly, sensible heat transfer which comprise the nucleate boiling heat flux. The measurement technique is applied to a 75-μm diameter platinum wire immersed in saturated FC-72.