Nucleation site interaction during boiling

Classical analyses of boiling nucleation employ a linear approach with investigation focusing on a single site and the heat transfer obtained from the active site density assuming uniform wall superheat. This paper uses synergetic concepts and the self-organizing effect to analyze the interactions among active sites or bubbles induced by nonuniform temperature distribution, which depend mainly on boiling wall properties and thickness. Boiling experiments on the surface of different material plate walls with different thicknesses were conducted to reveal the nucleation site interaction. The results illustrate the experimental observations available in the literature and may provide a more reasonable mechanistic description of nucleation in boiling systems. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.