ASSIGNMENT 1

NUCLEATE & FILM

BOILING
Ankur Das
Ajat Ray
Abdul Rauf

PGDC
Batch IV
3/28/2011
NUCLEATE BOILING
Nucleate boiling is a type of boiling that can take place under certain conditions; the process of
forming steam bubbles within liquid in micro cavities adjacent to the wall if the wall temperature at
the heat transfer surface rises above the saturation temperature while the bulk of the liquid
is subcooled.

The bubbles grow until they reach some critical size, at which point they separate from the wall and
are carried into the main fluid stream due to low density. There the bubbles collapse because the
temperature of bulk fluid is not as high as at the heat transfer surface, where the bubbles were
created. This collapsing is also responsible for the sound a water kettle produces during heat-up.

Other water droplets occupy their space and this process continues as long as the container is
heated. This process of individual bubble formation is termed as Nucleate Boiling. Under this
condition the inner walls are always in contact with water droplets and so the inner wall temperature
normally remain around the saturation temperature corresponding to the pressure.

Nucleate Boiling
FILM BOILING
Water boiling on a pan gets its heat as a result of conduction from the pan's surface to the
water. In film boiling the process of heat transfer is quite different.

Water exposed to atmospheric pressure boils at approximately 100 degrees Celsius. Water
below the surface is not directly exposed to the atmosphere and can remain a liquid as it
superheats above this temperature. At a sufficiently high temperature the water below would
vaporize and form a gas layer that supports the body of water above & this layer is poor
conductor of heat. As a result heat transfer from the heated surface to the water occurs
mainly through radiation. This process is known as film boiling.

If you take a pot of water and heat it on a stove in your kitchen, film boiling would be
impossible to achieve. You may have more success on a laboratory burner. But the
phenomena can be observed in your kitchen.

If you heat a pan sufficiently and sprinkle water on it you may see the drops of water bead
up and 'dance' around on the surface. This occurs because as the drop hits the pan a layer
of vapour is formed underneath and this supports the water droplet. The vapour continually
escapes to the sides and is replenished by the water drop above until it disappears.

Film Boiling

Film Boiling