Experimental study on the influence of heating surface inclination angle on heat transfer and CHF performance for pool boiling

Pool boiling heat transfer is widely applied in nuclear engineering fields. The influence of heating surface orientation on the pool boiling heat transfer has received extensive attention. In this study, the heating surface with different roughness was adopted to conduct pool boiling experiments at different inclination angles. Based on the boiling curves and bubble images, the effects of inclination angle on the pool boiling heat transfer and critical heat flux were analyzed. When the inclination angle was bigger than 90°, the bubble size increased with the increase of inclination angle. Both the bubble departure frequency and critical heat flux decreased as the inclination angle increased. The existing theoretical models about pool boiling heat transfer and critical heat flux were compared. From the perspective of bubble agitation model and Hot/Dry spot model, the experimental phenomena could be explained reasonably. The enlargement of bubble not only could enhance the agitation of nearby liquid but also would cause the bubble to stay longer on the heating surface. Consequently, the effect of inclination angle on the pool boiling heat transfer was not conspicuous. With the increase of inclination angle, the rewetting of heating surface became much more difficult. It has negative effect on the critical heat flux. This work provides experimental data basis for heat transfer and CHF performance of pool boiling.