Dynamics of Vapor Bubbles in Spherically Symmetric Temperature Fields of General Variation

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Abstract
During the growth of a spherical vapor bubble in a superheated liquid the inertial and surface tension effects rapidly become negligible, so that most of the growth occurs in an asymptotic stage characterized by an essentially constant bubble pressure. The asymptotic bubble behavior in initially nonuniform temperature fields is studied. An explicit formula for the bubble radius relation for a general spherically symmetric initial condition is derived. Application is made to the problem of nucleate boiling on a heated surface, where two dimensionless parameters are found to be important. Bubble radius vs time curves are determined and presented graphically for typical values of these parameters. Plots of maximum bubble radius, the time at which the maximum occurs and the average growth velocity are given for the case of subcooled boiling.

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