Subcooled boiling heat transfer and dryout on a constant temperature microheater

An experimental study of single-bubble subcooled boiling heat transfer (ΔTsub=31.5 K) on a small heater with constant wall temperature has been performed to better understand the boiling heat transfer associated with this unique configuration. The heater of 0.27 mm × 0.27 mm is set at different superheats to generate vapor bubbles on the microheater surface. For each superheat, the heater temperature is maintained constant by an electronic feedback control circuit while its power dissipation is measured at a frequency of 4.5 kHz. The single-bubble boiling is characterized by a transient bubble nucleation–departure period and a slow growth period. For the superheat range of 34–114 K in this study, at wall superheats below 84 K, the heater remains partially wetted following bubble departure and subsequent nucleation, and this period is characterized by a heat flux spike. At wall superheats above 90 K, the heater is blanketed with vapor following bubble departure and the heat flux experiences a dip during this period. At all superheats, the slow growth period is characterized by an almost uniform heat flux, and it has been observed that the heater surface is mostly covered by vapor. The unique heat transfer processes associated with boiling on this microheater are considerably different than those typically observed during boiling on a large heater.