A mechanism supported by extensive experimental evidence to explain high heat fluxes observed during nucleate boiling

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Abstract
This paper attempts to elucidate the mechanism responsible for high heat transfer rates occurring in nucleate boiling when liquid films exist on the heating surface. High‐speed cinematography and simultaneous transient surface temperature measurements provide a basis for describing the mechanism. In a liquid film, bubbles grow and detach rapidly. The film is quickly renewed. A liquid microlayer exists beneath a bubble its entire life. Conditions are very favorable for rapid evaporation from the microlayer so that heat transfer is rapid. A number of independent observations by other investigators working on diverse problems are cited in support of the mechanism.