Nucleate Boiling

In this video, a nucleate boiling phenomenon is happening on a fin with a dimple on it. The nucleate boiling process is a type of boiling that takes place when the surface temperature is hotter than the saturated fluid temperature by a certain amount. During the process, higher amount of heat is removed from a hot surface due to a two-phase heat transfer (gas-liquid). So, the higher the frequency of bubble generation and departure from the heated surface and the bigger the bubbles on the fin the more heat is transferred. In our project, four different fin structures (one with a dimple, one with nanoparticle coating, one with a hole on it, and one with a simple surface) are tested to find out which one has better performance in terms of heat transfer. The final goal of this project is to understand heat transfer mechanisms during this complex phenomenon and how to manipulate heat transfer with the purpose of cooling. The main application of this fundamental project is cooling microchips or batteries in electronic or electrical industries.